Factories Act, 1934

The Factories Act, 1934 is a foundational labour law regulating health, safety and working conditions inside factories across Pakistan. Section 2 defines a "factory" as premises where ten or more workers work (or worked in the past year) and where a manufacturing process is carried on, and sets age categories: a "child" is under fifteen, an "adolescent" is between fifteen and seventeen, and an "adult" has completed seventeen years. Chapter II (Sections 10 to 12) establishes Inspectors and certifying surgeons to enforce the Act.

Chapter III (Sections 13 to 33Q) is the largest part of the Act, covering health and safety in detail: cleanliness (Section 13), disposal of waste (Section 14), ventilation and temperature (Section 15), dust and fume control (Section 16), lighting (Section 19), drinking water (Section 20), latrines (Section 21), precautions against fire (Section 25), fencing of dangerous machinery (Section 26), restrictions on employing women and children near cotton openers (Section 32), and rules on cranes, hoists, pressure plant, floors and stairs, and protection of workers' eyes (Sections 33 to 33G). Section 24A requires factories to appoint a Welfare Officer.

Chapter IV (Sections 34 to 49) limits adult working hours: it sets weekly hours limits (Section 34), a weekly holiday (Section 35), daily hours limits (Section 36), required rest intervals (Section 37), and extra pay for overtime (Section 47), along with further restrictions specifically on women's working hours (Section 45) and rules for night shifts (Section 46). Chapter IVA (Sections 49A to 49I) entitles workers to annual paid holidays, and separately covers casual leave, sick leave and festival holidays. Chapter V (Sections 50 to 59) imposes special protections for children and adolescents, including a ban on employing young children (Section 50), required fitness certificates (Section 52), and restricted working hours for children (Section 54).

Chapter VI (Sections 60 to 75) sets out penalties and enforcement procedures for violations — covering contraventions generally, obstruction of an Inspector, failure to report accidents, using a false certificate, and double employment of children — though the extract text does not include the specific fine or imprisonment amounts for these offences, so exact penalty figures should be checked against the current official text. Section 75 requires prosecutions to generally be brought within six months of the alleged offence. This is a very old, extensively amended Act — the extract shows province-specific amendments and multiple historical Orders changing its wording — so its detailed provisions, especially penalty amounts, should be verified against the current text and any newer occupational safety legislation before being relied on.