Workplace safety in Sri Lanka
The law, regulators and duties that apply to factories and construction sites in Sri Lanka, explained in plain language with links to the official sources.
Who regulates what
Enforces the Factories Ordinance through ten District Factory Inspecting Engineer offices: registers factories and boilers, approves building plans, investigates accidents and prosecutes.
labourdept.gov.lk →The National Institute of Occupational Safety and Health, under the Ministry of Labour. Advises on national OSH policy, does research and trains employers and workers.
niosh.gov.lk →The law and key regulations
The Department of Labour publishes the Ordinance in its Labour Code, in English and Sinhala. Its English text includes amendments up to 2002.
| Law | What it covers |
|---|---|
| Factories Ordinance No. 45 of 1942 | Registration, machinery guarding, lifting equipment, confined spaces, boilers, fire escape, first aid, accident reporting and penalties. Also applies to construction works. Explained |
| Factories (No. 1) Regulations 1960 | Forms under the Ordinance, including Form 10 for accident notices. |
| Factories (Dangerous Occurrences Notification) Regulations 1965 | Dangerous occurrences such as crane collapse, boiler explosion and structural collapse, notified on Form 12 within three days. |
| National Institute of Occupational Safety and Health Act No. 38 of 2009 | Sets up NIOSH. |
This is practical guidance, not legal advice. Check the current official text and your site's own procedures.
Official resources in Sinhala
The Department of Labour and NIOSH publish the Ordinance and safety leaflets in Sinhala. Both sites also have Tamil versions of their pages.
සිංහල (Sinhala)
- Factories Ordinance (Sinhala)Department of Labour Labour Code, Sinhala text
- ඉදිකිරීම් ක්ෂේත්රයේ වෘත්තිය සුරක්ෂිතභාවයOccupational safety in construction (Department of Labour leaflet)
- දූවිල්ලෙන් ආරක්ෂා වෙමුProtection from dust (Department of Labour leaflet)
- Electrical safety (Sinhala)Department of Labour leaflet
- Prevent Accidents (Sinhala)NIOSH leaflet
- Prevent Electrical Accidents (Sinhala)NIOSH leaflet
தமிழ் (Tamil)
- Industrial Safety Division (Tamil)Department of Labour's Industrial Safety Division page in Tamil
- NIOSH (Tamil)NIOSH website in Tamil
