Is It Legal to Have 12-Hour Shifts for In-House Security Teams? Seeking Urgent Advice

In-House Security Shift Timings Inquiry

I am working in a factory where we are currently maintaining security through outsourcing. However, in order to have complete control over the security measures, we have proposed having in-house security. My question is, can shift timings for security personnel be allocated as 12 hours per shift (two shifts in total) instead of 8 hours (three shifts)? Is this legally permissible?

I kindly request all senior members to provide your replies at the earliest as this is an urgent matter for us. Thanks in advance.

Regards,
Upender

Kindly help me out in this regard, as it has become a high priority to work out the contract and in-house security expenses to present to management. We need to decide whether to implement a 12-hour or 8-hour shift. In the case of opting for a 12-hour shift, are there any conditions under which it can be done? I request all the seniors and experts to guide me in this matter.

Dear Seniors,

Kindly help me out in this regard, as it has become a high priority to work out the contract and in-house security expenses to present in front of management. For this, we are supposed to make a decision to go with a 12-hour or 8-hour shift. In case of opting for a 12-hour shift, are there any conditions under which it can be implemented?

I request all the seniors and experts to guide me in this matter.

Regards,
Vanam Upender

It cannot be stated to be legal to have a 12-hour shift. According to Section 56 of the Factories Act, 1948, we are not allowed to have a spread over (inclusive of rest intervals) for more than ten and a half hours in a shift. The Chief Inspector of Factories may increase the spread over timings up to 12 hours. For more details, you may go through Chapter VI on working hours of adults.

Regards,
R.N. Khola
Skylark Associates | Gurgaon | Haryana | [Phone Number Removed For Privacy Reasons]
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Understanding Shift Timings for Security Personnel

A combined reading of Sections 51 and 54 makes it clear that the daily hours of shift working have to be limited to 8 hours. Although the spread over of duty hours could be stretched to 10.5 hours, that does not mean that the duty hours could be that much (Section 56). Moreover, it is inhuman to have 12-hour duty on a continuous basis for security personnel who need to be active, vigilant, and alert during the entire duty time.

Regards,
KK

Thank you, everyone, for your valuable inputs. We have decided to implement 8-hour shifts with 3 rotations to prioritize security alertness, as recommended by KK ji.

Good that you have selected 8-hour shifts. Legally, 12-hour shifts are not allowed. The chief inspector or any other government authority does not have the authority to extend the hours beyond 8 hours. The maximum overtime that an employee is allowed to do under the Factories Act is 50 hours a quarter. So you can't even do overtime for 4 hours a day.