Factory Manager Dilemma: Can One Manager Oversee Two Factories in the Same State?

Factory Manager Regulations

Can two factories in the same state have the same factory manager? Is there any rule that the factory manager should be an employee of the said factory only?

Regards

Dear Aditya, Thanks for your reply. However, my question was whether Factory A and Factory B, located in two different cities, can have the same Factory Manager under the Factories Act, 1948, and the rules therein.

Regards,
P. Arunkumar

There is no such rule that if your companies are located in a thousand cities, the manager should be the same.

I think my question is not being understood. I am not talking about whether the manager should be the same in different units. My question is:

a) We have two manufacturing units in the same state—each has its own Factory Manager as defined under the Factories Act and Rules and accordingly indicated in the Factory license.

b) One of the Factory Managers (Factory-A) was transferred out to some other state.

c) My question is whether the Factory Manager of the second factory (Factory-B) can officiate as the Factory Manager of the first factory, under the Factories Act and Rules.

Citehr members - Request your feedback on this.

Thanks,
P. Arunkumar

A common factory manager may be possible, albeit temporarily. For practical reasons, it is better to have separate managers. Otherwise, the poor guy has to shuttle between two factories.

Mr. Arunkumar, there is no statutory post of "factory manager" in the Factories Act. It is only "manager." A person notified to the Factories Department as a manager can be an individual holding any designation in the company. However, they should be responsible to the occupier for the day-to-day functioning of the factory with respect to the Factories Act. Hence, it is advisable to have separate managers for different factories.

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Thanks for your inputs. I managed to get feedback from the Dy. Chief of Factories regarding this—his feedback was also the same as yours. We have been advised not to have the same person officiating as Manager under the Factories Act since he is responsible for the day-to-day functioning and hence handling two different factories (which in this case are quite some distance apart, even though they are in the same state).

Thanks very much for your views.

Regards,
P. Arunkumar

A Manager under the Factory Act is considered responsible for implementing health, safety, and welfare provisions as discussed under the Act. Since health and safety are around-the-clock issues, it is expected that the person employed in a specific plant can give proper attention to it.

Moreover, in the event of an accident or on-site emergency activities, the role of the manager is crucial. A person sitting, let's say 100 km away from the plant, cannot control the situation or provide proper advice in case of an emergency. Hence, it is always advisable that each plant has a separate manager.

Regards,
D.V. Gosavi