Is there a requirement for a physician to be on board the ambulance while transporting an ill or injured worker to the hospital?

Joseph Lopez
Esteemed colleagues, I am in the USA and my company is establishing a production factory in Bangalore (>500 employees). We plan to have an on-site medical clinic, ambulance room and on-site ambulance. My question: Is there a requirement for a physician to be on board the ambulance while transporting an ill or injured worker to the hospital? I did not see anything regarding this in The Factories Act, 1948. Your replies are greatly appreciated.
Venkata Vamsi Krishna Patnaik
Dear Joseph,
You stated 500 employees, then you need to have a medical officer appointed for full time.
If possible he can be accompanying the injured person or ill person, but not necessarily always. It is a employee welfare point, so need not be mentioned in the Factories act for assistance by company medical officer.
In general we expect such help be rendered to an employee.
You can on the flip side have a trained first aider/first aiders who can assist you on these matters.
KJainBRD
Dear Joseph,
Your office will have to maintain an Occupational Health Centre (OHC) if your production facility is a hazardous industry, as per Sec 2 (cb) of the Factories Act 1948. For hazardous industries having > 500 employees a regular Occupational Health Centre (OHC) needs to be established. Your office will have to maintain an ambulance also. You will be required to appoint a regular (full-time) Occupational Health Physician (OHP) as the designated Factory Medical Officer (FMO). The OHC should have one registered nurse and other nursing assistants and paramedics.
The OHC will provide primary/emergency treatment in case of an onsite medical emergency or accidental injury. The employee (patient) should be transferred to a secondary level healthcare facility (hospital) for further medical treatment.
As a thumb rule the OHP/FMO need not travel with the patient to the designated hospital. An OHC nursing assistant or paramedic or a trained first aider may accompany the patient. Only in serious cases the OHP may accompany the patient, to the hospital.
Your office will have to provide First Aid Training to some employees, so that First Aiders are available, throughout the work shifts.
Regards.
Dr. Kamal Jain.
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