Occupational health centre (OHC) setup
One partner to plan, design, equip and hand over your OHC, or to supply the equipment only.
- Sized to your workforce, hazards and shifts
- Built to the rules for your site
- Full turnkey or equipment supply only
An occupational health centre (OHC) keeps your workforce safe and your site compliant. Medasus Healthcare, Bengaluru, plans OHCs to match the number of workers, the hazards and shifts on site, and the rules that apply to your industry, then designs, builds and equips them. Choose the full turnkey service or only the part you need.
OHC setup guide: all topics
What is an OHC?
An OHC is the on-site medical facility of a workplace. It provides first aid and emergency care, pre-employment and periodic medical examinations, screening linked to workplace hazards, and health records. It ranges from first-aid stations in a small unit to a full centre with an emergency bay, observation beds and an ambulance in a large plant.
Who needs an OHC?
- Factories and manufacturing plants: first aid for every factory, more as headcount grows
- Hazardous-process units: chemicals, foundries, pharma and others needing regular medical examinations
- Mines and quarries: remote sites with high injury risk
- Construction projects: large temporary workforces
- Warehouses, logistics parks and SEZs
- IT and corporate campuses: employee health rooms and emergency response
Choose your scope
Needs study, compliance mapping, design, fit-out, equipment, ambulance, SOPs and handover. Turnkey OHC
Room schedule, layout drawings, equipment list and budget for your own contractor. OHC design
Gap audit of an existing OHC or first-aid room against applicable rules, and an upgrade plan. OHC audit
Supply, installation and user training for the full OHC equipment range. OHC equipment
Help with staffing model, registers, emergency drills and equipment maintenance (AMC).
Rules that decide your OHC
The core requirements come from the Factories Act, 1948, the state factories rules and the Occupational Safety, Health and Working Conditions Code, 2020:
| Rule | What it requires |
|---|---|
| Factories Act, 1948, s.45(1) | First-aid boxes or cupboards, readily accessible during working hours: not less than one for every 150 workers ordinarily employed |
| Factories Act, s.45(3) | Each box in the charge of a separate responsible person holding a first-aid certificate recognised by the State Government |
| Factories Act, s.45(4) | More than 500 workers ordinarily employed: an ambulance room of the prescribed size and equipment, in the charge of the prescribed medical and nursing staff |
| Factories Act, s.41C | Hazardous process: medical examination before a worker is assigned to work with a hazardous substance, then at intervals not exceeding 12 months |
| OSH Code, 2020, s.6(1)(c) and (g) | Free annual health examination for employees of the age or class prescribed by the government; no charge to employees for medical examinations |
| State Factories Rules (Karnataka Factories Rules, 1969 in Karnataka) | Detailed requirements: ambulance room size and equipment, occupational health centres, medical officers and staff |
Full detail: OHC rules and requirements.
What size OHC do you need?
We size an OHC from six inputs: workers ordinarily employed and the largest shift, hazardous processes, number of shifts, distance to the nearest hospital, site type, and your group’s EHS standards.
| Level | Typical site | What the law starts with | What Medasus plans |
|---|---|---|---|
| First-aid level | Smaller unit, no hazardous process | First-aid boxes, one per 150 workers, with certified first-aiders | First-aid stations, stretchers, eye-wash and burn kits, AED option, first-aid training tie-up |
| Medical room | Medium unit, or any unit with a hazardous process | Medical examinations for hazardous work (s.41C) and state rules | Consultation room, examination couch, basic screening (vitals, ECG, vision, audiometry, spirometry as hazards need), health records |
| Ambulance room | More than 500 workers | Ambulance room of prescribed size and equipment, with medical and nursing staff (s.45(4)) | Treatment and emergency area, observation beds, resuscitation kit, oxygen, ambulance arrangement |
| Full OHC | Large or hazardous plant, round-the-clock shifts, far from a hospital | State rules on occupational health centres; client EHS standards | Triage, emergency bay, observation, pharmacy, screening lab, ambulance, staff rooms, records |
The size we recommend is planning advice based on your inputs. The exact legal requirement for your site depends on the state rules and the processes you run.
Our process
- Site visit and needs study: workers, shifts, hazards, distance to hospital.
- Compliance mapping: central and state rules and your group’s EHS standards.
- Concept layout: room schedule and patient flow.
- Detailed design: drawings, equipment list and budget.
- Fit-out: civil, interior, electrical, plumbing, oxygen and power back-up points.
- Equipment: supply, installation and user training.
- Handover: SOPs, registers, emergency drill and maintenance plan.
Typical OHC layout
| Area | Purpose |
|---|---|
| Reception and triage | Registration, first assessment, waiting |
| Doctor’s consultation | Examinations, pre-employment and periodic check-ups |
| Emergency and resuscitation bay | Stabilising injured or collapsed workers; direct ambulance access |
| Observation | Short stay beds under nursing watch |
| Screening room | Vision, audiometry (quiet room), spirometry, ECG |
| Pharmacy and store | Medicines, consumables, cold storage |
| Dressing and minor procedures | Wound care and dressings |
| Toilets, utility and waste | Accessible toilet, dirty utility, biomedical waste holding |
| Ambulance bay | Covered pick-up point close to the emergency bay |
More: OHC design and layout.
Equipment we supply
| Category | Typical items | Level |
|---|---|---|
| First aid | First-aid boxes and cupboards, stretchers, splints, burn and eye-wash kits | All |
| Emergency and resuscitation | AED or defibrillator, oxygen, suction, crash cart, airway kit, spine board | Ambulance room and above |
| Examination | Examination couch, BP apparatus, stethoscope, thermometer, weighing scale, height stand, examination lamp | Medical room and above |
| Screening and diagnostics | ECG, pulse oximeter, glucometer, audiometer, spirometer, vision tester | As hazards require |
| Observation and nursing | Beds, IV stands, bedside lockers, screens, patient monitor | Ambulance room and above |
| Pharmacy and storage | Medicine cabinets, drug refrigerator, record storage | Medical room and above |
| Infection control and waste | Colour-coded biomedical waste bins, sterilisation, hand-wash stations | All with clinical waste |
| Furniture and fit-out | Reception, waiting seating, doctor’s desk, partitions, signage | All |
Browse products on the Medasus medical equipment store or ask for a quote. Equipment-only orders are welcome.
Why Medasus
- Based in Bengaluru, working across India
- Hospital and clinic set-up experience, from planning to licensing
- Our own medical equipment range, so design and supply come from one team
- Licensing know-how: KPME, NABH, biomedical waste and more
Get a free OHC plan
Tell us your company, site location, industry, total workers and largest shift, whether you have hazardous processes, and whether you need a full turnkey OHC, design only, an upgrade or equipment only. We will suggest the right OHC size, layout and equipment list.
OHC setup: frequently asked questions
What is an occupational health centre (OHC)?
Is an OHC mandatory?
How many first-aid boxes does a factory need?
When is an ambulance room required?
Can Medasus supply OHC equipment only?
Do you work outside Karnataka?
Planning an OHC?
Talk to Medasus Healthcare, Bengaluru. One team to plan, design, equip and hand over your occupational health centre, or to supply the equipment only.
Last reviewed on 7 November 2026 against: Factories Act, 1948 (DGFASLI copy); Occupational Safety, Health and Working Conditions Code, 2020; Model Rules under the Factories Act, 1948 (DGFASLI). Medasus Healthcare Pvt Ltd is a private consultancy and medical equipment supplier. Requirements vary by state, industry, process and client standards, and inspections and approvals are by the authorities; Medasus cannot guarantee approval. Check the rules that currently apply to your establishment before you build.
