The Third Schedule · Social Security Code

List of Occupational Diseases

The Third Schedule is the Code's list of occupational diseases: 38 numbered entries in three parts (A, B and C), each matched to the kind of work in which it counts. The ESI rules in section 36(1) and the employee compensation rules in section 74 work off this list: a listed disease contracted in the matching work, after any minimum service those sections require, is presumed to have arisen from the job unless the contrary is proved. For almost every entry, the matching work is simply any work that exposes the worker to that risk.

1 section ~1 min read Official text, PDF p. 105

Factory owners and plant managersHR and safety officersOccupational health doctorsHospital, laboratory and veterinary employers

Key points

1The schedule lists 38 numbered occupational disease entries in three parts (5 in Part A, 27 in Part B, 6 in Part C), and pairs each one with the employment in which it counts. §schedule
2For almost every entry the matching employment is "all work involving exposure to the risk concerned" (radiation is worded as exposure to radioactive substances or ionising radiations), so what counts is actual exposure at work, not the name of the industry. Infectious and parasitic diseases are the one entry tied to listed kinds of work. §schedule
3Infectious and parasitic diseases (Part A, item 1) are tied to health and laboratory work, veterinary work, handling animals, carcasses or goods that may have been contaminated by them, and any other work with a particular risk of contamination. §schedule
4Part B covers diseases from chemicals and metals such as phosphorus, mercury, benzene, chromium, arsenic, manganese, beryllium, cadmium and fluorine, plus radiation, skin cancer from tar and mineral oils, noise-induced hearing loss, occupational asthma, asbestos-related lung cancer and extreme heat or cold. §schedule
5Part C covers lung diseases from dust (silicosis, asbestosis, bagassosis, byssinosis from cotton, flax, hemp and sisal dust, hard-metal lung disease and allergic alveolitis from organic dust), plus acute pulmonary oedema of high altitude. §schedule
6The Part matters under ESI: section 36(1) treats a Part A disease as an employment injury with no minimum service, a Part B disease only after at least six months' continuous employment in that work, and a Part C disease after a period the ESI Corporation sets by regulations. For employee compensation, section 74(3) asks for at least six months' continuous service with the same employer. §schedule

At a glance

38Occupational diseases listed in totalSection schedule 5Diseases in Part ASection schedule 27Diseases in Part BSection schedule 6Diseases in Part CSection schedule

Earlier law:Employees' Compensation Act, 1923Employees' State Insurance Act, 1948

THE THIRD SCHEDULE LIST OF OCCUPATIONAL DISEASES

In plain words

This schedule is the Code's list of occupational diseases: 5 entries in Part A (infectious diseases in health, laboratory, veterinary and animal-handling work, compressed-air work, lead, nitrous fumes and organophosphorus compounds), 27 in Part B (chemicals, metals, radiation, noise, asthma, cancers, eye damage and extreme climates) and 6 in Part C (dust-related lung diseases and high-altitude pulmonary oedema), each matched to the work in which it counts.

[See sections 2 (51), 36(1), 74 (1), (3), (5), 131(5), 132 and 152(2)]

PART A

Serial No.	Occupational disease	Employment
(1)	(2)	(3)
1.	Infectious and parasitic diseases contracted in an occupation where there is a particular risk of contamination.	(a) all work involving exposure to health or laboratory work; (b) all work involving exposure to veterinary work; (c) work relating to handling animals, animal carcasses, part of such carcasses, or merchandise which may have been contaminated by animals or animal carcasses; (d) other work carrying a particular risk of contamination.
2.	Diseases caused by work in compressed air	All work involving exposure to the risk concerned.
3.	Diseases caused by lead or its toxic compounds	All work involving exposure to the risk concerned.
4.	Poisoning by nitrous fumes	All work involving exposure to the risk concerned.
5.	Poisoning by organo phosphorus compounds	All work involving exposure to the risk concerned.

PART B

1.	Diseases caused by phosphorus or its toxic compounds	All work involving exposure to the risk concerned.
2.	Diseases caused by mercury or its toxic compounds	All work involving exposure to the risk concerned.
3.	Diseases caused by benzene or its toxic homologues	All work involving exposure to the risk concerned.
4.	Diseases caused by nitro and amido toxic derivatives of benzene or its homologues	All work involving exposure to the risk concerned.
5.	Diseases caused by chromium or its toxic compounds	All work involving exposure to the risk concerned.
6.	Diseases caused by arsenic or its toxic compounds	All work involving exposure to the risk concerned.
7.	Diseases caused by radioactive substances and ionising radiations	All work involving exposure to the action of radioactive substances or ionising radiations
8.	Primary epitheliomatous cancer of the skin caused by tar, pitch, bitumen, mineral oil, anthracene, or the compounds, products or residues of these substances	All work involving exposure to the risk concerned.
9.	Diseases caused by the toxic halogen derivatives of hydrocarbons (of the aliphatic and aromatic series).	All work involving exposure to the risk concerned.
10.	Diseases caused by carbon disulphide	All work involving exposure to the risk concerned.
11.	Occupational cataract due to infra-red radiations	All work involving exposure to the risk concerned.
12.	Diseases caused by manganese or its toxic compounds	All work involving exposure to the risk concerned.
13.	Skin diseases caused by physical, chemical or biological agents not included in other items	All work involving exposure to the risk concerned.
14.	Hearing impairment caused by noise	All work involving exposure to the risk concerned.
15.	Poisoning by dinitrophenol or a homologue or by substituted dinitro-phenol or by the salts of such substances	All work involving exposure to the risk concerned.
16.	Diseases caused by beryllium or its toxic compounds	All work involving exposure to the risk concerned.
17.	Diseases caused by cadmium or its toxic compounds	All work involving exposure to the risk concerned.
18.	Occupational asthma caused by recognised sensitising agents inherent to the work process	All work involving exposure to the risk concerned.
19.	Diseases caused by fluorine or its toxic compounds	All work involving exposure to the risk concerned.
20.	Diseases caused by nitroglycerin or other nitroacid esters	All work involving exposure to the risk concerned.
21.	Diseases caused by alcohols and ketones	All work involving exposure to the risk concerned.
22.	Diseases caused by asphyxiants, carbon monoxide and its toxic derivatives, hydrogen sulphide	All work involving exposure to the risk concerned.
23.	Lung cancer and mesotheliomas caused by asbestos	All work involving exposure to the risk concerned.
24.	Primary neoplasm of the epithelial lining of the urinary bladder or the kidney or the ureter	All work involving exposure to the risk concerned.
25.	Snow blindness in snow bound areas	All work involving exposure to the risk concerned.
26.	Diseases due to effect of heat in extreme hot climate	All work involving exposure to the risk concerned.
27.	Diseases due to effect of cold in extreme cold climate	All work involving exposure to the risk concerned.

PART C

1.	Pneumoconioses caused by sclerogenic mineral dust (silicoses, anthraoosilicosis, asbestosis) and silico-tuberculosis provided that silicosis is an essential factor in causing the resultant incapacity or death	All work involving exposure to the risk concerned.
2.	Bagassosis	All work involving exposure to the risk concerned.
3.	Bronchopulmonary diseases caused by cotton, flax hemp and sisal dust (Byssionsis).	All work involving exposure to the risk concerned.
4.	Extrinsic allergic alveelitis caused by the inhalation of organic dusts	All work involving exposure to the risk concerned.
5.	Bronchopulmonary diseases caused by hard metals	All work involving exposure to the risk concerned.
6.	Acute Pulmonary oedema of high altitude.	All work involving exposure to the risk concerned.

Source: The Code on Social Security, 2020, official gazette copy, page 105

In plain words

For employers

Mapping each job's exposures (dust, noise, solvents, metals, heat, radiation) against this list, and keeping exposure, service-period and health-check records, makes it easier to deal with a disease claim. The appropriate Government can add diseases to this schedule by notification (section 152(2)), and for employee compensation can modify or add to it after three months' notice (section 74(5)), so later notifications are worth checking too.

Did you know?

Harsh climate counts, not just chemicals: snow blindness in snow-bound areas, diseases from extreme heat or extreme cold, and acute pulmonary oedema of high altitude are all on the list.

Did you know?

Hearing impairment caused by noise is a listed occupational disease for any work that exposes a worker to that noise, so a loud shop floor is as relevant as a chemical plant.

Did you know?

Silico-tuberculosis is covered only where silicosis is an essential factor in causing the resulting incapacity or death.

Did you know?

There is a catch-all for skin: skin diseases caused by physical, chemical or biological agents count even when they are not covered by any other item in the list.

Applying this at your workplace?

Ask the people who have done it for 50 years.

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