s 55 Inspection
55.—(1) An inspecting officer may —(a) enter without previous notice at any hour of the day or night —(i) all places of employment where the inspecting officer has reason to believe that an employee entitled to the benefit of an award is employed; or (ii) all places occupied by a platform operator bound by an award, and inspect any work, material, machinery, appliance or article therein; and [Act 30 of 2024 wef 01/01/2025] (b) make such inquiries as he may think fit relative to the observance or non‑observance of the provisions of this Act and of awards and report to the Commissioner thereon. (2) On the occasion of an inspection, an inspecting officer shall —(a) show his credentials if requested to do so; and (b) notify the employer or platform operator or a representative of the employer or platform operator (as the case may be) of his presence unless he considers that such a notification may be prejudicial to the performance of his duties.[Act 30 of 2024 wef 01/01/2025] (3) In the course of an inspection, an inspecting officer may —(a) put questions concerning an employee or a platform worker (as the case may be) whom he believes to be entitled to the benefit of an award to the employee or his employer, or to the platform worker or his platform operator, or any other person whom he considers it desirable to question and require such person to answer such questions; and[Act 30 of 2024 wef 01/01/2025] (b) require the employer or platform operator (as the case may be) to produce before him any book, document or other record which he is required by an award to keep or which relate to an employee or a platform worker (as the case may be) entitled to the benefit of an award.[Act 30 of 2024 wef 01/01/2025] (4) An inspecting officer who otherwise than in the performance of his duties reveals any manufacturing or commercial secret which may at any time come to his knowledge in the course of his duties shall be guilty of an offence. (5) A person who —(a) hinders or obstructs an inspecting officer in the exercise of the powers conferred by this section; (b) omits to answer any question which an inspecting officer requires him to answer; (c) makes to an inspecting officer a statement either orally or in writing which is false or misleading in any particular; or (d) fails to produce any book, document or record which he is required by an inspecting officer to produce, shall be guilty of an offence and shall be liable on conviction by a Magistrate’s Court to a fine not exceeding $5,000 or to imprisonment for a term not exceeding 6 months or to both. [36/2010]