The Executive Yuan passed the draft amendment of the Labor Safety and Health Act on 15 November, which is renamed as the Occupational Safety and Health Act (OSHA) and shall be sent to the Legislative Yuan for deliberation.

The Council of Labor Affairs (CLA) has been responsible for the amendment of the Labor Safety and Health Act. The proposed amendment not only expands the applicable coverage, but also set up a more complete management system to maintain a healthy workplace and ensure occupational safety and health.

The requirements for Taiwan new chemical substance notification for the first time is included into this Act, the entities engaged in the manufacture or import of new chemical substances in Taiwan should submit hazard and risk assessment report and obtain a registration certificate (Article 13). Furthermore, the obligations of hazardous chemicals operators to label, register, evaluate and obtain permit of hazardous chemical substances are mainly stipulated in the revised Articles 10 and 14.

The following are some key amendments:

• Rename the Act as “Occupational Safety and Health Act.”
• Expand coverage over all employed or self-employed workers, and those subject to the direction or supervision of a workplace manager. (Articles 2 and 4)
• With respect to hazardous machinery, equipment, tools and chemicals, establish control mechanisms at the source of the hazards. (Articles 7 to 11 and Articles 13 and 14)
• Overhaul the occupational hazard prevention system to guard employees’ physical and mental health. (Articles 6 and 12, and Articles 20 to 22)
• Strengthen mechanisms to conduct routine risk assessment for high-risk work places and prepare RA report. (Article 15)
• Impose heavier penalties for violations of this Act. The most serious violators will face a fine ranging from NT$300,000 to NT$30 million. (Articles 40 to 49)