Labor ministry updates rules expanding shutdowns after work accidents

Taipei, July 8 (CNA) Taiwan's Ministry of Labor (MOL) on Tuesday announced an expanded definition of work stoppages, mandating broader shutdowns when accidents occur.

The MOL's Occupational Safety and Health Administration has revised a key document on the suspension and resumption of work by labor inspection agencies, the agency said in a news release.

The revisions require that all work involving similar hazards at a worksite or workplace be suspended when a major occupational accident occurs due to safety violations, the agency said.

Chen Kuang-hui (陳光輝), a division chief at the agency, explained with an example that in the past, only the elevator shaft involved in an accident would be shut down. However, under the new rules, all elevator shafts at the worksite must now be suspended.

Similarly, if a scaffolding collapse occurs on one part of a building, other scaffolding on the same building must also be inspected and when necessary improvements made, he said.

Chen said the new policy also targets business entities with repeated accidents, citing cases in which internal management systems have clearly failed.

If two workplace accidents occur within three years, a shutdown will be imposed on the subdivision where the incidents happened, Chen said.

For example, if a steel structure accident occurs on one floor of a building, the entire building's steel structure work would now have to be suspended, he said.

Chen added that work at any site where a fire or explosion occurs will also be suspended, regardless of whether workers are injured.

The official said resumption of work will only be permitted after all required improvements are completed, following a review meeting involving multiple concerned parties.

Violators of stop-work orders may be referred to the judicial authorities and face up to three years in prison or a fine of up to NT$150,000 (US$5,153), he said.

The updated rules follow high-profile incidents this year that resulted in death or injury at workplaces.

In February, Far Eastern New Century Corp. was fined NT$260,000 by the Taoyuan City Government for 14 safety violations across its five business units in the city, following a fatal fire at its chemical fiber factory in Hsinchu County that killed two and injured 19.

Also in February, a gas explosion at Shin Kong Mitsukoshi mall in Taichung killed four people and injured dozens of others, resulting in a criminal investigation into responsibility for the blast.