Taiwan issued notice regarding partial revision of hazard prevention standards 
On April 19, 2021, Taiwan’s Ministry of Labor issued a notice regarding the partial revision of the “Hazard Prevention Standards for Specific Chemical Substances”. In order to protect workers, the standard stipulates the obligations of employers regarding the handling of prohibited or restricted specific chemical substances in factories.
Addition of substances out the application range
A provision was added that this standard does not apply to specified chemical substances if they belong to “manufactured article” as defined in Article 3, Paragraph 1 of “Regulations on the Labeling and Hazard Communication of Hazardous Chemicals”.
- Manufactured article: Means a manufactured item formed to a specific shape or design during manufacturing process, and the final use of which is entirely or partially determined by the specified shape or design, and during normal usage, will not release substances of hazardous chemicals.
Addition and reclassification of chemical substances
The following chemical substances were newly added or reclassified (No.1,2,3 are added substances, No.4 is reclassified substance).
| No | Chemical substance | classification |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | 1,3-Butadiene | Category C Type 1
Specific controlled substance |
| 2 | Propylene oxide | Category C Type 1 |
| 3 | Indium and its compounds, cobalt and its inorganic compounds, naphthalene | Category C Type 3 |
| 4 | Formaldehyde | Category C Type 1
Specifically controlled substances |
Management classification
The standard specifies the above management classification as follows (only some of the provisions are excerpted).
- Category C Type1: When manufacturing this type of substance, the manufacturing facility should be a closed type, and workers should operate it from an isolated room by remote control.
- Category C Type 3: For indoor workplaces where is filled with gases, vapors, or dusts of this type of substances, for each source, an airtight equipment or a local exhaust ventilation should be equipped.
- Specifically controlled substances: When manufacturing, treating, or using this type of substances, information such as, workers’ name, summary of the work and the duration of the work, and the whole thing when workers were significantly contaminated by the substance, and the emergency measures taken by the employer should be recorded and retained for 30 years from the date of the work.
Other additional provisions
- A provision has been added that exhaust systems must be equipped with monitoring devices that can indicate the normal operation of the equipment, such as static pressure and flow rate.
- A provision was added that workers shall be required to use relevant protective equipment if they are at a risk of exposure to specific chemical substances.
For the original text of the above amendment draft, please refer to the following URL (in traditional Chinese)
https://gazette2.nat.gov.tw/EG_FileManager/eguploadpub/eg027071/ch08/type3/gov82/num27/Eg.htm
