Tsai, Chih-Chieh
Taiwan’s economy was affected by the economic crisis that began in Asia in 1997. Many factories closed down or moved to China and south east Asian countries.
Because economic growth is decreasing, workers in Taiwan have less space to struggle for OHS rights than ever, while the rate of occupational injuries and diseases constantly increases.
Public and Private Enterprises’ Common Policy
In large public and private enterprises, downsizing is common. To prevent this, managers reduce the scale of operations and sub-contract the work to smaller companies, hire migrant workers, or move production abroad where labour is cheaper. The OHS risk is thus transferred to sub-contracted companies and migrant workers, working in the 3D (jobs which are dirty, demeaning, and dangerous) environment.
Taiwan Occupational Injuries and Diseases per Thousand under Labour Insurance
Year | Total | Injury / Illness | Disability | Death |
1990 | 3,835 | 3.003 | 0.698 | 0.134 |
1991 | 3.912 | 3.111 | 0.681 | 0.121 |
1992 | 3.546 | 2.825 | 0.617 | 0.104 |
1993 | 3.272 | 2.605 | 0.573 | 0.094 |
1994 | 3.022 | 2.402 | 0.524 | 0.096 |
1995 | 2.874 | 2.214 | 0.576 | 0.084 |
1996 | 3.069 | 2.415 | 0.557 | 0.097 |
1997 | 3.422 | 2.748 | 0.580 | 0.094 |
1998 | 3.861 | 3.161 | 0.606 | 0.094 |
1999 | 4.781 | 3.743 | 0.940 | 0.098 |
From the Yearbook of Labour Insurance Statistics 1999
Industrial Accidents
Type/Year | 2000 | 1999 | 1998 | 1997 |
Injuries | 33,053 | 2,583 | 23,622 | 20,358 |
Disabilities | 5,207 | 473 | 4,299 | 4,225 |
Deaths | 602 | 63 | 631 | 688 |
Industrial Diseases
Type/Year | 2000 | 1999 | 1998 | 1997 |
Injuries | 226 | 22 | 198 | 57 |
Disabilities | 1,064 | 253 | 270 | 85 |
Deaths | 45 | 7 | 75 | 8 |
Source: ALU Issue No. 39, April - June 2001
By Tsai, Chih-Chieh, Ching-Jen Labour Health And Safety Service Centre