On December 2, 2025, the Legislative Yuan passed the third reading of partial amendments to the Occupational Safety and Health Act (hereinafter referred to as the “OSHA”). A total of 25 articles were amended (including 6 newly added articles), marking the most significant adjustment to the Act since its full revision in 2013. The core focus of this amendment lies in “comprehensive occupational safety prevention ” and “statutory regulation of workplace bullying.” These changes were enacted in response to the stagnation in reducing major occupational accidents, the persistently high proportion of occupational accidents in the construction sector, and the growing need for workplace bullying prevention.

The key highlights of the OSHA amendments are as follows:

1. Strengthening Construction Safety at the Source (Article 15-1)
   To enhance safety at the source, the amendment stipulates that when a business entity (project owner) commissions the planning, design, and construction of a construction project exceeding a certain scale, it must analyze potential hazards based on the project’s characteristics. Furthermore, the business entity is required to prepare safety and health diagrams, specifications, and budgets, and ensure that the constructor adopts the necessary preventive equipment and measures.

2. Enhancing Contractor Safety Management (Article 27, Article 27-1)
   • When a business entity contracts out work, it is required to conduct a risk assessment and notify the contractor of potential hazards based on the assessment results. Furthermore, a business entity renting or loaning workplaces or equipment shall complete hazard notification in advance.
   • The amendment adds requirements for access control regarding machinery, equipment, tools, and personnel at construction sites. Contractors at all tiers shall adopt the same disaster prevention measures as the business entity and comply with contractor management obligations. When a project owner commissions two or more constructors separately, one constructor shall be designated to bear the responsibility for the integrated management of overall project safety and health.
3. Adding a New Chapter on Workplace Bullying Prevention (Article 22-1 to Article 22-3)
   • “Workplace Bullying” is defined as scenarios where a worker, while performing duties at the workplace, suffers physical or mental harm due to personnel of the business entity utilizing their position, authority, or other relationships to exceed the necessary and reasonable scope of business duties, through continuous offensive, threatening, negligent, isolating, insulting, or other inappropriate conduct. However, in cases of a serious nature, continuous occurrence is not necessary.
   • Employers shall establish complaint channels and relevant regulations based on the scale of the business entity and make such channels and relevant regulations publicly accessible
   • The amendment strengthens the investigation and processing mechanisms for internal workplace bullying complaints, mandates conflict of interest recusal for investigators, and requires the provision of assistance and protective measures for complainants. It also explicitly stipulates that employers shall report complaint cases and processing results on a website designated by the central competent authority.
   • The amendment establishes a mechanism for external complaints, investigation, and processing where the accused is the highest person in charge. The amendment specifies the procedures and deadlines for workers to file complaints with the local competent authority, which may invite professionals or civic groups to assist in the investigation.
4. Increasing Penalties
   To compel business entities to fully discharge their responsibilities regarding occupational safety and health disaster prevention, the amendment moderately increases the severity of criminal sentences, criminal fines, and administrative fines.

5. Expanding Public Disclosure of Violations
   Regarding the publication of information on non-compliant employers, the amendment adds the requirement to disclose the date of the penalty, the specific articles violated, and the amount of the fine. In cases involving occupational accidents, the amendment also requires the disclosure of the date of occurrence, the location, and the number of victims.