LABOR INSPECTION LAW

Amended on July 19, 2000

Article 1

This law is hereby enacted to implement labor inspection system, enforce labor laws, protect the labor-management rights and benefits, maintain the stability of the society and to achieve economic development.

Article 2

The Council of Labor Affairs, Executive Yuan, shall be designated as the competent authority at the national level, the municipal government at the municipal level and the county/city government at the county/city level.

Article 3

The terms used in this law shall be defined as follows:

1. "Labor inspectorate" means a governmental inspection agency established by the national or municipal competent authority or related authority for the purpose of labor inspection.
2. "Appointed inspection agent" means an administrative unit, academic institute, public institute, or a non-profit organization designated by the national competent authority to inspect dangerous machine or equipment.
3. "Labor inspector" means a person who holds a labor inspection permit and identification card authorized to carry out labor in-spection.
4. "Agent labor inspector" means the person who holds a partial delegated inspection permit and identification card authorized to carry out the inspection of dangerous machine of equipment.

Article 4

The scope of labor inspection includes the enforcement of:

1. This law.
2. The Labor Standards Law.
3. The Labor Safety and Health Law.
4. Other labor laws.

Article 5

Labor inspection shall be carried out by the labor inspectorate which is established by the national competent authority or by the delegation of inspection power from the national competent authority to the municipal competent authority. When necessary, the labor inspectorate may conduct joint inspection with the county/city competent authority.

The power of labor inspection as mentioned above shall be delegated according to the requirements in this Law and under the direction and supervision of the national competent authority.

The organizational and staffing criteria for the labor inspectorate shall be planned and developed by the national competent authority according to the number of business cooperations which shall be inspected and the characteristics of each inspectorate region, and shall be approved by the Executive Yuan.

Article 6

Based on the current status of labor employment, conditions of safety and health, occupational fatality/injury rates and the severity of fatalities/injuries, the national competent authority shall issue, publicize and make available the labor inspection strategic directives six months before the beginning of next year. The strategic directives shall include the following:

1. Selection criteria for priority audit inspections of business corporations.
2. Priority inspection items which should be audited.
3. Inspection objectives and principles.
4. Others

Within three months following the issuance of inspection strategic directives, an inspection audit plan shall be developed by the labor inspectorate and be submitted to the national competent authority for approval.

Article 7

The Labor inspectorate shall compile relevant information on the labor inspections of business corporations and , when necessary, may request related authorities or organizations to provide the required information.

Related authorities or organizations shall not refuse the above request except those prescribed in other regulations.

Article 8

Besides the related law applicable to the appointment of civil servants, the additional requirements for the appointment of labor inspectors shall be specified by the national competent authority.

Article 9

Labor inspectors shall receive professional training.

This training program shall be developed by the national competent authority.

Article 10

Labor inspectors, assigned by the labor inspectorate on the basis of their specialities and the characterists of inspections to be conducted, shall carry out the duties as prescribed in Article 4.

Article 11

Labor inspectors shall not:

1. Alter, conceal or falsify factual information in the inspection reprots.
2. Disclose during the appointed term and after resigning from the position of labor inspectors any secret related to the production technology, equipment, and financial management of the inspected business corporations.
3. Disclose the name of the complainant while handling a confiden tial complaint.
4. Engage with the inspected business corporation in any financial relationship which may lead to conflict of interests.

Anyone may report, according to the real situation, any violation of this law or unfulfillment of the labor inspectors¡¦s duties.

Article 12

When there is potnetial conflict of interests between a labor inspector and a business corporation, the labor inspector shall declare such potentialities and avoid the inspection of this business corporation. The protocol for reporting potential conflict of interests shall be determined by the national competent authority.

Article 13

Labor inspector shall not pre-notify any business corporation the schedule of an inspection except the following:

1. An audit or an inspection as prescribed in article 26.
2. An inspection of a dangerous machine or equipment.
3. An investigation of occupational fatality/injury.
4. Other inspections approved for not giving pre-notifications by the labor inspectorate or the national competent authority.

Article 14

A labor inspector shall, for the purpose of carrying out his/her inspection duties and powers under this Law and the related regulations, enter the business corporation at any time. The employer, any agent acting on behalf of the employer, labor and any other related person shall not refuse, avoid or obstruct the inspection without any reason.

When necessary, the labor inspector may request assistance from police officer to deal with the refusal, avoidance or obstruction of the inspection.

Article 15

When carrying out the inspection duties, a labor inspector shall, within the scope of labor inspection, present himself/herself to the employer, related department manager, union representative (s) and other related persons and shall:

1. Inquire the related persons and, when necessary, take written record of the inquiry or tape record the inquiry.
2. Notify related persons to provide the required reports, records, employees¡¦ salary records and related documents or provide explanations as deemed necessary.
3. Examine documents, information and materials prepared by the business corporation as required by law; where necessary, the labor inspector may make copies of the documents, records and information, take photographs, make videotapes or make measurements.
4. Seize materials, samples, equipment, and tools for examination and tests upon giving a receipt or detain the seized things in a sealed storage.

The business corporation or related persons shall not refuse, avoid or obstruct a labor inspector while performing the above duties.

Where necessary, the business corporation may apply to the labor inspectorate for examining or duplicating the videotapes or photographs taken by the labor inspector under item 3, paragraph 1 of this article.

Labor inspectorate shall not refuse this request from the business corporation.

Article 16

Where any person is suspected of violating the Labor Inspection Law, a labor inspector may, where necessary, acquire a search warrant from the prosecutor and search the workplace (s) and office (a) for related materials, documents and things which may be detained temporarily for use as criminal evidence.

Article 17

For the purposes of inspecting dangerous machines or equipment, the national competent authority may, if necessary, designate an appointed inspection agent to assign its agent inspectors for performing inspection duties, in addition to the inspections conducted by labor inspectors from the labor inspectorate.

Article 18

The national competent authority shall develop the criteria for determining the appointed inspection agent¡¦s qualification, competence, responsibilities, certification and award consideration in addition to determining the qualification, competence and training requirements of the agent inspectors.

Article 19

An appointed inspection agent shall operate on a non-profit basis, the fees to be charged for inspecting dangerous machines or equipment shall be calculated on the basis of maintaining the income/expenditure balance and shall be submitted to the national competent authority for approval.

Article 20

Before making changes to the business operations, the appointed inspection agent shall apply to the national competent authority for approval of the machines or equipment, incpection classes, and districts to be added to or deleted from the business list.

Article 21

The requirements as prescribed in article 11, article 12 shall also apply to agent inspectors.

Article 22

Upon entering a business corporation for inspection, a labor inspector shall show the inspector permit and identification card and notify the employer and the union(a). The business corporation may refuse inspection by a labor inspector without holding the inspector permit and identification card.

After conducting an inspection, the labor inspector shall complete the inspection record and notify the business corporation the contraventions and provide suggestions based on the requirements of labor law to the employer and the workers.

The labor inspector permit and identification card mentioned in it paragraph 1 shall be issued by the national competent authority.

Article 23

Where necessary and subject to the approval of labor inspectorate, a labor inspector may initiate invitation and be accompanied by related competent authorities, academic institutes, related organizations, specialists or physicians to make a joint inspection and assessment. The business corporation inspected shall not refuse it.

The requirements as prescribed in item 2, paragraph 1 in article 11 and article 12 shall also apply to any person invited by the labor inspector to make the joint inspection.

Article 24

While investigating, reviewing, analyzing and assessing an occupational fatality/injury, labor inspectorate shall request the Labor Safety and Health Research Institute, administered under the national competent authority, or the other academic or research institutes to provide the necessary technical assistance.

Article 25

The labor inspector shall report the results of inspecting the business corporation to his/her labor inspectorate and handle the case in the manner as prescribed in the law. Where there is a contravention, the labor inspectorate shall notify the business corporation in writing within ten days and order immediate rectification or long-term improvement and shall, also, distribute copies of the inspection report to the municipal or county/municipal competent authorities to monitor compliance. Where the business corporation is a public utility, a copy of the inspection results shall also be distributed to its supervisory agency which shall monitor the compliance of the affected public utility with the requirements.

The business corporation shall post the results of inspection for at least seven days in conspicious place (s) within the work area where the contravention has been found.

Article 26

Without the approval of labor inspectorate through review or inspection(s), the business corporation shall not allow workers to work in the following workplaces:

1. Places which process the cracking of petroleum or petroleum products in petrochemical industry,
2. Places which manufacture agricultural chemicals,
3. Factories which make fire-crackers and fireworks or the places which manufacture gunpower,
4. Places which install pressure vessels containing gases under high pressures. Or steam boilers which meet the pressure or volume criteria as set in the regulation by the national competent authority,
5. Places which manufacture, handle and use dangerous or harmful materials in quantities at or above the threshold quantites as specified by the national competent authority,
6. Places of construction projects designated by the national competent authority in consultation with the supervisory agencies of the targeted business corporations.
7. Other places designated by the national competent authority.

The inspection items on these places mentioned above shall be determined by the national competent authority.

Article 27

When there is a serious occupational fatality or injury, the labor inspectorate shall assign labor inspector(s) to inspect and investigate the causes and determine the person(s) or party(-ies) liable for the fatality/injury. Where it is necessary to stop work in order to prevent similar fatality/injury, the labor inspector(s) shall notify the business corporation in writing and order work stoppage in all or part of the workplace/operation.

Article 28

During a safety and health inspection and when there is an imminent danger to the worker(s), a labor inspector shall notify the business corporation in writing that work stoppage has been ordered at the affected workplace/operation.

Article 29

Where a contravention has not been rectified by the established compliance date and there is a likelihood that an occupational fatality or injury may occur, the labor inspector shall report to his/her labor inspectorate. Where necessary, the labor inspectorate shall notify the business corporation to stop the whole or part(s) of operation.

Article 30

After the causes for work stoppage have been eliminated, the business corporation, which was notified to stop work under article 27 to 29 of this Law, may apply to the labor inspectorate for resuming work.

Article 31

When entering the business corporation for inspection, the agent inspector shall show his/her identity card and shall inform the business corporation to designate the appropriate person available on site.

Upon inspecting the dangerous machine or equipment which meets the certification requirements, the agent inspector shall sign the original certificate and specify the valid certification period; where the requirements are not met, the agent inspector shall notify the business corporation the non-compliance to his/her appointed inspection agent; the agent shall inform the labor inspectorate by a letter, and the inspectorate shall handle the contravention in a manner as prescribed in the law.

The dangerous machine or equipment which failed to comply with the requirement shall not be operated unless it has been recertified.

The agent inspector¡¦s identity card shall be issued by the central competent authority.

Article 32

The business corporation shall post the following in a conspicuous place or places in the workplace:

- The names of agencies or persons who handle workers' complaints.

- The scope of labor-related matters within which a complaint may be made.

- The format of worker complaint form.

- The procedure of making a complaint.

The format and content of the posted notice shall be determined by the national competent authority.

Article 33

Upon accepting a complaint from worker(s), the labor inspectorate shall initiate, according to the nature of the complaint, an inspection by labor inspector(s), and shall notify the complainant(s) the results of the inspection within fourteen days.

The union upon receiving a complaint from worker(s) shall review and verify the worker's complaint and, shall suggest improvement complainant(s) and the labor inspectorate.

Where the business corporation rejects the suggestions mentioned above, the nuion may apply to the labor inspectorate for requesting an inspection.

Article 34

In any of the following cases, the business corporation upon conviction is liable to imprisonment for a term of not more than three years or to a fine of not more than one hundred and fifty thousand NT dollars:

- Violation of article 26 to permit workers working in workplaces without approval granted or without complying with the requirements of the law.

- Violation of stop work order as specified in article 27 to 29 Upon violating the regulations mentioned above, the representative of a corporation, the agent of corporation or person-in-charge, the employees or other workers shall be penalized in addition to the fines imposed on the corporation or the person-in-charge.

Article 35

In any of the following violations, the business corporation or the contravenor shall be fined between thirty thousand dollars and one hundred and fifty thousand NT dollars:

- Violation of paragraph 1, article 14 of this Law.

- Violation of paragraph 2, article 15 of this Law.

Article 36

In any of the following violations, a fine between thirty thousand and sixty thousand NT dollars shall be imposed:

- Business corporation violating paragraph 2, article 25 or paragraph 1, article 32 of this Law.

- Related organization violating paragraph 2, article 7 of this Law.

Article 37

Business corporation or related organization which has not paid the fine by the date specfied in the notice shall be refered to the court for collecting the fine.

Article 38

Before this Law is in effect, a dangerous workplace as designated by law and as regulated under article 26 shall apply to labor inspectorate for approval within the period designated by the national competent authority. Should workers be permitted to work in a dangerous workplace mentioned above without applying for approval or inspection or failing to meet approval or inspection requirements, the business corporation shall be penalized as prescribed in article 34.

Article 39

Implementation details of this Law shall be determined by the national competent authority.

Article 40

This Law shall be effective on the day of promulgation.

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