The Occupational Safety and Health Administration, Ministry of Laor (Taiwan-OSHA) and the International Association of Labour Inspection (IALI) held an online meeting on Nov. 14 to discuss emerging workplace risks and new approaches to labor inspection. The meeting was co-chaired by Tzu-Lien TZOU, chief secretary of Taiwan’s Ministry of Labor, and Ana Ercoreca De La Cruz, IALI’s vice president and secretary-general. IALI Vice-Presidents Mr. Pal Hilmar Lund (Norway) and Mr. Bernhard Raebel (Germany), Global Technical Advisor Mr. Martyn Campbell (Australia) also took part, along with staff and inspectors from Taiwan’s three regional OSH centers led by Jung-Fu WAN, Deputy Director-General of Taiwan-OSHA.

The discussion centered on two issues that have gained increasing global attention: psychosocial risks in the workplace — including bullying and mental health — and the shift toward risk-based inspection strategies among labor inspectorates.

Taiwan-OSHA presented updates on its new legal framework for preventing workplace bullying, recently added to the Occupational Safety and Health Act, and explained how the agency is using integrated data systems and artificial-intelligence tools to identify high-risk workplaces.

IALI members offered perspectives drawn from developments abroad. Martyn Campbell examined how Australia is implementing regulations under ILO Convention No. 190 to address psychosocial hazards. Pal Hilmar Lund outlined Norway’s approach to risk-based inspections, which relies on systematic knowledge-building and structured risk-assessment processes to guide inspection planning.

In opening remarks, Mr. TZOU said the Ministry of Labor aims to expand international cooperation and highlighted an agreement signed with IALI in 2024. Since then, Taiwan-OSHA has hosted international exchanges on inspection practices and, with IALI’s support, visited labor inspection and occupational health agencies in Norway and Finland earlier this year.

Officials said Taiwan-OSHA is exploring further collaboration with IALI in 2026, including a technical conference on accident-prevention technologies and overseas training opportunities for Taiwanese inspectors. The agency said it intends to continue working with IALI to strengthen inspection methods and better safeguard workers’ rights.