To mitigate risks and create safer and healthier workplaces, the International Organization for Standardization (ISO), along with the cooperation of International Labor Organization (ILO), released the standard for occupational health and safety management systems (OHSMS), ISO 45001, on March 12^th, 2018. To be in line with international standards, the Ministry of Labor (MOL) will encourage and enable all  industries to build sound environment for workers and stakeholders by continually improving occupational health and safety (OH&S) performance.

MOL stated that to enhance organizational OH&S management ability and to eliminate or minimize various OH&S risks, the MOL has been encouraging organizations to implement the Taiwan Occupational Safety and Health Management Systems (TOSHMS) since 1997. There are 953 organizations accredited with TOSHMS certification. According to statistics, the occupational accident rate of the organizations with TOSHMS certification has been decreasing significantly and well below the industrial average. It indicates that TOSHMS helps organizations improve their OH&S performance. By comparing the TOSHMS with ISO 45001, the content is similar despite of structure differences. Therefore, the MOL intends to encourage TOSHMS organizations migrating to the International Standard, ISO 45001.

In response to the ISO 45001, the MOL held several discussion panels and seminars on the development of future TOSHMS system, and planned to take actions as following:

1. Cooperation with the Ministry of Economic Affairs to integrate ISO 45001 into the National Standards (CNS) in OH&S Management Systems as the standard for future TOSHMS verification.

2. Before the completion of the CNS, the MOL will facilitate the organizations the migration of the ISO 45001.

3. Once the CNS is released, the MOL will require the high-risk industries and certain scale ones to establish the OH&S management systems in accordance with the revision of relevant laws and regulations.

4. Revise the relevant occupational safety & health award rules (e.g. the National Occupational Safety and Health Award, the OH&S Five-Star Award, and the Public Construction Gold Award, etc.). To be qualified for the acceptance into the campaign, the enterprise must promote the OH&S Management Systems and comply with the National Standards or International Standards.

The MOL emphasizes that the OH&S Management Systems is a systematic way that integrates health and safety management into the business management in the organization. It uses a Plan-Do-Check-Act (PDCA) model, which provides a framework for organizations to continually review and improve OH&S performance. It is a powerful tool for organizations to continually promote workplace health and safety. However, the effectiveness of the tool is depended on the implementation of the organization. The MOL will assist the TOSHMS organizations with the migration of the new International Standard. Meanwhile, the MOL encourages all organizations to comply with the new standard in order to reduce the occupational accidents and ill health.