The Institute of Labor, Occupational Safety and Health,

Taiwan’s Ministry of Labor (Taiwan ILOSH) and the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health of the United States (U.S. NIOSH) signed a Memorandum of Understanding for Cooperation in Occupational Safety and Health (MOU) to further improve the level of occupational safety and health research on September 18, 2024. The both Participants plan to cooperate to advance the protection of workers and to promote best practices for improving worker safety and health.

This MOU is valid for 5 years and will further promote in-depth cooperation between the two research institutions in the field of occupational safety and health. In the future, the Taiwan ILOSH and U.S. NIOSH will jointly formulate an action plan and discuss relevant research goals and motivations. The cooperation content includes but is not limited to the following important projects:

1. Increasing contacts and cooperation among professionals/researchers;
2. Exploring opportunities to collaborate in solving occupational safety and health problems of common interest;
3. Participation at conferences, meetings, and other key events where occupational safety and health issues are addressed;
4. Discussion of emerging interventions and their application to training/educational programs to improve the occupational safety and health of workers;
5. Conducting joint seminars to increase awareness of ongoing research activities; and
6. Sharing and exchanging occupational safety and health related information and other resources.

The U.S. NIOSH was established under the Occupational Safety and Health Act of 1970. It is responsible for conducting research on work-related injuries and diseases and providing prevention recommendations. The Taiwan ILOSH is an agency affiliated with the Taiwan’s Ministry of Labor. ILOSH was established in 1992 and is the only government agency in Taiwan dedicated to researching labor policies and occupational safety and health. The Taiwan ILOSH demonstrated that this cooperation will help improve the field of occupational safety and health research in Taiwan. The research results can further promote the continuous optimization of occupational safety and health regulations and practices as well as create a safer and healthier working environment for workers.

The Taiwan ILOSH is committed to analyzing and improving various problems in the working environment that may endanger workers' safety and health. Furthermore, the Taiwan ILOSH conducts in-depth analysis and grasps the development trends of the problems from multiple perspectives such as society, economy, cultural industry and technology. Moreover, the Taiwan ILOSH proposes a series of specific improvement countermeasures, covering multiple aspects such as prevention, control and medical treatment to effectively reduce occupational hazards and improve the safety and health protection of workers. The research results of the Taiwan ILOSH not only help solve current occupational safety problems, but also provide important reference for the formulation and revision of domestic safety and health policies and regulations. Detailed research information can be found on the official website of the Taiwan ILOSH at https://www.ilosh.gov.tw.