Occupational accidents are a shared responsibility, and it is insufficient to depend only on the efforts of workers and employers, as it requires resources involving labor, management, and government, as well as societal dialogue. Only through the collective concern of society can occupational accidents be reduced. This is the most fundamental task in building a safety and health system for COAPRE. It is for this reason that reaching more workers, providing approachable services, simplifying testing tools, shortening the time for occupational disease identification and overwork recognition, as well as increasing source management for high-risk industries, machinery, and equipment are the most crucial tasks of this center at the moment. Expand international integration and reach - Ensure Taiwan is kept updated on the latest occupational safety information from Japan.
 

The international community has reached a consensus on the protection of occupational health and occupational accident workers.

Aligning with international standards is necessary to enhance occupational safety and health efforts in Taiwan. According to statistics, the center's official website has been browsed by approximately 2,000 foreign visitors from 45 different countries so far. For this reason, a multilingual "Occupational Accident Guardian APP" is currently being developed. Based on the ratio of new residents in Taiwan, the initial interface will be available in English, Thai, Indonesian, and Vietnamese. The app is expected to be launched in Q3 of this year, while the English official website is slated for launch in Q1 of next year.
 

At the same time, a hotline was formed with the international community, and the center applied to become a member of the Japan Industrial Safety and Health Association (JISHA) on June 1. This membership will not only enable the center to invite Japanese representatives for training and lectures but also allow member countries to exchange experiences in safety and health issues. The center will regularly receive the latest information on health and safety from Japan, ensuring that Taiwan stays abreast of the most up-to-date international occupational safety-related information. In the future, the center will continue to engage in exchanges with more countries. Following CEO Ho Jiune-Jye’s invitation to attend the “APEC FORUM 2023” in Seoul, Korea, in June, he will travel to Manila, Philippines, in late August to attend the 6th Asian Network of Occupational Hygiene (ANOH) Conference. In September, he will also participate in the 82nd National Industrial Safety and Health Convention in Nagoya, Japan.
 

Furthermore, to increase the center's exposure and reach more workers, keyword advertising will be used to significantly simplify the process of accessing the center's official website for assistance. The approach will also help prevent people from clicking on insurance fraud websites. According to statistics, since the official launch of the center's website at the end of October 2022, the total number of visitors has reached roughly 66,000 as of August 15. In particular, the public can access the center's official website by searching for keywords such as "occupational accident" on Google, and the center's website can be found at the top of the search results. As of August 15, the click-through rate for the keywords was 15.25%, with over 18,000 people clicking on the keyword advertisements to browse the center's official website.
 

The identification period for occupational diseases has been reduced by 47 days - Ongoing efforts to minimize wait time for workers

Minister of Labor and Chairman of COAPRE, Hsu Ming-Chun, promised at the "The 3 Cs of Occupational Safety Carnival" in Kaohsiung to continue expediting the investigation and evaluation process for occupational disease identification (recognition) cases and reducing the wait time for workers. According to the latest statistics from the Occupational Injury and Disease Service Division (Injury and Disease Division) of the center, the time for occupational disease identification cases has been shortened by 47 days, with a 25% increase in professional investigation efficiency. The time for overwork case recognition has also been decreased by 14 days, with a 16.2% increase in professional assessment efficiency. In particular, since the initial announcement in May, there have been 9 additional overwork cases, and the assessment and recognition process has been further reduced by 2 days.
 

Approachable services resolve the 3 major problems of rehabilitation - More than 1,000 workers prepare to return to work

From the occurrence of an occupational accident to returning to work, the process is time-consuming and often leads to a stalemate between labor and management. Based on COAPRE’s experience in controlling and evaluating the service plans of occupational rehabilitation institutions, occupational accident workers often encounter problems after acute medical treatment such as uncertainty about the process of applying for occupational accident benefits, the need for further rehabilitation, confusion about rehabilitation that affect recovery, and difficulty in communicating with employers.
 

The Rehabilitation Division, tasked with addressing this challenge, aims to collect domestic labor needs and issues, integrate government and private sector rehabilitation resources, and assist in counseling approved occupational rehabilitation institutions through on-site visits. The goal is to ensure that workers receive early assessment and intervention from professionals after occupational accidents. Moreover, the division introduces professional resources including on-site assessments or job accommodation in the workplace to help employers and employees reach an agreement on returning to work. As of the end of July, more than 1,000 workers prepare to return to work.
 

New version of KIM to be launched - Lowering musculoskeletal injury risk factors

In the period from 2018 to 2021, musculoskeletal disorders, which include conditions affecting the arms, neck, shoulders, and occupational lower back pain, constituted an average of 60% of occupational disease compensation claims based on statistics from the Bureau of Labor Insurance. Statistics from the past 3 years (up to May 2023) indicate that musculoskeletal disorders remain the most common occupational disease besides COVID-19, accounting for approximately 70%. This shows that musculoskeletal disorders are still the greatest threat to workers' health. The center’s OHSD is actively revising relevant evaluation tools including the new online version of the Key Indicator Method (KIM) checklist, which will be launched in November in the hope of identifying potential high-risk factors for musculoskeletal disorders in the workplace, applying targeted solutions, and enhancing workers' self-protection capabilities to minimize the risk of occupational accidents.
 

Enhance preventive knowledge and skills through sensory experiences and improve the safety machine and equipment through source management

Occupational accidents continue to occur across Taiwan. According to the "Yearbook of Labor Inspection Statistics, 2022" by the Ministry of Labor's OSHA, the number of fatalities from major occupational accidents nationwide was 320 in that year. According to data on the relationship between types of occupational accidents and media, incidents related to machinery and equipment accounted for about 40% of occupational accidents. Occupational accidents are often attributed to a lack of systematic planning and management. The center’s Machinery and Equipment Division (MED) promotes source management and technical services, focusing on machinery and equipment's inherent safety and preventive measures to protect workers’ safety. Businesses are advised to formulate 6 preventive measures for occupational accidents. Including: 1. Risk assessment; 2. Safety procedures; 3. Education and training; 4. PPE; 5. Regular inspection and maintenance; 6. Safety warning signs.
 

"Prevention is better than cure" may be a cliché, but it is a golden rule for health and a fundamental principle for occupational safety! After organizing 53 educational training courses or seminars in 3 areas last year, including "Fostering a Culture of Occupational Safety for All", "Accident Reduction Promotion and Counseling", and "Promoting Occupational Accident Prevention in High-Risk Industries", the center’s Occupational Accident Prevention Technology Division aims to increase “interaction” with the public this year. This is achieved by integrating virtual reality experiences from the Ministry of Labor's Labor Safety and Health Experience Center, where 2 sessions of "Occupational Accident Prevention Training and Safety Sensory Experience". Furthermore, training courses for preventing occupational accidents will be provided in response to 3 major themes: falls, collapses, cutting and crushing, and confined spaces. After all, "prevention" should be more than empty words.