Taiwan, China Amends Labeling and Hazard Communication Regulations, New Requirements Effective from 2029

On August 26, 2026, the Ministry of Labor of Taiwan, China issued an order (No. 1150253048A) amending certain articles of the Regulations for the Labeling and Hazard Communication of Hazardous Chemicals (hereinafter referred to as the “Regulations”) as well as Appendix 1 of Article 5 and Appendices 3 and 4 of Article 12, to align with the 8th revised edition of the United Nations Globally Harmonized System of Classification and Labelling of Chemicals (UN GHS) and the latest version of Taiwan Standard CNS 15030, and to strengthen the accuracy of safety data sheets (SDS) provided by upstream manufacturers. Under the amendment, Appendix 1 of Article 5 and Appendix 4 of Article 12, which concern hazard classification pictograms and the SDS format, will take effect on January 1, 2029, while the remaining amended provisions take effect from the date of promulgation. Enterprises that manufacture, import, or supply hazardous chemicals in Taiwan, China should pay attention to the corresponding changes in their obligations.

Background

The Regulations were established under the authorization of Article 10, Paragraph 3 of the Occupational Safety and Health Act of Taiwan, China, and were promulgated and took effect on October 19, 2007. They had previously been amended twice, most recently on November 9, 2018. The Ministry of Labor pre-announced the draft of this amendment on May 7, 2026, and sought public comments for 60 days. Compared with the draft, the effective date of Appendix 1 and Appendix 4 in the officially promulgated amendment has been postponed by one year, from January 1, 2028 as originally proposed to January 1, 2029, giving enterprises a longer transition period for compliance.

Amendments to Hazard Classification and Labeling Elements

In line with UN GHS Rev. 8 and the CNS 15030 standard for the classification and labeling of chemical hazards, this amendment adjusts Appendix 1 of Article 5 (classification and labeling elements of hazardous chemicals) as follows:

1. New hazard class: A hazard class for “desensitized explosives” is added, divided into Category 1 to Category 4 by level of hazard, with corresponding pictograms and hazard statements.
2. Subdivision of flammable gases: Flammable Gases Category 1 is subdivided into Category 1A and Category 1B, with the previously separately listed pyrophoric gases and unstable gases Type A and Type B incorporated into Category 1A.
3. Restructured aerosol classification: The former “flammable aerosols” class is changed to “aerosols and pressurized chemicals”, covering aerosols (Categories 1 to 3), pressurized chemicals (Categories 1 to 3), and pressurized gases (compressed gases, liquefied gases, refrigerated liquefied gases, and dissolved gases).
4. Deletion of certain categories: Referring to the practices of the US, EU, Japan, Korea, and other jurisdictions, Acute Toxicity Category 5, Skin Corrosion/Irritation Category 3, and Aspiration Hazard Category 2 are deleted.
5. Renamed hazard classes: “Respiratory or skin allergy substances” is renamed “respiratory or skin sensitization substances”, and “specific target organ systemic toxicity substances” is renamed “specific target organ toxicity substances”.

In parallel, Appendix 3 of Article 12 (table of concentration control values for health hazard ingredients) tightens the control value for respiratory or skin sensitizers from 1.0% to 0.1%, and adds a control value of 1.0% for Aspiration Hazard Category 1; that is, health hazard ingredients present in a mixture at or above these concentrations must be listed in the SDS.

Revisions to the SDS Format

Appendix 4 of Article 12 (required content items and reference format of the SDS) revises certain fields in accordance with UN GHS Rev. 8, as follows:

1. Section 3 (Composition/Information on Ingredients): the “chemical nature” field under mixtures is deleted.
2. Section 9 (Physical and chemical properties): “odour threshold” and “evaporation rate” are deleted, and “kinematic viscosity” and “particle characteristics” are added.
3. Section 14 (Transport information): a “bulk transport” requirements field is added.
4. Section 16 (Other information): the “preparer” field is deleted.

Changes to Exemptions and Compliance Obligations

Beyond the classification and format adjustments, this amendment also revises the scope of exemptions from the Regulations and enterprises’ compliance obligations as follows:

1. Clarified exemptions (Article 4): Among the items excluded from the application of the Regulations, “drugs” is now specified as “pharmaceuticals” and “medical devices”, which are listed separately.
2. SDS error-correction mechanism (new Article 15-1): Where an SDS provided by a manufacturer, importer, or supplier contains miswriting, omissions, or other obvious errors, the competent authority or labor inspection agency shall order correction within a specified period. Those failing to complete the correction by the deadline shall be fined under Article 44, Paragraph 1 of the Occupational Safety and Health Act, and the names of their establishments, employers, delegated inspection agencies, certification bodies, monitoring institutions, medical institutions, training institutions, or consulting service providers, together with the names of their responsible persons, shall be made public in accordance with Article 49.
3. Deletion of the transport labeling linkage provision (Article 16): As the labels of the nine UN transport hazard classes have been harmonized with GHS labels, the original Article 16, which required trained personnel to verify the labels and SDS when vehicles carrying hazardous chemicals entered workplaces, is deleted; the related work management and education and training requirements are already covered by other regulations.
4. Tightened limits on confidential treatment (Article 18-1): Ingredients classified as Aspiration Hazard Category 1 are added as ingredients that may not apply for withholding disclosure of SDS content (CBI), and the hazard class names referred to in the provision are updated accordingly.

Implementation Arrangements

Appendix 1 of Article 5 and Appendix 4 of Article 12 will take effect on January 1, 2029. The remaining amended provisions, namely Article 4, Article 15-1, Article 18-1, Appendix 3 of Article 12, and the deletion of Article 16, take effect from the date of promulgation (August 26, 2026).

ChemRadar Insights

In view of this amendment, relevant enterprises are advised to focus on the following:

1. Re-examine hazard classification conclusions: The addition of desensitized explosives, the subdivision of flammable gas categories, the restructuring of aerosols and pressurized chemicals, and the deletion of certain categories may change the classification conclusions for existing products, further affecting pictograms, signal words, and SDS content. Enterprises are advised to re-assess their products against the latest version of CNS 15030.
2. Update labels and SDS in phases: Appendix 1 and Appendix 4 come with a transition period until early 2029, which enterprises may use to schedule label re-printing and SDS revision; however, the tightened control values under Appendix 3 (0.1% for sensitizers) have already taken effect, and the SDSs of mixtures containing sensitizing ingredients should be reviewed and supplemented as soon as possible.
3. Note the obligations with immediate effect: The SDS error-correction mechanism with fines for overdue correction, and the rule that Aspiration Hazard Category 1 ingredients are ineligible for CBI applications, have applied since the promulgation date. Upstream manufacturers should immediately verify the accuracy of their SDSs to guard against labor inspection risks.

CIRS Services

To meet chemical compliance needs in Taiwan, China, CIRS can provide the following services. Please feel free to contact us if needed:

• New chemical substance registration in Taiwan, China
• Phase 1 registration of existing chemical substances in Taiwan, China
• Standard registration of existing chemical substances in Taiwan, China
• Chemical registration agent services in Taiwan, China
• New chemical substance inquiry in Taiwan, China
• Registration data option evaluation and test commissioning for chemical registration in Taiwan, China
• Regulatory consultation, tracking, and training for chemical registration in Taiwan, China
• Applications for confidentiality of hazardous chemical components in SDS in Taiwan, China
• SDS and label preparation in Taiwan, China

Further information

Gov.