Taiwan, China's Ministry of Labor recently announced a draft amendment to partial provisions of the Regulations on New Chemical Substances Registration under the Occupational Safety and Health Act.
Key revisions in the draft include:
- Addition of a Non-Duplicate Registration Clause
New chemical substances already approved and registered by the Environmental Protection Administration (EPA) under the Toxic and Concerned Chemical Substances Control Act will be exempt from applying for registration approval with the Ministry of Labor. This adjustment aims to streamline administrative procedures. The revised provisions clarify the types of new chemical substance registrations (including standard registration, simplified registration, and small-quantity registration) and specify details of the required assessment reports.
- Removal of Transitional Provisions
Articles 11 and 12 of the original regulations have been deleted. These articles previously allowed manufacturers or importers of new chemical substances produced or imported before December 31, 2014, to submit proof documents to the central competent authority for registration between January 1 and March 31, 2015. They also permitted manufacturers or importers to apply under the small-quantity registration category by December 31, 2015. The Ministry of Labor stated that these transitional periods have expired, necessitating the removal of outdated clauses.
The current Regulations on New Chemical Substances Registration took effect on December 31, 2014, with the first revision on August 19, 2015. These regulations require manufacturers or importers of new substances not listed in the official chemical inventory to submit safety assessment reports and obtain approval before production or import. The latest revision aligns with the EPA’s registration mechanism under the Toxic and Concerned Chemical Substances Control Act to further integrate cross-agency review processes.
Stakeholders may submit comments or suggestions on the draft amendment by May 7, 2025, via phone (02-8995-6666 ext. 8123), fax (02-8995-6665), or email (yuchenglai@osha.gov.tw) to the Ministry of Labor.
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