TOSHMS Certification Services

TOSHMS stands for "Taiwan Occupational Safety and Health Management System." TOSHMS was developed by the Council of Labor Affairs (CLA) of Taiwan, R.O.C. The CLA referred to the frameworks of OHSAS 18001:2007 and ILO-OSH 2001 to develop TOSHMS, which specifies management-system requirements so as to facilitate the participation of Business in Occupational Safety and Health Management, to enhance management competence, and to ensure alignment with international trends.

OHSAS 18001 is a management-system standard which can be used for certification, while ILO-OSH is a guideline which recommends workable methods and tools.ILO-OSH is intended to assist countries and organizations to establish, implement and improve their individual Occupational Safety and Health Management Systems in order to protect labor from hazards. ILO-OSH can also be used for certification if considered necessary. The basic frameworks of OHSAS 18001 and ILO-OSH are similar.The major difference between the two standards is that OHSAS emphasizes risk management while ILO-OSH focuses on regulation compliance and all-encompassing participation.

The CLA thus combined OHSAS 18001 and ILO-OSH and published its "General Guidance on Taiwan Occupational Safety and Health Management System" on August 13, 2007.The Guidance is intended to lead the domestic organization in integrating Safety and Health Management into its Business Operation Management and working toward a systematic Occupational Safety and Health Management System. In order to cohere with global movements and enhance national competitiveness, the Guidance is also intended to assist domestic organizations in using the Plan-Do-Check-Action management model to continually improve Occupational Safety and Health and to effectively reduce hazards and risks.

Since many local businesses have already applied for OHSAS 18001 certification to meet market demands, the CLA developed and published the "Certification Specification for TOSHMS" on December 27, 2007.The specification is intended to meet the double needs of local business seeking both international certification and compliance with local regulations. The specification builds on OHSAS 18001:2007 requirements with supplemental requirements based on ILO-OSH 2001 and the TOSHMS Guidance.In addition to this, the CLA has also cooperated with certification bodies to formulate a single-audit process for TOHSMS and OHSAS 18001 certification in order to encourage local organizations to establish and implement the Taiwan Occupational Safety and Health Management System.