• Last updated:2021-10-18

In order to prevent another wave of casualties in the work place due to negligence of 
workers’ safety and health and construction sites during the hectic season just before 
the Chinese New Year, the Ministry of Labor strongly urges all industries to never 
trade workers’ safety for meeting a deadline. The Ministry of Labor also stresses that 
all industries should strengthen safety management and ensure voluntary check-ups are 
carried out to prevent any accident. Moreover, overtime should be a reasonable length 
of time to avoid accidents caused by exhausted workers. 
Accidents in the work place happen most frequently during the time previous to the 
Chinese New Year. Many industries are concerned about falling behind due to the long 
holiday; therefore attempt to lengthen work hours before the break. However, due to 
staff shortages and the hectic schedule, it is easy to neglect proper management, 
which often leads to poor response to emergencies. As a result, accidents occur 
particularly often. The Ministry of Labor specially urge employers and those 
responsible for safety management to make certain that supervisors at various levels 
are at the work site for inspection in order to ensure safety in the work place. 
When the Chinese New Year is approaching and festive atmosphere is filling the air, 
many companies are busy tidying up for a fresh look. This means that this is a peak 
season for the cleaning of building and therefore a peak season for accidents, too. 
Recently two window cleaners in Keelung who were using a ‘work cage’ (conventional 
window washing equipment) were trapped at a 14 story height because their work cage 
broke down. The fire brigade had to use a method of rope suspension to rescue the 
workers, which was a very risky task. Another incident happened in Taipei, where a 
work cage and workers had fallen to the ground; the workers were severely injured 
because the anchor of the work cage seemed to have loosened and the safety suspension 
ropes were not properly installed. 
The use of work cages during building cleaning is extremely dangerous and accidents 
are not uncommon for window cleaners. The Ministry of Labor insists that all 
industries and organizations responsible for building maintenance should always check 
the contractor’s proof of maintenance and the workers’ certificate of training in 
operating a work cage when they hire their service. They should also make sure that 
workers use appropriate safety belts and ropes in line with safety regulation. This 
precaution should always be taken with care to assure safety. 
Many construction organizations try to speed up work in order to catch up with their 
schedule to ensure a carefree Chinese New Year holiday. However, to omit regular 
procedures in order to cut down time, effort and materials could also mean a 
foredooming disaster. Recently a tragedy which led to one casualty and one death took 
place at Kaohsiung Science Park. Two workers were buried alive by falling scaffold and 
cement when the eaves on the second floor filled with cement collapsed. We should all 
learn a lesson from this tragedy. The Ministry of Labor urges all industries and 
employers to recognize that life is precious and safety should always come first. They 
must all toughen safety measures and check-ups to prevent more accidents in the work 
place.

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• Publication Date:2006-01-20
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