On 14 March 2025, members of Green Citizens' Action Alliance, Taiwan Occupational Safely and Health Link, TIWA: Taiwan International Workers' Association, and a DPP legislator held a press conference with a banner in Taipei City (Taipei City). They demanded the establishment of a 'high-risk factory list,' proactive labor inspections, and a hazard map for high-risk fire and explosion factories to improve community awareness and protection.

Supply-chain Risk Briefing: Taiwan Industrial Safety Protests

1) Summary On March 14, 2025, environmental and labor groups in Taipei, Taiwan held peaceful protests demanding the creation of a high-risk factory list and strengthened labor oversight. This is assessed as low-risk civil society pressure calling for the establishment of a preventive management system for factories with high fire and explosion risks.

2) Supply-chain impact

• Semiconductor & Electronics: Concerns over potential increased inspection and improvement costs for some production lines due to possible strengthened safety regulations for manufacturing facilities in Taiwan
• Chemical & Petrochemical: Expected to face additional safety investment and operational cost burdens as they are likely to be classified as high-risk factories
• Manufacturing Overall: Potential for short-term production disruption risks and long-term compliance cost increases if labor oversight is strengthened
• Logistics Operations: No direct transportation disruptions currently, but potential constraints on transportation of specific chemicals if safety regulations expand in the future

3) Watch points

• Need to track Taiwan government's creation of high-risk factory list and related regulatory amendment trends
• Monitor whether major manufacturers conduct voluntary safety inspections and any changes to production schedules
• Monitor whether similar demands for strengthened safety regulations spread to other Asian manufacturing hubs