부산대학교 도서관

Small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) are the economic backbone of many countries. However, the implementation of occupational safety and health in such enterprises is often ignored or restricted due to certain factors, or limited understanding of the risk assessment required by law. Therefore, guiding SMEs to prevent occupational safety and health risks is an issue that requires continuous attention. In this study, we used keywords such as small and medium-sized enterprises, risk assessment, and occupational safety and health management to find relevant policies and guidelines through official websites of occupational safety and health-related organizations in the United States, the European Union, and other international organizations. After comparing them Taiwan’s policies and guidelines, suitable policy recommendations for reference are compiled. The results reveal that SMEs account for the majority in each country, and significant efforts are put into counseling SMEs on occupational safety and health. For example, the United States has developed relevant guidelines to assist and enhance the implementation of workplace risk assessment by SME employers. They also emphasize worker participation for effective assessment implementation. The Ministry of Health, Labor and Welfare in Japan collaborates with relevant organizations to provide education and training on workplace risk assessment for SMEs, aiming to enhance their occupational safety and health knowledge and capabilities. There have been continuous and ongoing efforts in Taiwan to counsel SMEs on occupational safety and health policies for many years. However, to improve the safety and health knowledge of SMEs and to allow them to perform assessment and management independently, Taiwan can refer to the Self-Inspection Checklists issued by the US Occupational Safety and Health Administration or the simple workplace risk assessment guidelines by the International Labor Organization, etc., and develop risk assessment tools that are suitable and can be easily used for different industries in Taiwan.