Does Food Machinery Need Type Verification or the TS Safety Mark?

What Are the TS Mark and Type Verification?

Both systems come from the Occupational Safety and Health Act (current text last amended December 19, 2025) and apply to machinery, equipment, or tools "designated" by the central competent authority (the Ministry of Labor):

• Safety information registration + TS safety mark (Article 7): Designated machinery must meet the Safety Standards for Machinery, Equipment and Tools (機械設備器具安全標準) in construction, performance, and protection; the manufacturer or importer must register on the information reporting website designated by the central competent authority and affix a safety mark in a visible place on the product, the familiar "TS" mark.
• Type verification (Article 8): Items designated for type verification must pass type verification by a recognized certification body and bear the conformity mark before they can be shipped from the factory or imported. The procedure follows the Regulations for Implementation and Supervision of Type Verification of Machinery Products (機械類產品型式驗證實施及監督管理辦法, promulgated November 28, 2014).

Under Article 13 of the Enforcement Rules of the OSH Act, type verification is the procedure by which a certification body examines whether products of a given type meet the safety standards.

Which Machines Are Covered

Article 12 of the Enforcement Rules of the OSH Act (current text found at the time of writing last amended June 26, 2026) lists the items designated under Article 7:

1. Power presses and shears
2. Hand-fed planers
3. Circular saws for woodworking
4. Powered forklifts
5. Grinding machines
6. Grinding wheels
7. Explosion-proof electrical equipment
8. Photoelectric safety devices for power presses and shears
9. Blade contact prevention devices for hand-fed planers
10. Kickback prevention devices and saw tooth contact prevention devices for woodworking circular saws
11. Others designated by public notice of the central competent authority

As for type verification, according to the Occupational Safety and Health Administration's explanations, automatic electric shock prevention devices for AC arc welders are an item designated for type verification, effective July 1, 2018.

Do Encrusting Machines Need the TS Mark?

Comparing with the list above, at the time of writing (October 2026), the items listed in Article 12 of the Enforcement Rules don't include food processing machinery such as encrusting machines, dividers, or bun machines. Whether any have been added separately under Item 11, "others designated by public notice of the central competent authority," follows the Ministry of Labor's latest notices.

This doesn't mean food machinery can ignore safety:

• Article 5, Paragraph 2 of the OSH Act requires designers, manufacturers, or importers of all machinery to carry out risk assessments at the design, manufacturing, and import stages.
• Employers using the machines must still provide guards, power cutoffs, emergency brakes, lockout, and other measures under Article 6 of the OSH Act and the Occupational Safety and Health Facilities Regulations.

In other words, the TS mark and type verification are "market-entry requirements for designated items"; for machines not on the list, safety responsibilities still exist, there's just no registration or verification procedure.

How to Check

1. Read Article 12 of the Enforcement Rules: Look up the current text of the Enforcement Rules of the Occupational Safety and Health Act in Taiwan's Laws & Regulations Database.
2. Check designation notices: The Occupational Safety and Health Administration's Machinery, Equipment and Tools Safety Information Network (tsmark.osha.gov.tw) provides information and search tools for registration and type verification.
3. Look at the product: Products that have completed registration or verification bear the safety mark or conformity mark in a visible place; Article 9 of the OSH Act prohibits products that haven't completed registration or verification from using these marks or confusingly similar ones.
4. When in doubt: Contact the Ministry of Labor's Occupational Safety and Health Administration directly.

Penalties

Under Article 44 of the OSH Act: violating Article 7, Paragraph 1 or Article 8, Paragraph 1 (producing or importing designated machinery that doesn't meet safety standards, or not verifying items that require type verification) is punishable by a fine of NT$200,000 to NT$2 million, and import or production may be suspended within a deadline; failing to register under Article 7, Paragraph 3 is punishable by a fine of NT$30,000 to NT$150,000; failing to mark as required or improperly using marks in violation of Article 9, Paragraph 1 is punishable by a fine of NT$30,000 to NT$300,000, and a recall or correction may be ordered within a deadline.

For what the construction standards for designated machinery cover, see Overview of the Safety Standards for Machinery, Equipment and Tools.

FAQ

Q: Do encrusting machines need the TS mark?
A: At the time of writing, the designated list in Article 12 of the Enforcement Rules of the OSH Act doesn't include food processing machinery; for any separate designation notices, follow the Ministry of Labor's latest announcements.

Q: Which machines require registration or type verification?
A: Article 12 of the Enforcement Rules lists power presses and shears, hand-fed planers, woodworking circular saws, powered forklifts, grinding machines, grinding wheels, explosion-proof electrical equipment, and related safety devices; automatic electric shock prevention devices for AC arc welders are designated for type verification.

Q: How do I check whether a machine needs registration?
A: Check the current text of Article 12 of the Enforcement Rules of the OSH Act, then search the designation notices and registration data on the Ministry of Labor's Machinery, Equipment and Tools Safety Information Network at tsmark.osha.gov.tw.

Q: If a machine isn't on the list, are there no safety rules?
A: No. Designers and manufacturers still have risk assessment responsibilities under Article 5, Paragraph 2 of the OSH Act, and employers using the machine must still provide protection under Article 6 and the Occupational Safety and Health Facilities Regulations.