Matthew T Rader, MatthewTRader.com / License CC-BY-SA 4.0
HOSUR, India – Three contract workers died during maintenance at Tata Electronics’ iPhone components factory near Hosur in Tamil Nadu on Monday evening, prompting a safety inspection and an order for the company to review the contractors responsible for its effluent treatment plant.
Krishnagiri district collector C Dinesh Kumar said the workers had been assigned to clean the exterior of a nanofiltration tank. One reportedly looked inside, was suspected to have inhaled toxic gas and fell into the tank. Two others subsequently entered and also collapsed, according to the collector’s on-record account. A fourth worker sought help.
The exact circumstances remain under investigation. Kumar said officials from the Tamil Nadu Pollution Control Board and the Directorate of Industrial Safety and Health were examining confined-space entry procedures, gas monitoring, protective equipment and emergency rescue arrangements.
Tata has been directed to review the performance and safety compliance of the agencies maintaining the treatment plant and submit a detailed Action Taken Report. Kumar said that report must cover the circumstances of the incident, any lapses identified, corrective measures and a preventive action plan.
The effluent treatment plant will be allowed to resume operations only after authorities verify compliance with required safety measures and provide clearance, the collector said. He said there was no proposal at present to shut down the entire Tata Electronics factory.
The facility supplies components for Apple’s iPhones. The safety order concerns the treatment unit; it does not establish a production impact at the wider factory. The investigation will determine the failures behind the deaths and what changes are required before the treatment unit can restart.
JBizNews Desk | Hosur
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