Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Co (TSMC, 台積電) said yesterday there was no damage to its facilities after an incident at its Arizona factory construction site where a waste disposal truck driver was transported to hospital.
Firefighters responded to an explosion on Wednesday afternoon at the TSMC plant in Phoenix, the Arizona Republic reported, citing the local fire department.
Cesar Anguiano-Guitron, 41, was transporting waste material from the project site and stopped to inspect the tank when he was made aware of a potential problem, a police report seen by Bloomberg News showed.
Photo by: Sam Yeh, AFP
Following an “uncontrolled pressure release,” he was hit by a blunt object and thrown 6m from the vehicle, the report said. The driver was then transported to the hospital by the local fire department, and the police department is investigating the incident.
The driver had died, Arizona Building and Construction Trades Council, a coalition of unions with about 3,000 members working on the TSMC project, said late Wednesday in a statement.
“The safety and well-being of construction workers are our top priorities, and we expect all regulatory agencies to conduct a thorough investigation into the incident,” the union said. “The goal should be to determine whether adequate safety measures were in place, the cause of the accident, and to implement any necessary measures to prevent such tragedies from occurring in the future.”
None of TSMC’s employees or onsite construction workers had reported any related injuries, TSMC, the world’s largest contract chipmaker, said in a statement.
“This is an active investigation with no additional details that can be shared at this time,” it added.
TSMC shares pared earlier gains after the news, and ended up 0.24 percent yesterday in Taipei trading.
The chipmaker’s first Arizona fab began wafer production last month and is on track to begin production using the 4-nanometer technology in the first half of next year.
It is to deploy the world’s most advanced 2-nanometer technology at its second Arizona fab, which is expected to begin production in 2028.
TSMC last month said it is to expand its planned investment in Arizona by US$25 billion to US$65 billion and to add a third Arizona fab by 2030, as part of efforts to diversify from its home base.
The project, which is set to win US$11.6 billion in federal grants and loans from the 2022 CHIPS and Science Act, has a fraught history with organized labor in Phoenix, including a months-long dispute over safety and management issues on the site.
The company and unions reached a labor accord in December last year, establishing a new committee focused on workforce training programs and transparency around safety issues as they arise.
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