When caissons were being placed at northern pier No. 7 in the Port of Taipei on Dec. 1, seven workers fell into the water, and three migrant workers could not be saved. This tragic accident probably occurred because the contractor misjudged the depth of the water.
It appears that the caissons were to be used in the construction of the third liquefied natural gas (LNG) terminal at Guantang Industrial Park. A total of 303 caissons were to be placed outside the port area — each of them 25 cubic meters and covering an area equivalent to 450 basketball courts — as a foundation for land reclamation.
Work is not possible right now due to the northeastern monsoon, and therefore the contractor, Pan Asia Corp (泛亞工程建設公司), was moving the caissons temporarily to a storage area at the Port of Taipei.
National Chung Hsing University environmental engineering professor Tsuang Ben-jei (莊秉潔) has said that the site assigned to the third LNG terminal is located at the narrowest section in the northern part of the Taiwan Strait, making it the area in northern Taiwan with the strongest winds.
In 1994, CPC Corp, Taiwan (台灣中油) decided against developing an LNG terminal at Guantang in cooperation with Tung Ting Co (東鼎公司) because of inclement weather, the huge difference between the tides and insufficient days of operation. It is clear that there are great risks in continuing construction at Guantang, perhaps even greater risks than at the Port of Taipei.
Are CPC and the contractors well prepared? Looking at the recent occupational safety record of Pan Asia Corp and Hwang Chang General Contractor Co (皇昌營造股份有限公司), the contractors for the third LNG terminal, there have been many breaches of the Occupational Safety and Health Act (職業安全衛生法). They clearly do not have a good track record.
When a contractor seems to repeatedly disregard the rights and interests of their workers, the authority in charge of labor issues cannot ignore these oversights and should take the appropriate measures.
At the site of the accident, workers did not survive even though they were wearing life vests. Was there insufficient safety equipment or was the equipment ineffective? Were there any other measures in place to prevent workers falling into the water? Had workers been given sufficient training in emergency response? Had the contractor conducted sufficient exploration of the sea bottom? Why did the caissons sink without any warning?
All these questions have to be answered, one by one.
In addition, compared with the Port of Taipei, the waters at Guantang are more treacherous, and sea bottom conditions are even more complicated. It is questionable whether CPC Corp and its contractors have conducted a complete evaluation prior to beginning construction.
Economic development and energy policy are important issues, but human life is more precious. The basic rights and interests of workers cannot be sacrificed for project progress.
Until worker safety is guaranteed, work on the third LNG terminal should be halted and a comprehensive study should be conducted to avoid a repeat of the recent tragedy.
Chen Hsien-cheng is a lawyer.
Translated by Perry Svensson
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