The operator of a Pingtung County factory where a fire and subsequent explosions claimed the lives of at least nine people, was fined NT$2.4 million (US$74,654) for contraventions of related regulations, including storing excess flammable materials in the workplace, the county government said yesterday.
Pingtung County Commissioner Chou Chun-mi (周春米) said the fine was imposed on Launch Technologies Co, the operator of the Pingtung golf ball factory, in accordance with the Fire Services Act (消防法).
Regulations allow for the factory to store a maximum of 100kg of organic peroxides used to manufacture golf ball cores, but the facility had stored 3,000kg of the substances, which are known to be a severe fire and explosion hazard, Chou said.
Photo: Chen Yen-ting, Taipei Times
Organic peroxides are listed as public hazardous materials under the Fire Services Act and an independent building should be used to store the substances.
In contrast, the first floor of the Launch Technologies’ factory was used as a warehouse and the second floor for manufacturing operations, she said.
BREACH
This is an apparent breach of regulatory requirements and the local government fined the factory operator NT$300,000 for the infraction, she said.
The company provided firefighters with a safety data sheet upon their arrival at the scene, but it was incomplete and contained only one organic peroxide type, she said.
She added that while the company later provided data about two other types of chemical substances, it contravened regulations by failing to provide firefighters with necessary rescue information and data, such as chemical types and quantities, a route map of the factory location and diagrams showing the layout of the plant.
The company was fined NT $600,000 for this infraction, Chou said.
The local government meted out an additional fine of NT$1.5 million to the company for its negligence and the 20 minute delay in reporting the blaze to the fire bureau.
Chou said that after the Pingtung County Fire Bureau received a call at 5:31pm on Friday, the firefighters arrived at the location at 5:42pm, but did not receive a safety data sheet until 5:55pm. In less than three minutes, the firefighters put on their gear and entered the premises, which was followed by the first explosion at 6:01pm.
The company would also be liable for endangering public safety and negligence resulting in the deaths, Chou said.
The Pingtung District Prosecutors’ Office also asked the Pingtung branch of the nonprofit Association for Victims Support to help the families of victims file a request to freeze the company’s assets.
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