Work at Hai Long wind farm’s on-shore construction site in Changhua County has been suspended following a carbon dioxide leak that injured 17 workers, site contractor Teco Electrics & Machinery Co said on Wednesday.
A safety examination and financial loss assessment are being conducted after the leak took place on Tuesday when workers were filling 200 cylinders with carbon dioxide, a Teco statement said.
Among the injured, seven remain hospitalized — four undergoing treatment and three under observation — while the other 10 had been discharged, the company said.
Photo courtesy of a reader
Three of the hospitalized workers remain in critical condition, with their coma scale at the lowest score of 3, indicating severe brain injury, the Changhua County Government said.
The cause of the incident is believed to be improper operation and installation of high-pressure cylinders by staff, leading to the leakage, Teco said.
The potential loss or impact is under review, and the amount of insurance to be claimed has yet to be determined, it added.
The Ministry of Labor on Tuesday said that a fine of NT$300,000 would be levied due to inadequate occupational health and safety measures.
A preliminary inspection has found that there were no measures in place to prevent gas leaks and no clear labeling of equipment.
Teco said that it would install safety equipment for workers in accordance with standard safety procedures.
It would set up anti-leakage devices and safety measures in the high-pressure cylinder room, provide re-education and training for workers, and carry out inspections, the company said.
In addition, Teco said it would deploy monitoring staff and supervisors to improve operational control.
The Changhua County Government also issued a statement, saying that it would assign occupational disaster specialists to assist the affected workers to seek compensation from their employer and provide legal consultation services.
Taiwan has received more than US$70 million in royalties as of the end of last year from developing the F-16V jet as countries worldwide purchase or upgrade to this popular model, government and military officials said on Saturday. Taiwan funded the development of the F-16V jet and ended up the sole investor as other countries withdrew from the program. Now the F-16V is increasingly popular and countries must pay Taiwan a percentage in royalties when they purchase new F-16V aircraft or upgrade older F-16 models. The next five years are expected to be the peak for these royalties, with Taiwan potentially earning
POSITIVE DEVELOPMENT: Japan and the US are expected to hold in-depth discussions on Taiwan-related issues during the meeting next month, Japanese sources said The holding of a Japan-US leaders’ meeting ahead of US President Donald Trump’s visit to China is positive news for Taiwan, former Japan-Taiwan Exchange Association representative Hiroyasu Izumi said yesterday. After the Liberal Democratic Party’s landslide victory in Japan’s House of Representatives election, Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi is scheduled to visit the US next month, where she is to meet with Trump ahead of the US president’s planned visit to China from March 31 to April 2 for a meeting with Chinese President Xi Jinping (習近平). Japan and the US are expected to hold in-depth discussions on Taiwan-related issues during the
‘LIKE-MINDED PARTNER’: Tako van Popta said it would be inappropriate to delay signing the deal with Taiwan because of China, adding he would promote the issue Canadian senators have stressed Taiwan’s importance for international trade and expressed enthusiasm for ensuring the Taiwan-Canada trade cooperation framework agreement is implemented this year. Representative to Canada Harry Tseng (曾厚仁) in an interview with the Central News Agency (CNA) said he was increasingly uneasy about Ottawa’s delays in signing the agreement, especially as Ottawa has warmed toward Beijing. There are “no negotiations left. Not only [is it] initialed, we have three versions of the text ready: English, French and Mandarin,” Tseng said. “That tells you how close we are to the final signature.” Tseng said that he hoped Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney
STAY IN YOUR LANE: As the US and Israel attack Iran, the ministry has warned China not to overstep by including Taiwanese citizens in its evacuation orders The Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MOFA) yesterday rebuked a statement by China’s embassy in Israel that it would evacuate Taiwanese holders of Chinese travel documents from Israel amid the latter’s escalating conflict with Iran. Tensions have risen across the Middle East in the wake of US and Israeli airstrikes on Iran beginning Saturday. China subsequently issued an evacuation notice for its citizens. In a news release, the Chinese embassy in Israel said holders of “Taiwan compatriot permits (台胞證)” issued to Taiwanese nationals by Chinese authorities for travel to China — could register for evacuation to Egypt. In Taipei, the ministry yesterday said Taiwan
RSS