Worker falls into acid tank

A worker at a Taiwan Power Co (Taipower) contractor fell into a tank containing hydrochloric acid at Nanpu Power Plant in Kaohsiung, while 10 others were hospitalized following a rescue operation, the company said yesterday.

The state-run utility said that the incident occurred at about 9:30am at the gas-fired plant.

The contractors were doing maintenance on a hydrochloric acid tank used in the plant’s seawater electrolysis process, it said.

Emergency services personnel attend the scene of an incident at Nanpu Power Plant in Kaohsiung yesterday.

Photo courtesy of the Kaohsiung City Police Department via CNA

One of the workers was reportedly transferring hydrochloric acid when he climbed to the top of the tank wearing a safety harness via a caged ladder, but fell into the tank through the tank’s metal covering, Taipower said.

The worker sustained burns after coming into contact with hydrochloric acid and lost consciousness, while five Taipower employees and five workers employed by the contractor who helped with rescue operations reportedly felt unwell after possibly inhaling hydrochloric acid fumes, it said.

Fire authorities were notified and the 11 people were transported to hospitals for treatment, it said.

Taipower said it had initiated an investigation to determine the exact cause of the incident and that efforts would be made to prevent similar incidents from occurring again.

The plant’s power generation equipment was not affected and its generating units were operating normally, it said.

Meanwhile, the Kaohsiung Labor Affairs Bureau said that the contractor had contravened the Occupational Safety and Health Act (職業安全衛生法) and would be fined up to NT$3 million (US$94,613).

When work is being done above storage tanks, employers should ensure that safety structures such as scaffolding and work platforms are installed to prevent falls, the bureau said.