11 workers remain hospitalized after power plant accident

Kaohsiung, Sept. 22 (CNA) A worker with a Taiwan Power Co. (Taipower) contractor has regained consciousness after falling into a hydrochloric acid tank in the Nanpu Power Plant in Kaohsiung while 10 others remain hospitalized, the company said.

The state-run utility said the accident occurred at around 9:30 a.m. on Tuesday morning at the gas-fired plant when workers with a contractor were doing maintenance on a hydrochloric acid tank used in the plant's seawater electrolysis process.

One of the workers was reportedly transferring hydrochloric acid from the tank when he climbed to the top of the tank using a safety harness and a protective cage, but fell into the tank after stepping through the tank's metal covering, Taipower said.

Local media said the tank's cover showed cracks before the worker fell through it.

The company said the worker suffered 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.

Fire authorities were soon notified, and the 11 individuals were all rushed to area hospitals for treatment.

The worker who suffered burns has regained consciousness and his vital signs were stable as of 5 p.m. Tuesday, while the other 10 suspected of inhaling hydrochloric acid fumes were still hospitalized after being treated.

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

According to the company, the accident did not affect the plant's power generation equipment, and all of its generating units were operating normally.

Meanwhile, the Kaohsiung City Labor Affairs Bureau determined that the contractor had violated the Occupational Safety and Health Act and would be fined up to NT$3 million (US$90,000) in accordance with the law.

The bureau said that when work is being done at a certain height on storage tanks, employers should ensure that safety structures such as scaffolding and work platforms are installed to prevent falls.