Three employees die at Tata’s iPhone component factory:Apple to investigate incident

Apple, the US technology giant, will investigate the incident in which three employees died at Tata Electronics Private Limited’s factory in Tamil Nadu. According to media reports, the three contract workers died of asphyxiation while cleaning a water tank at the company’s iPhone components factory on Monday evening. According to The New Indian Express, production at Tata’s iPhone parts plant was not affected because the factory was closed for the festival holidays when the accident occurred. Accident occurred while cleaning water filtration tank The accident occurred during the maintenance and cleaning of the nano-filtration feed tank at the effluent treatment plant (ETP) at Tata Electronics’ factory in Vanniyapuram, near Udanapalli in Krishnagiri district. A company associated with Nalco had sent the workers for the maintenance work. Three workers lost consciousness after being exposed to gas Krishnagiri Collector C. Dinesh Kumar said the employees were exposed to toxic gas while cleaning the tank. B. Akmal was the first to try to look inside the tank, but he lost consciousness after inhaling the toxic gas. After this, at P. Kaveri’s request, M. Sarthikumar went inside to check on him and also lost consciousness. Kaveri then entered the tank herself to check on both of them, but also collapsed unconscious inside. The fourth member of the team, who witnessed the incident, immediately called for help. All three employees were taken to a private hospital in Hosur, where they were declared dead. All three employees who died in the accident were residents of Dharmapuri district. Collector says proper safety measures were not in place Collector C. Dinesh Kumar said proper safety measures had not been implemented during the maintenance of the ETP. The district administration has begun an investigation into the matter. The bodies of the three employees were sent to the Government Krishnagiri MCH (MCH) for post-mortem examinations. As soon as the incident was reported, Collector Dinesh Kumar, Denkanikottai tahsildar V. Shanmugam, Denkanikottai DSP Anantharaj and Saravanan, joint director of the Directorate of Industrial Safety and Health, visited the site. Police officials said the preliminary investigation indicated that the cause of death was likely the inhalation of poisonous gas, but final confirmation would come only after the post-mortem report was received. Saravanan said he could not comment at present as the investigation was under way. Tamil Nadu government’s stance and relief measures Tamil Nadu Industries Minister Virudhai Maghal Keerthana posted on social media platform X that the safety and dignity of every employee must remain paramount. The tragic incident will be thoroughly investigated, and appropriate action will be taken based on the findings. The district administration has been instructed to provide all necessary assistance possible to the affected families. Safety incident had occurred at Tata plant previously Earlier, in September 2024, a fire broke out at the chemical plant of Tata Electronics Private Limited in Ullukurukkai village near Rayakottai. In that incident, 11 people had to be admitted to a private hospital in Hosur because of suffocation and other health problems. What Is Asphyxiation? Asphyxiation is a life-threatening condition in which the body is unable to receive an adequate supply of oxygen. It usually occurs when toxic gases accumulate or oxygen levels fall in enclosed spaces such as tanks, sewers or rooms without ventilation. Safety standards and oxygen levels must be checked before working in such places.