TAIPEI (TVBS News) — The Tainen Fire Bureau responded to a workplace emergency on Monday (Nov.7) at the Chung Kung Soy Sauce factory in Tainan. Three workers fell unconscious in a two-meter soy sauce tank due to a lack of oxygen levels while at work.
The firefighters quickly implemented a rescue plan when they found the workers trapped at the bottom of the tank. Although the heart rates of all three workers returned to normal before they were taken to the hospital, two of them remained in critical condition.
The affected employees are aged between 38 and 55. The incident occurred inside a six-ton black tank when the first worker fainted shortly after entering through a ventilation hole to clean soy sauce residues that were ten centimeters thick. His two other colleagues tried to assist him but also collapsed, leaving all three trapped inside the tank.
Cheng, on behalf of the factory, explained that the cleaning process usually involves the workers washing the tank from above, as a complete cleanse is required after drainage. This was likely the first time that the employees entered the tank themselves to remove the layers of oil sediments below.
Cheng acknowledged the dire consequences that followed due to poor ventilation beforehand and expressed regret for not foreseeing the incident.
