TSMC Halts Work After Four Workers Die at Kaohsiung Site

KAOHSIUNG, TAIWAN — TSMC confirmed on 21 October 2026 that four construction workers had died at its new factory site in Kaohsiung, southern Taiwan. Some construction work has been suspended following the incident.

Fatalities confirmed after steel-structure work

The company told Reuters that the workers died during steel-structure construction on 20 October. Its confirmation on Wednesday provides a material update to earlier reports describing injured workers.

Central News Agency reported that emergency crews attended the Fab 22 construction site in Nanzi District after an alert at 4:53 p.m. on Tuesday. It cited the city fire department as saying ten vehicles and 22 responders were sent to the scene. The men worked for a domestic contractor, according to the Southern Taiwan Science Park Bureau.

Work suspended while circumstances are examined

Local police told CNA that the workers were suspected of falling with a steel beam during welding work. That initial account remains subject to investigation. It is not a final technical finding about the failure mechanism or responsibility.

The Standard, carrying China Times reporting, said the science park bureau ordered steel-beam lifting work stopped and required the scene to be preserved. Its earlier casualty account preceded TSMC’s subsequent confirmation of four deaths. No final investigation report or verified final penalty was available in the material reviewed for this report.

HSE Blog analysis: temporary stability and work at height

Steel erection combines lifting operations, temporary structural stability and fall exposure. Project teams should assess these hazards together, including safe access, exclusion zones and arrangements for inspecting temporary connections before loads are released. These are general prevention considerations, rather than findings that particular controls were absent at this site.

For context, see our guides to the hierarchy of fall protection and hazards associated with lifting and handling.

Sources and image note

Reporting checked includes Reuters’ report of TSMC’s statement, CNA’s emergency-response report and event photograph, and China Times reporting carried by The Standard. TaiwanPlus coverage also corroborated the four fatalities. Five independent reporting sources were unavailable; syndicated Reuters copies were counted once. Company and authority statements are attributed through these outlets.

The featured image is an HSE Blog illustration, not a photograph of the incident. No explicit permission for HSE Blog to reuse an actual-event photograph was verified, so the CNA photograph is linked above rather than reproduced.