Three Workers Died at Tata’s iPhone Parts Plant. Who Keeps Contract Workers Safe?

What happened at Tata’s plant near Hosur?

Three contract workers reportedly died on the evening of 9 November while working on a tank at a Tata Electronics factory in Krishnagiri district, Tamil Nadu. The factory makes casings and other parts for Apple’s iPhones. Police suspect the men inhaled toxic gas and say the post-mortem examinations will help establish the cause of death. Tamil Nadu authorities are investigating, and Reuters reported that Apple and Tata would also investigate.

How did a job outside the tank turn into a rescue?

The four-person crew had been assigned to clean the outside of a tank used to filter wastewater, district collector C Dinesh Kumar reportedly told reporters. In his account, B Akmal looked into the tank and is suspected to have inhaled gas before losing consciousness and falling inside. M Sarathikumar went in to help and collapsed. The supervisor, P Kaveri, also entered and collapsed. The fourth worker went for help. The three men were pulled out and taken to a hospital, where they were pronounced dead.

Who hired the workers, and who ran the treatment plant?

Tata Electronics runs the factory. Nalco Water, part of the US company Ecolab, operated the wastewater treatment plant, according to the collector. He reportedly told that Nalco had brought in the crew through another agency, Permacorp. Apple’s iPhones reportedly use the parts made at the factory.

That chain tells us who brought in whom. The inquiry still has to establish who controlled access to the tank, who briefed the crew on the hazards and who was responsible for having a rescue team ready.

Why can a wastewater tank be dangerous?

A tank can have a small opening and poor airflow. Dangerous gases can build up, or the air can contain too little oxygen to breathe safely. A worker can lose consciousness before they have time to climb out. Anyone who goes in to help can be overcome by the same air. In Hosur, police suspect toxic gas exposure, and the reports available on 10 November did not identify a gas.

The risk to rescuers is well documented. In 2016, two workers died during a tanker-cleaning job at a UK food-waste company. One was trying to save the other. Britain’s safety regulator found that the company had failed to plan for emergencies and provide suitable protective equipment. The case led to convictions in 2022.

What checks can stop a second worker from going down?

First, establish whether anyone needs to enter. If entry is necessary, a supervisor can use a written permit to record who may go in, what hazards were checked and who will respond in an emergency. The air is tested for oxygen levels and hazardous gases, and it can be monitored as work continues. Someone stays outside to keep watch and summon trained rescuers. Where the layout allows it, a harness and retrieval line can help pull someone out from outside the tank.

Those are the kinds of safeguards Tamil Nadu inspectors are examining at Hosur. The collector said they will look at procedures for entering enclosed spaces, gas monitoring, protective equipment and rescue arrangements.

Does Indian workplace safety law cover contract workers?

India’s Occupational Safety, Health and Working Conditions Code sets safety duties for employers. At factories, the duty extends to workers and other people on the employer’s premises. The code also calls for safe ways to get in and out of work areas, as well as appropriate instruction, training and supervision. Applying those duties at Hosur requires establishing which parties controlled the premises, the work and the crew.

What does Apple require of its suppliers?

Apple’s published standards say safeguards for high-risk work apply to contractors working at a supplier’s site. They call for a permit process when maintenance or cleaning involves work in a confined space. Suppliers are also expected to assess contractors’ work for risks, control access and train contractors in emergency procedures before work starts.

Apple has intervened at an Indian supplier before. In 2021, after a food-poisoning outbreak among Foxconn workers in Tamil Nadu, Apple said it had put the Sriperumbudur facility on probation and sent independent auditors to examine food safety and accommodation. At Hosur, the question for Apple is whether its checks covered the subcontracted crew and the work they were doing.

What are Apple and Tamil Nadu looking into?

The Economic Times, citing a person familiar with the matter, reported that an Apple team had visited the factory. Reuters reported that both Apple and Tata would investigate, and said Apple, Tata Electronics and Nalco Water had not responded to its requests for comment.

The district’s inquiry has an immediate consequence. The collector told The Economic Times that Tata must report what happened, identify any safety failures and lay out how it will prevent a recurrence. He said the wastewater treatment plant would be allowed to restart only after authorities verified the safety measures and cleared it. The post-mortem findings can help explain why the men died. The inspection will examine what safeguards were in place when the first worker collapsed.