Three workers die after CO2 leak at Hai Long substation

What happened

On 20 August 2024, several workers at the Hai Long Changhua onshore substation in Taiwan were affected by a carbon dioxide leak from the fire suppression system. Seventeen people were taken to hospital. Ten were discharged with minor injuries and seven remained in hospital, three of them seriously ill. One of those three died on 26 August, and the project later confirmed that the other two had also died. Work at the onshore substation was suspended while investigations continued. The source does not say why the system released carbon dioxide.

Contributing factors

The source reports a leak of carbon dioxide from the fire suppression system. It does not report why the system discharged.

Lessons learned

1. Treat carbon dioxide fire suppression as a life-safety hazard and control isolation and access before people enter a protected space.
2. Arrange immediate medical assessment for everyone exposed, including those who at first seem only mildly affected.
3. Keep the affected site shut until the release is understood, and do not restart work there while the investigation is still open.

Source

offshoreWIND.biz (offshorewind.biz)