Taipei, Aug. 27 (CNA) — A 19-year-old worker died Monday evening after falling into a coma following a carbon dioxide leak at the construction site of an offshore wind farm in Changhua County on Aug. 20.
The deceased, surnamed Chien (簡), was one of three people who suffered cardiac arrest during the incident at the Lungong North 8th Road site in Changhua Coastal Industrial Park.
Chien had no heartbeat when he was found, but was resuscitated after being taken to Tung' Taichung MetroHarbor Hospital in Wuqi District.
He remained in intensive care with a coma score of three, the lowest possible score being that he neither opens his eyes nor has any verbal or motor response.
According to the Journal of the American Medical Association, the disease is associated with an extremely high mortality rate.
On Tuesday, the site's main contractor, Teco Electric & Machinery Co., issued a statement expressing condolences to the deceased's family and pledging to take full responsibility and provide assistance to both the family and other injured workers.
The other two people found without signs of life are a 58-year-old man surnamed Liu (劉) and a 38-year-old man surnamed Lai (賴). Both are still in intensive care and are also in a level three coma.
The other 14 injured workers were all released from the hospital.
Teco attributed the incident to improper handling and installation of high-pressure cylinders by on-site personnel, which led to gas leakage.
The company said last week that it was still assessing the potential financial impact of the incident and that the amount of the insurance claim had not yet been determined.
On the same day the incident occurred, the Ministry of Labor announced that it would fine Teco NT$300,000 (US$94,001) for inadequate workplace health and safety measures.
