Krishnagiri, Nov 10:
Three contract workers lost their lives after inhaling hazardous gases while cleaning a wastewater treatment facility at the Tata Electronics complex in Vanniyapuram near Hosur on Monday evening.
The deceased were identified as Sarathikumar (25) hailing from Belarampatti, Akmal (28) of Thinnur in Dharmapuri district, and Kaveri (31) of Jambuth near Hosur. Employed through a third-party operations agency, they descended into the nanofiltration feed tank around 5 pm to clear accumulated industrial sewage and sludge. Preliminary inquiries revealed that an odour-suppressing chemical powder added earlier reacted with the stagnant residue, releasing lethal fumes that caused the workers to lose consciousness inside the chamber.
Hearing distress calls, coworkers pulled them out of the chamber and rushed them to a private hospital in Hosur, where attending doctors pronounced them dead on arrival. Krishnagiri Superintendent of Police G.S. Anitha and District Collector Dinesh Kumar visited the facility to inspect the site. Police authorities have registered a case and initiated an inquiry into industrial safety compliance, specifically examining whether mandatory respirators, gas detectors, and safety harnesses were provided prior to entering the confined tank.