Overview
- Three contract workers collapsed and died while cleaning a nano‑filtration/effluent tank at Tata Electronics’ Hosur complex on Monday after suspected toxic‑gas exposure or oxygen depletion.
- District officials say one worker first lost consciousness after peering into the tank, two colleagues entered to help and also collapsed, and a fourth raised the alarm before all three were rushed to hospital and declared dead.
- Nalco Water, the Ecolab unit that operates the treatment plant, says the workers were hired through a subcontractor and is cooperating with local authorities as the causes are confirmed by post‑mortems and technical tests.
- State police, the Directorate of Industrial Safety and Health, Tata Electronics and an Apple team have opened parallel investigations focused on confined‑space procedures, gas monitoring and whether required protective equipment and oversight were in place.
- The incident raises fresh questions about safety and subcontracting at a major node in Apple’s India supply chain, which has seen prior disruptions at the Hosur site including a 2024 fire, a 2026 ransomware breach and earlier pollution inquiries.