On the evening of November 9, a tragic incident occurred at a Tata Electronics factory located in Tamil Nadu, which is responsible for producing iPhone components for Apple. In this unfortunate event, three contract workers lost their lives while carrying out maintenance operations at the factory’s wastewater treatment facility. Preliminary investigations suggest that these workers may have inhaled toxic gases, although the exact cause of death is still pending confirmation from autopsy reports.
According to reports from local news outlets, the Chief Executive Officer of Krishnagiri district in Tamil Nadu, C. Dinesh Kumar, stated that the three contract workers were engaged in cleaning and maintenance procedures at the wastewater treatment facility at the time of the incident.
The facility is operated by Nalco Water, a subsidiary of Ecolab, a company headquartered in the United States. The workers involved were employed by another firm contracted by Nalco. Kumar mentioned that the workers collapsed after inhaling toxic gases while inspecting external nano-filtering tanks.
Initial findings from the police and media reports indicate that B. Akmal was the first to check inside the tank and subsequently collapsed due to inhalation of gases. M. Sarathikumar, who approached to investigate further, also fell unconscious. P. Kaveri, who initially alerted the factory’s safety personnel, attempted to assist but was also affected by the gas. All three workers were eventually retrieved and taken to a private hospital in Hosur, where they were pronounced dead upon arrival.
Law enforcement officers have indicated that preliminary investigations suggest their deaths may be linked to inhaling toxic gases. However, the definitive cause of death will require further investigation and autopsy results. Kumar emphasized that the operations at the time of the incident lacked proper safety measures, and local authorities have launched an inquiry into the circumstances surrounding the tragedy.
The deceased workers hailed from Dharmapuri district, with B. Akmal being 28 years old, M. Sarathikumar 25, and P. Kaveri approximately 30.
On November 10, the Tamil Nadu Minister for Industries, Virudhai Magal Keerthana, expressed her condolences on the X platform, stressing that the safety and dignity of every worker must always be prioritized. She assured that a thorough investigation would be conducted, and appropriate actions would be taken based on the findings.
According to reports from Reuters citing two industry insiders, the factory was on holiday for the Diwali festival, which meant that production was not affected during this time. Both Tata Electronics and Apple are expected to conduct their own investigations into the incident.
As of now, neither Tata Electronics, Apple, nor Nalco Water has issued any public statements regarding the event.
With Apple gradually shifting its production lines away from China, India has emerged as a critical production hub. Reports suggest that India’s current iPhone production accounts for about one-quarter of the global supply, with Tata Electronics responsible for approximately 40% of this production while the remaining portion is managed by Foxconn.
However, the Tata Electronics facility in Hosur has faced several incidents in recent years. In 2024, a fire at the parts manufacturing site caused temporary shutdowns. Earlier this year, the state government issued a closure warning due to concerns over groundwater contamination, though this issue was not pursued further. Additionally, an iPhone assembly plant located within the same complex experienced a ransomware attack between June and July, which led to the leak of sensitive documents, including information on the then-unreleased iPhone 18 Pro.