Taiwan factory accident kills OFW

An OFW died while at work in one of the factories at Zhunan Science Park

An overseas Filipina worker died after her legs were spattered with hydrofluoric acid during work at a factory in Miaoli County in Taiwan, the Central News Agency reported last week.

The chemical is extremely corrosive and toxic, and can cause death when it touches the skin. It is frequently used in the electronics industry and for metal cleaning and glass etching.

The accident happened at Tyntek Corporation, an electronics factory in the Zhunan Science Park, on Wednesday morning, 28 August, according to CNA.

The 29-year-old Deserie Castro Tagubasi was wearing protective clothing to clean circuit boards with the acid, but as she turned away, the substance spattered the back of her legs, which the clothing did not cover.

She suffered chemical burns over a large surface of her legs, and while colleagues tried to help her, she still died after her transfer to hospital, reports said.

Tsao Chun-feng, a section chief with the fire department, said that when paramedics arrived on the scene, the victim was still conscious but in intense pain.

Tsao said the factory did not apply hexafluralin nor diphoterine to her wounds when providing first aid.

Deserie Tagubasi being placed in an ambulance. (Miaoli County Fire Department photo)

As few hospitals are equipped to deal with burns from hydrofluoric acid, the OFW had to be transferred by ambulance from the factory in Miaoli to the Veterans’ General Hospital in Taipei.

According to her colleagues, the woman had been working at the factory for at least two years and was planning to return home to the Philippines next month. (Taiwan News)