Two elevator installation workers die after falling from building site in Xinzhuang

A major industrial accident occurred at a construction site on Zhongyuan East Road in New Taipei City's Xinzhuang District this afternoon, resulting in two fatalities. According to preliminary investigations and reports from police and fire departments, two workers responsible for elevator installation apparently accidentally fell from a height of approximately the third floor during the construction process, losing their vital signs on the spot. After receiving the emergency call, police and fire units immediately dispatched a large number of emergency personnel and vehicles to the scene for emergency treatment and rescue, and rushed the injured workers to nearby hospitals. Regrettably, despite the medical teams' utmost efforts to save them, both workers were pronounced dead due to severe injuries. This unfortunate incident has once again drawn public attention to construction site safety and high-altitude work protection measures.

The accident took place at a building construction site on Zhongyuan East Road in Xinzhuang District, New Taipei City. At the time of the incident, the two workers were carrying out the installation of the building's elevator system. Elevator installation work is highly specialized and dangerous, typically requiring high-altitude operations inside unfinished, structurally exposed elevator shafts with complex vertical movement paths. According to preliminary information gathered so far, the two individuals apparently lost their footing for some reason during construction, falling directly to the bottom from a height equivalent to the third floor. Because the fall was from a considerable height and the landing area largely consisted of hard structures or construction debris, the two suffered severe impacts and trauma, immediately falling unconscious and losing their breathing and heartbeats in a critical situation.

After receiving reports from citizens and personnel at the construction site, the New Taipei City Government Fire Department immediately dispatched ambulances and firefighters from the local jurisdiction to the scene for rescue. Upon arrival, emergency personnel found the two workers lying on the ground in extremely critical condition. Rescuers immediately administered emergency medical treatments such as cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR) at the scene and transported the injured workers to hospitals as quickly as possible. However, due to the immense impact force sustained during the fall and multiple severe traumas across their bodies, the hospitals were unable to save their lives despite hours of intensive emergency resuscitation efforts, ultimately pronouncing them dead. Subsequently, the hospitals and police notified relevant authorities in accordance with the law to handle subsequent forensic examinations and investigations.

Regarding this unfortunate fatal fall accident, the local police precinct, the New Taipei City Government Labor Inspection Office, and other labor administration units have intervened in the investigation. Upon receiving the report, the police immediately dispatched forensic personnel to conduct on-site inspections and gather evidence at the construction site, reviewed relevant construction records and surveillance footage, and conducted interrogations and statements with other eyewitnesses and the person in charge of the site. Labor authorities will also conduct a comprehensive review of the occupational safety and health facilities at the construction site to clarify whether the construction unit provided workers with appropriate protective equipment such as safety belts and safety nets in accordance with regulations, and whether the construction procedures complied with relevant norms of the Occupational Safety and Health Act, in order to pursue potential administrative and legal liabilities.

In recent years, safety issues in domestic construction sites and high-altitude operations have consistently been the focus of attention for labor regulatory authorities and the general public. Construction projects involve a variety of specialized trades, among which elevator installation, scaffolding erection, and steel structure assembly are relatively high-risk operations. Labor authorities have repeatedly called for and strongly demanded through labor inspections that business entities must implement the erection of safety protection facilities when arranging for workers to perform high-altitude operations or work near openings, and strictly supervise workers to ensure they properly wear personal protective equipment to prevent similar fall accidents from recurring. Nevertheless, how to effectively safeguard the lives and safety of frontline construction workers while pursuing project progress remains an important issue that all construction-related enterprises and regulatory authorities must seriously face and continuously improve. Following this industrial accident in Xinzhuang, the subsequent investigation results and attribution of responsibility are expected to become the focus of continued public attention, once again sounding the alarm for occupational safety standards in the construction industry.