Accident at Fab 22 Site
Local media reports confirm that all four TSMC workers involved in an accident at its 2nm Fab 22 site in Kaohsiung have died. Reports indicate the accident was caused by a broken connecting plate bolt. TSMC has suspended all steel structure work at the site and all of its new plants in Taiwan while investigating the cause.
Contract workers were involved in an incident at the construction site for TSMC’s 2nm Fab 22 in Kaohsiung, Taiwan, according to Taiwan’s Central News Agency. The Southern Taiwan Science Park Bureau suspects the cause was a broken bolt on a steel connection plate that sent the workers and steel components tumbling. Steel hoisting on the project has been halted, and labor inspectors have been sent to investigate.
Local police stated that the men were welding a steel beam on an upper floor and fell with it, while the science park bureau noted the workers were performing steel-structure hoisting and installation when a third-floor connection-plate bolt apparently broke.
Emergency Response and Safety Measures
Emergency vehicles were dispatched to the site, and all four men involved were taken to the hospital. On-site medical staff administered first aid, but three workers died despite resuscitation efforts, and the fourth was moved to intensive care before later succumbing to injuries. The workers were employed by a contractor working on the fourth phase of the complex’s construction.
TSMC halted the related construction work independently, collaborating with authorities and supervising the subcontractor’s follow-up actions.
Expansion Plans and Facility Details
The Fab 22 complex in Kaohsiung’s Nanzi District is part of the science park dedicated to accelerating 2nm manufacturing. TSMC entered high-volume 2nm, or N2, manufacturing in the fourth quarter of 2025. The complex includes five planned phases, with a total investment exceeding NT$1.5 trillion, approximately $46 billion. Construction on Phase 4 began in August 2025, with operations initially expected in the fourth quarter of 2027.
Reports indicate that TSMC fab construction has accelerated, rising from four fabs a year between 2017 and 2024 to nine a year in 2025 and 2026. These developments coincide with company plans for 13 new leading-edge and advanced-packaging fabs in Taiwan, supported by company-wide capital expenditures between $60 billion and $64 billion.
The accelerated construction pace has prompted the inclusion of contractor safety records as a selection criterion, alongside plans for a Taiwan Semiconductor Construction Engineering Safety Association with construction partners. TSMC management has emphasized that safety remains a primary focus in ongoing fab investments across Taiwan.
TSMC representatives noted that increased worker counts and overlapping construction schedules have elevated operational risk, requiring rigorous supervision. Company figures previously indicated a drop in contractor lost-time injury rates following site overhauls.
The incident follows other recent industrial accidents across the semiconductor sector as manufacturers scale operations to meet growing global demand.
Science park findings will determine potential penalties under Taiwan’s Occupational Safety and Health Act while authorities assist the victims’ families. A definitive timeline for restarting Phase 4 steel hoisting has not yet been announced.
