Fire at Tata Electronics facility: Apple sends team to ‘counsel and advise’

Apple has reportedly sent a supplier responsibility (SR) team at the Tata Electronics facility in Hosur, Tamil Nadu that suffered a massive fire in one of its units last week. According to a report by Economic Times, the SR team consists of three Apple officials that are expected to review the situation and “counsel and advise” the Indian contract manufacturer.
The report quotes an unnamed source who said “Apple generally sends its SR team whenever there is a safety issue or labour-related incident.It is a routine practice and even happened during the time when Wistron had a labour issue as well as when Foxconn had a food poisoning incident.”
Another person aware of the developments told the publication that it was an expected move as the iPhone maker does this as a hygiene measure with all its suppliers whenever grave incidents like this take place. In 2023, the Cupertino-based company 153 issue-focused audits including those focused on working hours compliance, hiring practices, labour agency management, and specific health and safety issues.

According to reports, a government-related probe is also underway and that the director of the Directorate of Industrial Safety and Health (DISH) would also inspect the unit that was ablaze.
“The company has around six units, of which one got completely burned out,” a source told the publication. “The company would have made alternate arrangements so that the production is not impacted as much because the site has to be preserved for the enquiry. They will also probably look into factors like air quality, presence of alternate arrangements.”
“As of now, the forensic department has done a study and the preliminary report suggests that the fire was caused by some chemical getting overheated. This is in line with the version of the workers who said it was a slow fire that began with smoke first,” the person said.

Commenting on the fire incident, a Tata Electronics spokesperson said “There has been an unfortunate incident of fire at our plant in Hosur, Tamil Nadu. Our emergency protocols at the plant ensured that all our employees are safe. The cause of the fire is under investigation and we will take necessary actions to safeguard the interest of our employees and other stakeholders.”