Arizona inspectors have found few workplace safety violations at the Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Company construction site in north Phoenix despite claims of serious safety problems and a difficult work culture there.Inspectors discovered lack of ventilation in locations where workers were exposed to carbon monoxide. They also were exposed to silica dust.Carbon monoxide poisoning can deprive the heart, brain and other vital organs of oxygen, according to the Occupational Safety and Health Administration. The agency also said the inhalation of crystalline silica particles puts workers at risk of lung cancer and kidney diseases, among other ailments.State officials claim they can’t release all of the safety evaluations done at the sprawling work site, though it’s not clear what else those might show.Since November 2022, the Arizona Division of Occupational Safety and Health has conducted two main inspections at the site, one of which prompted a follow-up.In addition to the inspections, the state also conducted an “evaluation” in September mandated by a workplace safety agreement signed by Gov. Katie Hobbs, state investigators and TSMC officials in August.Concerns cited:Governor bumps up workplace safety inspections at massive semiconductor construction siteThe occupational division said its inspectors “continue to visit the facility” since the agreement was signed. The agreement came out of concerns about safety and injuries at the facility and puts TSMC through a regimen of safety training and annual inspections.The division released the reports of the two main inspections in response to a public records request from The Arizona Republic, though it took more than a month for them to do so. But officials there refused to release any records from the evaluation visits, saying they were exempted from the Arizona Public Records Law.The Republic has challenged that denial, and sent a letter from the news organization’s attorney demanding the release of the investigation under the Arizona Public Records Law.The inspections that were released found only four violations at the job site that has about 12,000 daily workers. Those workers are core TSMC employees and workers engaged through unions and subcontractors.“TSMC is deeply committed to workplace safety …
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