TAIPEI (TVBS News) — The Taipei City Government announced on (Jan. 6) that it fined the contractor and subcontractor NT$150,000 each following a fatal workplace accident during the setup of a New Year's Eve stage. The accident occurred on Dec. 25, 2024, involving worker Lawai Arik, who fell from scaffolding. Arik, an Indigenous person and lead singer of the band Ark of Redemption (救贖方舟), succumbed to his injuries despite emergency medical efforts.
Taipei Mayor Chiang Wan-an (蔣萬安) pledged on Jan. 4 to hold the companies accountable. Taipei's Labor Standards Inspection Office (台北市勞檢處) announced in a news release Monday that they convened a review meeting to determine the causes and responsibilities of the incident. They will submit their findings to the Ministry of Labor's "Occupational Safety and Health Administration" (勞動部職業安全衛生署) for approval.
The Labor Inspection Office has preliminarily identified negligence by the contractor and subcontractor, citing violations of Article 26 of the "Occupational Safety and Health Act" (職業安全衛生法). The event organizer, Taipei's Department of Information and Tourism (台北市觀光傳播局), stated that they, along with the Indigenous Peoples Commission (原住民族事務委員會) and Taipei's Department of Social Welfare (社會局), visited Arik's family to offer condolences and NT$150,000 in relief funds. The contractor and subcontractor have provided the family with NT$2.5 million in emergency support.