Allocating blame for Kaohsiung explosionsBy Chang Yen-ming 張炎銘In an admirable opinion piece in the Taipei Times, Aletheia University associate law professor Wu Ching-chin (吳景欽) addressed the ruling in the 2014 Kaohsiung gas explosion case by the court of second instance from the perspective of the ability of juristic persons to have criminal responsibility (“Culpability for 2014 gas explosions,” May 2, page 8). The responsibility of the top management can therefore be determined by whether their subordinates have reported maintenance needs. In the Kaohsiung gas explosion case, front-line workers and managers were responsible for maintaining the pipelines. There are detailed general maintenance manuals stipulating when operations should be halted due to low pressure and how often parts should be replaced. This raises a question: The pipeline that exploded in Kaohsiung had been in operation for more than 20 years — did the companies ever consider replacing it?

Source: Taipei Times May 04, 2020 15:56 UTC