Around 470 Garment Factory Workers Faint

Written by DAP NEWS -- Tuesday, 13 October 2009

(Post by CAAI News Media)

Around 470 Cambodian garment factory workers fainted on Monday at the WILLBES Garment Company in Dangkor district of Phnom Penh, a local authority reported.

A local authority source said that all the workers were sent to hospitals.

The source, from the Chaum Chao commune of Dangkor, told DAP News Cambodia that “all the Cambodian garment workers were sewing and then they started to vomit.”

At first, only “two or three” women workers fainted, but soon the sickness spread to hundreds more. The official said that many ambulances were needed to ferry the women to hospital.

After around 470 fainted, officials from institutions such as the Ministry of Health, Ministry of Mines and Energy, Ministry of Environment and the Ministry of Labor arrived to investigate the case and report to their superiors.

There were three possible causes of the fainting identified: chemicals in the cloth; garment process pollution; or the fact that “all workers ate fast food outside the factory,” accor- ding to a team of observers evaluations. When DAP News Cambodia tried to call the WILLBES Garment Company’ manager for comment, the phone was disconnected.

One worker complained of the factory conditions. “It was so hot, not enough fresh air, and managers were also very strict; sometimes they did not allow taking time to relax.”