Friday, August 05, 2011

Boss blames panic on alarm

Workers from the Zhen Tai Garment (Cambodia) Co Ltd factory recover at Preah Kossamak Hospital in Phnom Penh after a group of them fainted yesterday. (Photo by: Sovan Philong)

Friday, 05 August 2011
Chhay Channyda and Sen David
The Phnom Penh Post

About 2,000 workers fled a garment factory on the outskirts of Phnom Penh and an estimated 30 workers fainted yesterday after sparks started flying from a generator and a fire alarm went off at 10:00am.

Sen Sok district police chief Mok Hong said “workers panicked after hearing the fire alarm and rushed out the building”. He said “the generator wasn’t bursting into flames, but there was smoke and some workers fainted”.

“This is the first time I’ve fainted in the factory,” said employee Khin Srey Pov, speaking from hospital.

“When we saw so many factory girls fainting as we tried to escape with the crowd, more of us fainted.”


Her colleague So Ya said she panicked when she heard the fire alarm. “I think that we are all in good shape, but we were terrified. When I saw another factory worker faint, I fainted too,” So Ya said.

Chea Mony, president of the Free Trade Union, said the episode highlighted safety concerns at the facility. “Some of the factory workers ran into machines as they tried to escape. I think that the company should have safer exit procedures,” he said.

A manager at Zhen Tai Garment (Cambodia) Co Ltd, however, downplayed the incident, blaming it on the person who pulled the fire alarm. Zhen Tai’s chief of administration Kea Cheakea said there had been no reason to pull it.

“My factory doesn’t have any safety issues,” Kea Cheakea said. “There was no fire. The generator just got really hot and there were some sparks. Then, someone pulled the fire alarm and then everyone panicked.”

ADDITIONAL REPORTING KRISTIN LYNCH

4 comments:

Anonymous said...

Let's take a look at this photograph, they all Khmer-Youns.
You can't hardly tells whether they Khmer or YOUN, because they dress Youn and Chines styls.

Anonymous said...

Retarded!!

What do you expect them to dress to be Khmer? black pajamas with red scarf wrapped around their head?

Anonymous said...

1:39 AM,

Khmer women should dress Sarong at home and Sampot (skirt) for other occassions, Khmer men should wrap Krama home and Khmer Sarong Sote. Now, Khmer seems to change the cultures. I am not a retarde person, I hate to see Khmer who want to be YOUN and Chine.

Khmer-Man

Anonymous said...

It's 21st century, Ok, Really

PEOPLE DRIVE CAR NOT OX-CART LIKE WE USED TO, OK!!

People eat with fork and spoon, not bare hand like we used to, Really.