Cambodia’s Garment Factory Fire Safety Levels Dip

Picture credit: Getty

15 April 2013​
Ella Alexander​
Vogue (UK)

CAMBODIA's garment manufacturing factories have lowered their fire regulation standards, meaning working conditions in the region are worse than ever. The International Labour Organisation's Better Factories Cambodia programme surveyed 160 factories in the area for six months from May 1 2012 and discovered that adherence with fire safety guidelines had decreased by 30 per cent. Only 57 per cent of factories complied with the stipulations.

"It is possible that attention to workplace safety and health standards and other legal standards have waned as factories are challenged to fill the increased volume of orders," the report said. "However, recent deadly fires in the garment sector in other Asian countries remind us that vigilance is required on such measures."

The working conditions of garment factories have become a topic of debate and campaigning over the past six months, with two factories in India having gone up in flames recently - both of which caused fatalities among employees who weren't able to escape quickly enough. Cambodia's garment factories fell under media scrutiny in October last year, after a string of mass fainting incidents among workers - caused by poor ventilation and worker nutrition, high temperatures and long hours.

The new report states that, although the use of child labour has dropped by one per cent (down from 8.5 per cent in 2011), there has been "no significant change in areas known to contribute to fainting incidents". Only 32 per cent of factories studied had satisfactory heat levels and 36 per cent did not have acceptable ventilation, WWD reports.