Cambodian Labour Ministry directs factory owners to ensure ventilation, safety

Cambodia’s Ministry of Labour has instructed all factory owners in the country to make sure there is sufficient ventilation inside the facilities, now that the temperatures are rising across the country.

The Ministry has also insisted that workers should be provided with an environment conducive to proper functioning of a human-driven industry like textile and garments. The government has ordered them to put proper evacuation and fire safety plans in place, in a bid to avoid any mishaps on their premises.

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During the Summer season, incidents of fire and workers fainting due to intolerable heat within the factories isn’t unheard of.

Minister of Labor Ith Samheng had, in a statement last week, cited nine key points for companies, particularly those in garment and footwear business, to follow to prevent incidents of workers fainting while working within the facilities, which seems to have become a monthly occurrence.

“Factories, enterprises and industries need to take care and make sure workers have access to ventilation systems in the buildings for at least an hour before starting work. They have to put thermometers in place to measure the heat in the workplace to make it easier to track the rising heat,” Samheng said.

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According to government policy, factories are forbidden from blocking air flow into the interiors of the facility in any way. He directed the factory owners to open doors and windows or put extra fans in the building when temperatures rise. They should also make sure there is a working watering system on the roof of buildings at least twice a day or put more nets on roofs to reduce the heat.

“Factories must provide clean water to employees, carefully check fire prevention systems and protection equipment in the building and ensure that all the systems and all the equipment work in case of an emergency. Make sure these systems are regularly inspected,” the minister added.

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