After Deadly Factory Collapse, Safety Improvements Scarce
On May 16, immediately after the ceiling of a shoe factory collapsed in Kompong Speu province, leaving two people dead, promises were made to prosecute those responsible for the tragedy and to conduct a nationwide inspection of all factories. “We will have a committee investigate clearly on this case and we will take legal action against anyone involved,” Minister of Social Affairs Ith Sam Heng said within view of the collapsed mezzanine level of the Wing Star Shoes Co. Ltd. factory in Kong Pisei district. “Secondly, the Ministry of Social Affairs and other involved ministries will inspect the building of all factories in use.” Following Mr. Sam Heng’s warnings, the Garment Manufacturers Association in Cambodia (GMAC) and the U.N.’s International Labor Organization’s (ILO) Better Factories program issued a letter to manufacturers “strongly advising” them to voluntarily conduct structural audits on their buildings. To accomplish this, ILO provided factories in the country with the contact details of six engineering companies. Yet, almost three months after the incident, no one—not the Wing Star owners or the company responsible for the shoddy construction work—has been held legally responsible for the fatal collapse. What is more, three of the engineering firms listed by ILO said this week that out of all the factories approaching them, only a small fraction of the more than 400 factories exporting from the country are actually working with them to make their factories safer. ... The main reason for factories hesitating to conduct such inspections is the cost. Rainer Israel, director of iLi Consulting Engineers Mekong Ltd., another of the six recommended firms, said a typical factory inspection would cost between $20,000 and $30,000, a figure that could rise to as much as $100,000 depending on the amount of construction work that was necessary afterward. ... Making up about 80 percent of Cambodia’s exports, the garment and shoe industry is the country’s most robust, boasting a workforce of more than 600,000. In the first half of 2013, garment and textile exports generated $1.56 billion, up 32 percent compared to the same period last year. The Wing Star ceiling collapse attracted much international attention, primarily because it came less than a month after the April 24 collapse of Bangladesh’s Rana Plaza complex, where more than 1,100 people were killed. Mr. Gaboury at Advancing Engineering Consultants said the speed at which Cambodia’s industry is growing would bring with it more risks of accidents occurring at factories. ... Ly Hour, a Wing Star factory representative, said the Ministry of Labor had brought a team of engineers to check on their facilities following the collapse. “The Ministry of Labor and the engineers came to visit and check our factory already, so there will be no problems anymore,” she said. “The collapse incident will never happen again.” ... Phoeung Sophoan, secretary of state at the Ministry of Land Management, said his ministry has been trying to create a building code for the past two years by studying international construction codes with the help of the Construction Management Association of Korea (CMAK). He hopes it will be implemented by next year. ...
http://www.cambodiadaily.com/news/after-deadly-factory-collapse-safety-improvements-scarce-39041/
