Constructing a safer industry
Construction worker Samnang (not his real name), spent weeks confined to a hospital bed after piles of cement crashed down on him while he toiled without a hard hat. During the ensuing weeks of recovery at his home, the 28-year-old nursed head injuries and a broken arm — without anything in the way of financial or moral support from his employer… A Ministry of Labour plan to address a rise in deaths and injuries at construction sites, announced yesterday in the lead-up to Cambodia’s third and final ASEAN summit as chair, may go some way to addressing Samnang’s concerns. Leng Tong, director of the ministry’s occupational health and safety department, said officials had proposed amending the Labour Law to include four prakases designed to protect workers in the burgeoning construction industry. “We’re worried because workplace accidents in this industry are soaring,” he said. …
