The Garment Manufacturing Association in Cambodia (GMAC) provided training on fire fighting to staff from its member factories and enterprises.
The training including a hands-on drill on March 11 which GMAC said was essential to prepare staff for the real incident. The training is a bi-annual event, held at the Cambodian Garment Training Institute.
Through this training, GMAC said participants learned how to evacuate staff and what they should do if a fire breaks out.
Kaing Monika, deputy secretary-general of GMAC, said the training is provided in line with the labour laws related to fire safety.
“Training in how to extinguish a fire is the responsibility of the owners of large factories – knowing what to do in case of fire is a skill that could come in handy,” he said.
Cambodian Labour Confederation president Ath Thon said this kind of training will help equip participants with skills they could pass on to their colleagues.
“It is the hot season now, when factories are often susceptible to fires triggered by electrical malfunction or other causes.
“The factories sometimes find it hard to get experts to train their staff. If GMAC provides this education to representatives from factories – and the participants share the lessons widely – it is a good idea,” he said.
Thon noted that there had been several cases of fires at factories, with most being caused by electrical malfunctions. He called on factories to work with qualified electricians and electrical engineers when they dealt with electricity. They should not carry out electrical work by themselves, he warned.
Neth Vantha, director of the Ministry of Interior’s fire department, told The Post on March 13 that his staff were working hard on fire prevention during this dry season, and were raising people’s awareness of the laws surrounding fire safety.
“We are reminding the public to make certain they have enough fire fighting equipment to hand should a blaze erupt,” he said, adding that he had also instructed his units to be on high alert and ready to respond to any such incidents.
According to the fire department, in 2021 there were a total 670 serious fires, a decrease by 267 cases compared to the previous year. The 2021’s incidents claimed 18 lives, caused injuries to 35 people and destroyed 472 houses and 220 food stalls.
