Campaign seeks road safety measures for garment workers

Campaign seeks road safety measures for garment workers

Asia Injury Prevention Foundation, The Solidarity Centre and US Agency for International Development is set to launch a three-year campaign to facilitate road safety of garment workers from 30 factories in select provinces.

A statement released yesterday said the initiative will be advocating for the creation and implementation of a road safety policy and overseeing the enforcement of traffic safety measures for workers of factories based in Phnom Penh and the provinces of Kandal and Kampong Speu from 2020 to 2022.

A survey conducted earlier this year by the AIP Foundation in five factories revealed 90 percent of the respondents fear being involved in traffic accidents while 28 percent are apprehensive about the often-overloaded trucks they take when traveling to and from work.

As such, the program is committed to educating truck drivers on safe driving practices, such as defensive driving and risk assessment, as well as cautioning workers against going beyond the recommended seating capacity of the trucks.

Better Factories Cambodia program manager Sara Park said buyers who source apparel products from the garment manufacturing factories also share the obligation to resolve garment industry-related problems.

“They have to work with factories from which they get their products and support such establishments in improving safety measures for their workers,” she said.

Men Menavy, secretary of state of the Ministry of Public Works and Transport and secretary-general of the National Road Safety Committee, said: “I support the program. Our goal is to save the lives of the workers who make up the backbone of the national economy. Although we have made great efforts in the past in moving this mission forward, more things can be done. We want to encourage the workers by increasing their economic opportunities and ensuring their safety when commuting to and from work.”

Solidarity Centre country director William Conklin said the safety of the workers can only be guaranteed through the commitment of relevant stakeholders, which include factory owners, labor ministry officials, development partners, and consumer brands.

“Their cooperation is vital to the success and sustainability of road safety measures, which are aimed at reducing traffic accidents involving garment workers,” he said.

A report from the National Social Security Fund showed as of last year, 1,554 traffic accidents involving garment workers occurred, killing 50 and injuring 2,000 others. More than 92 percent of the accidents were caused by motorbikes and about three percent by trucks.

Thirty-seven percent of the accidents resulted from driving beyond the speed limit, 23 percent from disregarding traffic regulations while the remaining accidents were caused by mechanical failure and poor road conditions. Khmer Times