PHNOM PENH, Cambodia — One worker died and 18 others fainted at a garment factory in eastern Cambodia that has been closed pending an investigation, authorities said Friday.

Five female workers at the Or Sambath Trading factory reported dizziness, vomiting and difficulty breathing on Thursday before passing out, said Duk Kanthor, district governor where the factory is located in eastern Prey Veng province.

They were sent to a hospital, where a 21-year-old worker later died, he said. On Friday, 14 more workers fell ill with similar symptoms before passing out and being taken to a hospital, he said.

The factory, which is Chinese owned, employs more than 1,000 workers, mostly women, said Duk Kanthor. It was ordered closed for four days to determine what had caused the health problems.

The garment industry is Cambodia's biggest export earner, employing about 700,000 people in more than 700 garment and shoe factories. In 2014, the Southeast Asian country shipped more than $6 billion worth of products to the United States and Europe.

Last month, the Labor Ministry announced it was raising the minimum wage for garment workers by 9.4 percent to $140 a month, hoping to ease tensions after tense negotiations with workers and employers. Wages in Cambodia remain low by international standards.

source: http://www.centredaily.com/2015/11/06/5002585/1-worker-dies-18-pass-out-at-cambodian.html

Read more here: http://www.centredaily.com/2015/11/06/5002585/1-worker-dies-18-pass-out-at-cambodian.html#storylink=cpy

Res ipsa loquitur

Reason for garment worker’s death still unknown

Tue, 10 November 2015

Mom Kunthear

Government officials gave conflicting accounts yesterday on the status of the investigation into the death of a garment worker on the job last week, leaving the circumstances of the teenage worker’s death unclear as the factory readies to reopen its doors today.

On Thursday, 19-year-old Vorn Srey Neang, who worked at the R Sambath Trading factory in Prey Veng province, fainted on the job and later died in hospital. Police said she had experienced headaches, vomiting and difficulties breathing.

More than a dozen of her colleagues fainted upon hearing the news, prompting authorities to shut down the factory until its reopening today.

read more: http://www.phnompenhpost.com/national/reason-garment-workers-death-still-unknown