1 dead, 7 injured by exploding factory boiler, Phnom Penh

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CEOCambodiaNews
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1 dead, 7 injured by exploding factory boiler, Phnom Penh

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Image

Blast at factory kills 1, hurts 7
Thu, 23 March 2017
A wood-fired boiler exploded at a Chinese-owned garment factory that supplies Levi’s brand trousers, hurtling through the air and crashing into a group of workers, killing one and wounding seven others in the capital’s Sen Sok district just before noon yesterday.

A Ministry of Labour statement said the explosion occurred at 11:40am, and that the body of the deceased – identified as Kor Samon, 48 – was being returned to her hometown in Svay Rieng province, with the National Social Security Fund (NSSF) to ensure compensation is paid.

“They were almost done having lunch and were walking back to the building to continue working, but unluckily, the machine exploded and flew with hot shrapnel to where the workers have lunch,” said Kem Sokpet, a worker and representative for the Khmer Union Federation of Workers Spirit.

The factory, operated by Zhen Tai Garment (Cambodia) Co Ltd in Phnom Penh Thmey commune, employs nearly 2,000 workers.

According to Sokpet, the boiler – which was located about 100 metres from where it landed – was about three to four years old and supplied the steam for the pressing of clothes as part of the production process.

District police chief Mak Hong said that authorities were still investigating the cause of the explosion...
http://www.phnompenhpost.com/national/b ... -1-hurts-7
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Re: 1 dead, 7 injured by exploding factory boiler, Phnom Penh

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The accident puts Cambodia factory safety standards in the spotlight once again.
Ath Thorn, the president of the Cambodian Labor Confederation, said the explosion marked a new threat to garment workers, who have previously faced death or injury due to collapsing buildings, chemicals in the air and poor ventilation.
He said the incidents show there are no reliable safety systems in factories.

“The industry has not yet equipped factories with proper safety measures. Poor management creates these problems that lead to the death of workers,” he said.
Mr. Thorn urged government inspection teams to visit factories and carry out safety checks to prevent further deadly incidents.
http://www.khmertimeskh.com/news/36786/ ... ory-blast/
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Re: 1 dead, 7 injured by exploding factory boiler, Phnom Penh

Post by Popeye »

I bet that this doesn't happen here !!!

Steam Heating Boilers (steam pressure set at or below 15 pounds per square inch) require an external inspection every 36 months. This means a visual inspection by a certified inspector can be completed while the boiler is in operation. Although it is a recommended maintenance item, owners are not required to remove plugs and caps to water column piping and low water cutoff devices to verify pipe connections are free and clear of mud and sludge.

After the inspection, a certified inspector may indicate satisfactory conditions on the inspection report to issue a PTO. The inspector will provide a report copy to the owner/operator and submit the original report to Commerce. Upon receipt, Commerce may issue a "Permit to Operate - PTO" that shall be posted on the premises by the owner or operator.

Important boiler appurtenances, valves and fittings that owners and operators should know and recognize
Steam Boilers:

A stop valve in both the steam supply and return line for repairs or isolation.
A pressure gauge for steam boilers (connected with a siphon and graduated 1 ½ -2 times the safety set pressure)
At least one safety valve on steam boilers to prevent excessive pressure.
Two pressure controls on steam boilers (one high limit and one operating control)
At least one low water cut-off on all steam boilers
A water column/site glass on all steam boilers with properly sized blow down valves to flush and clean.
At least one bottom blow-down valve to remove mud and scale.(two valves when over 100 PSI)
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Re: 1 dead, 7 injured by exploding factory boiler, Phnom Penh

Post by Anchor Moy »

Bloody hell. A woman is dead because of negligence in basic safety by the factory management. There will be no inquiry, no charges laid, and no revision of safety practices. There will be haggling over the price of a woman's life which will finally be calculated somewhere between $500 and $1000. I'm not shocked, but I'm appalled. Fk them.

After Deadly Blast, Factory Closes; Compensation Talks Begin
by Buth Kimsay | March 24, 2017

After one worker was killed and seven were injured by an exploded steam generator at a factory that makes clothes for U.S.-based jeans giant Levi’s in Phnom Penh on Wednesday, workers were given the week off as repairs were made.

The union representing the workers said it was preparing its compensation requests while the family of Kul Samorn, the 45-year-old worker who was killed, said they declined an initial payment of $500 from the factory until they decided on a negotiating position.

There has been no suggestion that the factory might face criminal charges over the incident, in which the generator exploded, soared 100 meters into the air and landed on a group of workers eating lunch in the cafeteria at the Zhen Tai Garment factory’s compound.

Kul Samorn’s sister-in-law, Kul Sanny, said she was on her way to their hometown in Svay Rieng province on Thursday to secure a death certificate for her sister before sitting down with factory representatives to discuss compensation. She said on Wednesday that she expected at least $1,000, and added on Thursday that the factory had already promised to cover funeral costs...
https://www.cambodiadaily.com/news/afte ... in-127001/
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Re: 1 dead, 7 injured by exploding factory boiler, Phnom Penh

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One arrested for ‘negligence’ after blast at Levi’s supplier
Fri, 24 March 2017

Following the deadly explosion at Levi’s supplier Zhen Tai Garment factory in the capital’s Sen Sok district on Wednesday, authorities yesterday arrested a factory employee for alleged negligence.

The blast, which occurred in an industrial boiler and sent large pieces of debris flying for some 100 metres, killed Kor Samon, 48, and injured seven others.

“We have detained a worker … for being careless,” district police chief Mak Hong said yesterday, adding that he was unaware of the specifics of the boiler from which the blast originated.
Authorities are for now only prosecuting one suspect, who will be sent to court today. “He failed to check [the machine]. It is just like when you ride a motorbike and hit someone, so it is about carelessness,” Hong said.

Phnom Penh Thmey commune chief Chum Saray, however, noted yesterday that the nearly 5,000-litre boiler tank itself appeared to be in poor condition, and “was very old and rusty and had cracks from long use”.

Esther Germans, program manager for BFC,[ILO's Better Factories Cambodia], who visited the factory yesterday, said there had been “a problem with the valve of the boiler, which failed to automatically release pressure when it had to, causing the explosion”.

“During BFC’s assessment in December [2016], the safety certificate for the boiler was still valid,” she wrote in an email. “We have heard that the operator has been with the police since yesterday as part of the investigation process … No critical issues were found during our two days assessment [last year].”...
http://www.phnompenhpost.com/national/o ... s-supplier
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Re: 1 dead, 7 injured by exploding factory boiler, Phnom Penh

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Compensation Agreed, Worker Arrested After Blast
March 27, 2017

The family of a woman killed in a deadly explosion at a Phnom Penh factory making Levi’s- branded clothing has agreed to accept $12,000 compensation from the factory’s owners, while police have arrested the operator of a steam generator whom they blame for the accident, in spite of his regular warnings to replace the machine.

Instead of holding the Chinese factory owners to account,[ however,]police arrested an employee who operated the steam generator on Saturday for unknown charges, Mr. Soeun said.
“They arrested a worker named Ou Vuth whose job was to take care of the steaming section,” he said.
“It doesn’t seem right because this worker just followed factory rules.”
Mr. Vuth had warned management to replace the aging steam generator on several occasions, according to Mr. Soeun, but had been ignored by higher-ups.

The Chinese factory owners have not issued any statement since the accident, and could not be reached on Sunday.
https://www.cambodiadaily.com/news/comp ... st-127081/
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Re: 1 dead, 7 injured by exploding factory boiler, Phnom Penh

Post by Duncan »

I'm guessing that someone has adjusted or screwed down the pressure relief valve , so they don't waste the excess steam that they already have produced , or maybe they needed more a bigger boiler to produce more steam and this was the cheaper way out.
Cambodia,,,, Don't fall in love with her.
Like the spoilt child she is, she will not be happy till she destroys herself from within and breaks your heart.
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Re: 1 dead, 7 injured by exploding factory boiler, Phnom Penh

Post by newkidontheblock »

Hope CD stays on this story. Would be interesting what the court would say about who was negligent in this tragedy.

Interesting that the initially compensation offered was $500 but the final compensation was $12000.

Fishiness..
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Re: 1 dead, 7 injured by exploding factory boiler, Phnom Penh

Post by timmydownawell »

Duncan wrote: Mon Mar 27, 2017 8:22 am I'm guessing that someone has adjusted or screwed down the pressure relief valve , so they don't waste the excess steam that they already have produced , or maybe they needed more a bigger boiler to produce more steam and this was the cheaper way out.
..or it could have been rusted up. The boiler was described as old and rusty in the previous article, after all.
You must walk in traffic to cross the road - Cambodian proverb
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Re: 1 dead, 7 injured by exploding factory boiler, Phnom Penh

Post by Duncan »

timmydownawell wrote: Mon Mar 27, 2017 6:36 pm
Duncan wrote: Mon Mar 27, 2017 8:22 am I'm guessing that someone has adjusted or screwed down the pressure relief valve , so they don't waste the excess steam that they already have produced , or maybe they needed more a bigger boiler to produce more steam and this was the cheaper way out.
..or it could have been rusted up. The boiler was described as old and rusty in the previous article, after all.


Boilers are usually made from good quality steel 12 mm or more thick. If it was old and rusted it would have leaked steam from any welded joints or if it was corroded badly
on the inside, from that weak point . Describing it as ''rusted '' they probably saw surface rust from not being painted. In this case it was a sudden release of pressure at the bottom forcing it into the air like a rocket.

And no it's not rocket science .
Cambodia,,,, Don't fall in love with her.
Like the spoilt child she is, she will not be happy till she destroys herself from within and breaks your heart.
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