A new national committee for occupational health and safety will monitor the enforcement of workplace safety, according to a sub-decree signed on Monday by Prime Minister Hun Sen.
“Previously, we had a task force, but in order to implement [policy] more effectively we have upgraded it to a committee,” Heng Sour, a spokesman for the Labor Ministry, said on Tuesday.
The committee, which Mr. Sour said could be functioning by year’s end, will consult with the government and provide ideas for monitoring workplace safety.
Mr. Sour said the committee would “determine standards and inspect whether each enterprise and factory had followed occupational safety and health” guidelines.
Ath Thorn, president of the Coalition of Cambodian Apparel Workers Democratic Union, welcomed the new organization, but said past efforts had been undermined by poor enforcement.
“It is important to make sure there is no corruption, because if the committee inspected a factory building of poor quality and standard, the committee would have the authority to knock the building down,” he said.
