More than 100 workers fainted at the M&V International Manufacturing Ltd garment factory in Kompong Chhnang province yesterday, almost a year to the day after 50 workers fainted at the same factory in 2010.
The last faintings at the factory occurred on Aug 24, 2010. A series of mass faintings at M&V that year affected more than 150 workers, with management blaming the incidents on poor ventilation and mass hysteria.
Workers yesterday said they had felt dizzy and found it hard to breathe before they fainted, and one union official blamed the incident on exposure to chemicals.
Nuon Senghour, a union representative at M&V factory, said workers had fainted from the smell of chemicals in the clothes as well as weakness from not having been allowed to eat.
“The factory manager does not allow the workers to eat or bring food to the factory,” she said.
But In Mon, chief of administration at M&V, denied that workers had fainted due to chemicals and instead attributed it to hysteria.
“They fainted because they were shocked when they saw others faint,” he said.
Ly Virak, Kompong Chhnang deputy provincial police chief, echoed Mr Mun’s view that hysteria was behind yesterday’s events.
“One woman felt sick and she fainted, and then the others fainted from shock,” he said.
