Nearly 50 workers fainted on Saturday at a coat factory in the Tai Seng Special Economic Zone in Bavet City, Svay Rieng, a factory representative said Sunday.
The incident was precipitated by one worker who fainted because she was already sick, setting off a chain reaction among her colleagues over the course of the day, according to Ging Co factory representative Penh Da. By 1 p.m., 48 workers had fainted.
“The hot weather and humidity might have caused the fainting,” Mr. Da said. “Some of them had panic attacks and fainted when they saw others were fainting,” he added.
A doctor who examined the workers said they did not appear to have breathed in any harmful chemicals, and Mr. Da said an investigation into the cause of the fainting would be completed today.
Pav Sina, president of the Collective Union of Movement of Workers, a union that operates in the factory, said Ging Co was particularly hot because using fans can affect the shape of the finished coats.
“The problem is heat in the factory, because the factory uses few fans,” he said.
