IMPLEMENTATION OF OCCUPATIONAL HEALTH AND SAFETY MEASURES IN BRICK ENTERPRISES

KINGDOM OF CAMBODIA

NATION RELIGION KING

Ministry of Social Affairs, Labor,

Vocational Training, and Youth Rehabilitation

No. 012 MOSALVY

Phnom Penh, 2 June 2000

 CIRCULAR

          On

IMPLEMENTATION OF OCCUPATIONAL HEALTH

AND SAFETY MEASURES IN BRICK ENTERPRISES

The Ministry of Social Affairs, Labour, Vocational Training and Youth Rehabilitation (MoSALVY) has observed a concerning lack of occupational health and safety measures in brick enterprises. MoSALVY gives this first instruction in order to better the implementation of occupational health and safety measures in order to guarantee the legal interests of all parties as follows:

1. Shall prepare a firewood-splitting place a distance from the access points and other working sections, and prohibit children from going near that area.
2. Any enterprises using firewood sawing machines shall properly and fully cover the machine's drive-belt, and prohibit firewood cutting workers from standing at any of the two sides of the firewood cutting end; that is, workers shall not be allowed to stand close to the blade of the sawing machine.
3. Any enterprise using firewood and rice husks shall build a strong brick factory with a closed roof.
4. For using the soil pressing machine with shelves, in order to press soil to make the bricks, strong shelves and shelf-stands shall be constructed. The soil's weight shall be in proportion with the weight that the shelves can support. Workers who work there shall not be allowed to sit on the shelves or to cut the soil and put it in the soil pressing machine; that is, the workers shall stand at either side of the shelves and cut the soil and put it in the soil pressing machine without putting their hands or feet into the machine. The soil pressing machine’s drive-belt shall be well covered.
5. When using a soil pressing machine without shelves, a proper roof shall be constructed so that workers can work in the shade. A machine for manufacturing the unburned bricks shall have a good protective cover as shall the drive-belt. Workers who work in that section shall not directly press the soil in to the machine with their hands, but instead they shall use another tool to push the soil into the machine.
6. Electric wires shall be properly run according to the electrical technical standard; that is, there shall be electrical switch boxes and have proper covers for the switches.
7. Any enterprise using a generator shall regularly change rusty or pierced generator exhaust pipes. Water containers for the generator shall be kept outside of the generator room. Motor fuel and motor oil shall not be stored in the generator room; this means, these items shall be kept in another place.
8. Workers who work with the brick kiln shall wear Personnel Protective Equipment such as thick clothes, thick-cloth gloves, cloth or leather boots, a hat and sun glasses.
9. Factories using labourers who are aged between 15 to 18 years old shall guarantee that working conditions and the type of work does not affect their health, safety or morality of teenagers.

MoSALVY strongly hopes that the owners and the managers of the brick enterprises will carefully and effectively implement the above instructions.

Minister of MoSALVY

Ith Samheng