ILO-Better Factories Cambodia announces ‘One Change’ Campaign to combat fainting in factories

PHNOM PENH, Cambodia – The International Labour Organization (ILO)’s
Better Factories Cambodia (BFC) programme today announced the launching
of the ‘One Change’ campaign to combat incidences of fainting in
Cambodia‘s garment and footwear factories. The initiative aims to
encourage factories to make at least one change from a specialized list.
The campaign objective is for factories to make changes in areas related
to the known causes of fainting in order to reduce incidences of group
fainting.

The campaign puts forward a list of 18 recommended changes, all designed
to prevent fainting or improve responsiveness to fainting. These include
ensuring that line managers are trained in first aid, offering a short
tea break for workers between breakfast and lunch, instituting a system
for consistently having soap in bathrooms, etc.

BFC Chief Technical Advisor, Jill Tucker said: “These recommended
changes are designed to tackle the known causes of fainting including
poor nutrition, hygiene and worker-management communications, high heat
levels and poor occupational safety health. We believe that if factories
make at least one of these changes they will contribute to conditions
that make fainting less likely to occur.”

Factories that make at least one of the recommended changes and report
their actions to BFC will be acknowledged as a One Change Factory and
will be allowed to use the One Change logo on their promotional
materials and in their communications with brands that purchase their
goods.

The One Change Campaign is one of four advocacy initiatives undertaken
by BFC to combat the incidences of fainting in garment and footwear
factories. Other initiatives include the CTN Comedy, the Experts by
Experience initiative and the Workers’ Helpful Hints Calendar which are
each designed to encourage workers to make changes to combat fainting.
For full details of each initiative and for the full list of ‘One
Changes’ see attached.

For more information and details on how to become a ‘One Change’ factory
please email onechange@ilo.org. or tel: (855) 23 212 847

The One Change Campaign is part of Better Factories Cambodia’s
activities to combat fainting in factories and is supported by the
Garment Manufacturer’s Association of Cambodia, international brands and
factories including Levi Strauss, GAP inc, H&M, PVH, Disney, American
Eagle Outfitters inc, Yakjin Trading Corp and QMI.

For press queries, please contact:
Ms Maeve Galvin
Consultant,
Email: galvin@ilo.org
Tel: (855) 23 212 847