PHNOM PENH, Cambodia – December 21, 2021

In 2020, road crashes among garment and footwear factory workers accounted for over 55% of\nthe total commuting workers involved in road crashes. This does not only impact the lives of workers,\nbut also the lives of the 2 million family members they support.

The trucks that currently provide transportation to and from work are often large, flat, and very\ndangerous as factory workers must stand up as there are no proper seats to sit on. Often, many factory\nworkers are crammed into the trucks, causing high risk danger to their safety and well-being.\nTo address these dangerous commuting conditions, the Transportation Working Group, a group of\ncommitted brands, buyers and stakeholders that was established in 2016 to identify ways to improve\ntransportation safety for garment and footwear factory workers, hosted a national workshop on\nthe possibility to transition from trucks to safer vehicles. The workshop is part of thePrevention &\nParticipationProgram supported by VF Corporation and theCommuting Safety for Cambodian\nWorkersProgram which is supported by USAID through the Solidarity Center.

The objectives of the full day workshop were to provide solutions, a cost benefit analysis, and\nrecommendations for workers’ commuting safety, as well as to disseminate recommendations to\nimprove workers’ safety to large-scale audiences. An additional goal was to reach agreements with\ntarget stakeholders (e.g., factories, brands/buyers, collective transport representatives, trade union\nleaders, labour organizations, development partners, and government) on pathways to transition\nfrom truck or unseated vehicles to passenger or proper seated vehicles for garment workers.

At the beginning of the national workshop, Dr. Chan Sophal from the Centre for Policy Studies,\npresented the results of a feasibility study and shared the recommendations from the study,\nhighlighting the necessity to transition to safer vehicles. Findings and recommendations of the\nFeasibility study include enforcement of regulations on vehicle standards, raising awareness about\ntransport safety among workers and about safe speed among driver associations, improvement of\nroad infrastructures and conditions, as well as accessibility for workers to safe transports (safe access\nto bus stops, solutions to lower costs for both operators and workers).

H.E. Min Meanvy, Secretary of State of Public Works and Transport and Secretary General of the\nNational Road Safety Committee, shared, “Workers are indispensable human resources that we need\nto pay greater attention and help to improve their road safety and welfare. This will support the\nproduction chain of the factories; contribute to the stability of the national economy and income for\ntheir families. Today’s workshop inspires practical solutions to ensure that factory workers are\ncommuting safely.”