The Kader Toy Factory Fire
The Kader Toy Factory Fire
-Thailand-
Introduction
The Kader toy factory fire should be an example to factories all over the world, from which they should learn how important safety standards are. The employees earned between 80-105 pounds a month making dolls and soft toys. It is considered to have been one of the worst factory fires in history. The fire broke out in the afternoon of May 10th 1993, making the whole factory burn to the ground in only 15 minutes. Consequences
According to Thai Interior Ministry officials, 210 bodies had been recovered from the ruins. Most of the workers were young, poor women, leading to the death of 188 women and only 14 men. Also, 8 bodies were burned beyond recognition. The other 469 people have been permanently injured because they had to jump from the 3rd and 4th floor, in order to escape the flames. Many bodies were found stacked in narrow corridors leading to the exits or near the stairs which eventually collapsed.
Causes
There was no sign of fire extinguishers, alarms, or sprinkler systems. The walkways between the buildings were either locked or used as storage areas. The buildings were considered death traps, constructed from unprotected steel, meaning that the steel as not insulated against heat.
The blaze is believed to have started from a short-circuit that ignited synthetic materials used to stuff toys. At that time, shifts were being changed, leaving 4000 employees in the buildings.
Actions Taken
It has been estimated that the fire started at 4:00 p.m. The Police Fire Brigade had received a notification of the fire one minute later, managing to arrive at the scene 19 minutes later. At this point, the 1st out of 4 building was in a state of collapse.
Unfortunately, the event received a little amount of media attention and created no wake up call for the improvement of safety standards in the world’s factories.
Bibliography
1. https://www.wsws.org/en/articles/2003/05/kade-m16.html
2.
-Thailand-
Introduction
The Kader toy factory fire should be an example to factories all over the world, from which they should learn how important safety standards are. The employees earned between 80-105 pounds a month making dolls and soft toys. It is considered to have been one of the worst factory fires in history. The fire broke out in the afternoon of May 10th 1993, making the whole factory burn to the ground in only 15 minutes. Consequences
According to Thai Interior Ministry officials, 210 bodies had been recovered from the ruins. Most of the workers were young, poor women, leading to the death of 188 women and only 14 men. Also, 8 bodies were burned beyond recognition. The other 469 people have been permanently injured because they had to jump from the 3rd and 4th floor, in order to escape the flames. Many bodies were found stacked in narrow corridors leading to the exits or near the stairs which eventually collapsed.
Causes
There was no sign of fire extinguishers, alarms, or sprinkler systems. The walkways between the buildings were either locked or used as storage areas. The buildings were considered death traps, constructed from unprotected steel, meaning that the steel as not insulated against heat.
The blaze is believed to have started from a short-circuit that ignited synthetic materials used to stuff toys. At that time, shifts were being changed, leaving 4000 employees in the buildings.
Actions Taken
It has been estimated that the fire started at 4:00 p.m. The Police Fire Brigade had received a notification of the fire one minute later, managing to arrive at the scene 19 minutes later. At this point, the 1st out of 4 building was in a state of collapse.
Unfortunately, the event received a little amount of media attention and created no wake up call for the improvement of safety standards in the world’s factories.
Bibliography
1. https://www.wsws.org/en/articles/2003/05/kade-m16.html
2.
Bibliography: 1. https://www.wsws.org/en/articles/2003/05/kade-m16.html 2. https://sites.google.com/site/wtc7lies/kadertoyfactoryfire:structuralsteelquick 3. http://asianfoodworker.net/?p=195 4. http://www.ilo.org/oshenc/part-vi/disasters-natural-and-technological/item/374-case-study-the-kader-toy-factory-fire 5. http://www.lawyersgunsmoneyblog.com/2013/05/this-day-in-labor-history-may-10-1993 6. http://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/fire-in-thailand-toy-factory-leaves-210-dead-no-alarms-or-fire-escapes-in-buildings-that-collapsed-within-15-minutes-as-4000-workers-changed-shifts-2322362.html