Glove factory in Port Klang raided over Covid-19 violations

PETALING JAYA: Another glove maker is under investigation for failing to comply with Covid-19 preventative measures and seemingly poor workers' living conditions.

Its factory, located in Port Klang, was raided by the Port Klang Labour Department and Klang Health Department at around 11.30am on Thursday (Dec 24).

They inspected the male and female workers' dorms, as well as the cafeteria and factory floors for physical distancing and sanitisation compliance.

Klang district environmental health officer Ili Syazwani Mohd Mashudi said there was a high possibility that the factory would be shut down after they discovered several violations of Covid-19 prevention measures.

She said there were no records of sanitisation and disinfection which were supposed to be carried out at least three times a day.

"We also did not see any measure on physical distancing in one of the dorms. There are markings for physical distancing but in reality, this did not happen.

"We have yet to see evidence in the form of documentation, observation and random interviews with employees that it is practised.

"If our investigation shows there have been more than three violations, we will order the factory to shut down for seven days under Section 18 (1) (f) of Prevention and Control of Infectious Diseases Act 1988 (Act 342).

"From what we saw, there is potential for closure," she said, adding that the raiding team would submit its findings by today and if there's enough evidence, would issue a shutdown order immediately.

The Labour Department meanwhile found that the factory did not comply with several rules under the Workers Minimum Standards of Housing and Amenities Act (Act 446).

"There are triple-decker bunk beds which are considered a risk to workers and almost all the bunks we saw did not have mattresses.

"One of the dorms was also built into an existing factory which requires a certificate of accommodation from the Klang Municipal Council which we have not seen but the company claimed they have applied for it," said Peninsular Malaysia Labour Department deputy director-general Mohd Asri Abdul Wahab.

He said the company also had to make several changes such as ensuring beddings were in place at each bunk and reduce the height of the bunk beds.

Three days ago, the Human Resources Ministry and other agencies raided the LA Glove factory and ordered it to shut down for violating Covid-19 safety regulations.