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Saturday 2 May 2015

M&S addresses anaemia in Cambodian garment factories

Nicolette Fox Thursday 30 April 2015 
A spate of mass faintings drew attention to the problem, which is connected to nutrition and affects productivity
cambodia garment factory
M&S and its partners implemented a research and healthcare programme after a spate of faintings in Cambodian garment factories. Photograph: Tang Chhin Sothy/AFP/Getty Images

An 18-month research and healthcare programme has improved the lives of thousands of women factory workers in Cambodia following a spate of mass faintings in part caused by anaemia. This was the first and largest study on the impact of anaemia in garment factories and found that the condition could be a global issue within the industry.
So successful was the programme initiated by M&S in collaboration with its partners, that it is due to be extended to more factories in Cambodia, and will be replicated in Bangladesh and India.
It began in 2011 with mass faintings in Cambodian garment factories that no one could fully explain. Although it was believed anaemia might be playing a role, other issues were also in the spotlight, including nutrition and factory conditions including temperature control.
As a retailer with suppliers in Cambodia, M&S was concerned to get to the bottom of the faintings and how they could be prevented. The company teamed up with an international health organisation called Project Hope and the Reproductive Health Association of Cambodia, to develop the “healthworks” programme across seven factories.
At the outset factory management agreed to support an expansion of existing health services as well as to implement new initiatives. Health committees were set up that included managers and worker representatives. In addition to this, the healthworks programme held training sessions and special days to raise awareness about basic health and nutrition. It also appointed staff to work in factory medical rooms, which were equipped to act as points of information, and trained them to administer basic medicines.
A survey of the factories taking part in the programme indicated that one in five women was anaemic. Through medication and nutritional advice, this was reduced by 60%.
But these weren’t the only improvements over the 18-month period. Health awareness days resulted in a 40% rise in workers accessing advice and basic treatment, while referrals to external clinics were up by 15%. The Reproductive Health Association of Cambodia also helped set up family planning services as part of the on-site health clinics at all seven factories.
There were no instances of fainting across the factories for the duration of the project, or since. Altogether over 14,000 workers, mostly women, received improved health services and education through the programme.
M&S also wanted to be able to make the business case for improving the health of workers and commissioned a report with a local Cambodian organisation, 3S Group.
This measured indicators including absenteeism, worker turnover and productivity to see if the healthworks programme had made a difference. The final report showed an average reduction in absenteeism of 5%, and an increase in productivity of 7% .

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