Statement of the problem

What is the root cause of the Kentex Tragedy?

Why Kentex is not fully absolved of this tragedy?

Kentex committed many violationsin labor standards which caused the death of 72 people.
List of violation according tolabor group:
No occupational safety and health policy and program in the workplace
Poor housekeeping (unorganized materials and equipment)
 Lack of Personal Protective Equipment (PPE)
 No earplugs for noise pollution
 No prescribed face masks for airborne contaminants
 Poor workers; toilet and washing facilities
 No safety organization/committee in the workplace
 No trained safety officer and first aider
 Insufficient first aid kits and emergency medicines
 Absence of fire exits
 Obstructed fire exits
 No fire drills conducted
 No sprinklers
 No hoist equipment permit for elevators
 No electrical wiring inspection presented
 No safety officer
 No annual work accident and/or illness exposure data
 No annual medical report
 No workplace policies and guidelines for the prevention and control of
tuberculosis and HIV/AIDS
No machine guard
No welding goggles

Why does Kentex have unaccounted factory workers?

Only workers who served for 20-25 years in the company are considered “regular” workers,
while those who have been working for an average of 10 years are considered
“casual” workers. These regular and casual workers comprise a minority of the workforce
and receive only the minimum wage despite having worked for the company for many years.

Why is DOLE and BFP at fault for this tragedy?

THE National Anti-Poverty Commission (NAPC) said that aside from the Kentex
Manufacturing Corp., officials of Valenzuela City, Bureau of Fire Protection (BFP), and
Department of Labor and Employment should be held liable for the death of 72 people, 69 of
whom were workers. In a statement, Edwin Bustillos, Sectoral Representative of NAPC
Formal Labor and Migrant Workers Sectoral Council, said that it is “incredible” that all safety
and labor violations of Kentex have not been addressed by BFP, DOLE and the Valenzuela
City despite the various inspections they conducted on the slippers factory.
Why did DOLE not issue the compliance certificate after the prior inspection?

Lawmakers on Wednesday gril ed Department of Labor and Employment (DOLE) officials for allegedly
being lenient in the issuance of labor compliance certificate to Kentex Manufacturing Corporation,
owner of the gutted slippers factory in Valenzuela City where 72 people died.
At the hearing of the House of Representatives' committee on labor and employment, DOLE
regional director for National Capital Region Alex Avila said the DOLE issued compliance certificate to
Kentex on Sept. 14, 2014 after the department's Labor Law Compliance Office (LLCO) found the
company to have complied with all its recommendations regarding labor health and safety standards.

Why is communication important to the different agencies looking after the

conduct factory?
Communication determines how the people in a manufacturing company coordinate their efforts to
make a product. As a result, effective communication can benefit a manufacturing company in several
ways, including:
1. Reduced workplace risks
2. Increased efficiency in production
3. Improved cohesion and engagement
Consistently poor communication can damage a manufacturing company. Careless and infrequent
communication between management and factory floor staff can result in excessive scrap, poor
product quality, late deliveries and, ultimately, dissatisfied customers.