All exit doors but one were locked at the poultry slaughterhouse in Dehui, northeastern China, in which 119 people died in a massive fire last week, reports the BBC.
Three-hundred-and-fifty workers were inside the Baoyuanfeng meat processing plant when it caught fire at six in the morning. Panic ensued after a huge explosion caused flames and smoke from which people tried desperately to escape through the single open door. Fire crews were unable to get into the four-year-old building. Corridors were cramped, exits narrow, and a front gate was said to have been locked.
Common occurrence
South Africa’s IOL News reported that locked doors were a common occurrence at the plant, which stores ammonia for produce refrigeration and which had experienced another fire three years ago, said to have been caused by a lighted cigarette.
Initial investigations
China’s government has said initial investigations into the cause of the most recent blaze indicate:
- An explosion from leaking ammonia in the plant’s cooling system;
- Flammable building materials;
- Inadequate design of escape exits;
- Insufficient fire prevention equipment.
Neglect of worker safety
China has a poor record on workplace safety, where factory fire exits are often locked or blocked during working hours to stop workers taking time off or stealing. One worker said:
Of course they’d restrict our movement. I don’t know why, but it’s not unreasonable. Which company allows workers to wander in and out during work hours?
Mary Gallagher, an expert on labour relations in China, told IOL News:
There’s a tendency [in China] to over-manage employees, to lock them in, to make sure they don’t steal. But they tend not to take into account the possibility of this kind of occasional accident that then turns into a disaster.
The fire is China’s deadliest since 2000, when 309 people died in a blaze in a dance hall in Luoyang, Henan province.
Hopefully this tragedy will spur China into humanizing its fire and workplace safety standards so that all fire exits are always kept open during working hours.
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