UNIVERSITY OF THE EAST

CALOOCAN CAMPUS
COLLEGE OF ENGINEERING

A CASE ANALYSIS ON THE KENTEX

FIRE TRAGEDY

Submitted By

HERNANDEZ, KENNETH PAUL, O.

AYDALLA, KYLE DANES

CHUA, MIGUEL

LAZARO, JOHN ERICK

CAPANGYARIHAN, JHUN

Submitted To

Engr. Vergel Adam T. Estella

 VIEWPOINT
Kentex is a small manufacturer of flip flops and other rubber shoes located
in Valenzuela City, a northern suburb of Manila, Philippines. It is one of many
similar businesses serving the local market in a poor area of town.
On May 13, 2015, a fire broke out when welding sparks ignited chemicals being
stored near the entrance of the Kentex Manufacturing factory. It is possible,
although unconfirmed, that the weld was being performed on the doors of one of
the main entrances to the building. Thick, black smoke engulfed the building as
rubber and chemicals burned. The fire spread quickly and few people escaped.
Unable to leave, trapped workers retreated to the second floor and attempted to call
relatives for help.
It took five hours for the fire department to get the blaze under control. The fire left
the building unstable, causing a delay in the retrieval of the dead while engineers
secured the building.

STATEMENT OF THE PROBLEM

A labor coalition said that "99 percent" of the factories around Kentex Manufacturing
Corporation‘s plant in barangay Ugong, Valnezuela City violate basic labor laws and
occupational health and safety standards
On the occupational safety and health standard aspect, nagkaisa said that all of the assessed
establishments did not comply with the standards. The group said that many factories around
Kentex either had no fire exits or had obstructed fire exits.

Here is the complete list of violation, according to labor 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

OBJECTIVES
The goal of this analysis is to keep this disaster happen once more. It is to
remind everybody that wellbeing ought to dependably starts things out in any
working environment. To advice representatives to put more resources (Most likely
fire extinguisher) into giving security gear that will be utilized as a part of times of
an unexpected occurence. In this way, the quantity of injuries will be diminished.

AREAS OF CONCERNS
•STRENGTH
The program saw the families and relatives receiving a copy of Ordinance
No. 220, Series of 2015, granting one immediate family member a full scholarship
at the Pamantasan ng Lungsod ng Valenzuela or the Valenzuela Polytechnic
College.

Under Ordinance No. 221, Series of 2015, some of the deceased Kentex fire
victims were also granted perpetual rights to be buried at the Arkong Bato and
Karuhatan Public Cemeteries. Renewal and processing fees for the burial were also
waived.

•WEAKNESS
Initial investigation revealed that the footwear factory had no fire exits and
that the windows where the workers could have escaped were covered with wires.
Flammable chemicals used in manufacturing slippers have no proper storage,
which, some suggest, may be the reason why an explosion was triggered when the
chemicals were ignited by sparks from welding activities to fix the door of the
main entrance.

There were media reports saying the workers were unaware of fire safety standards
and have not attended fire drills before.

•OPPORTUNITIES
The accident could have been prevented if occupational health and safety
standards were met and prioritized. The initial investigaton suggests negligence on
the part of the company for failing to comply with the safety standards and to
provide a conducive work environment for its employees.

•THREATS
An employer recounted that just like most employees, his wife would often
complain of the smell and the heat when she first started working in Kentex. Some
were regularly exposed to heat and chemicals which took a toll on their health.
Some did not encounter accidents but were still affected physically and
emotionally due to required yet unpaid overtime work. In most cases, the workers
report about lack of safety gear and regular equipment safety checks which are
supposedly provided by their companies.
 FINDINGS AND ANALYSIS
The Kentex Fire incident in Barangay Ugong had the biggest factory fire
casualty in Valenzuela counting from 74 dead people and unknown number of
severely injured people.According to the Institute for Occupational Health and
Safety Development (IOHSAD), this incident could be prevented if safety
standards was thoroughly evaluated and applied.

ALTERNATIVE COURSES
Make sure that the fire exit in not locked because fire incidents may happen
anytime. Administration is obligated to tell their employees the Bureau of Fire
Protection Drill. Make sure the weld area is free from all flammable materials such
as flammable liquids, paper, etc. Exit routes must be located as far away as
practical from each other in case one is blocked by fire or smoke. Exception: If the
number of employees, the size of the building, its occupancy, or the arrangement
of the workplace allows all employees to evacuate safely during an emergency,
one exit route is permitted.

RECOMMENDATIONS
Based on our investigation about our case is the factory has no proper
planning specially on the safety of their workers and also their workers were not
properly oriented. Because these workers were not fully aware on what they're
doing on their working stations. So, we therefore recommend that the best solution
for those problems are having a proper Safety Orientation and Planning for the
Owners and Employees on what to do and what's not to do in those kinds of
situations.

ACTION PLAN
1. Manufacturing companies should provide atleast two fire exits in every floor and
basement of every workplace capable of clearing the work area in 5 minutes in
accordance to theRule 1943.03 of the Philippine Occupational Health and
Standards (OHSS).

2. Highly combustible materials and chemicals should be isolated to prevent the

start of fire.

3. Fire extinguisher, fire alarms and sprinklers should be installed to prevent fire
from spreading.

4. Working areas and safety equipment must be monitored daily by safety officer.