Deadly Fire, China - 2023
On the evening of 20 November 2023, a fire broke out on the first floor of a textile factory in Wuxi, Jiangsu province, killing seven workers on the fourth floor of the five-storey building. The fire also damaged nearby warehouses and workshops. Domestic media reported that all seven workers who lost their lives were women migrant workers from Guizhou and Shandong provinces. They were employed at the building owned by Wuxi Tiantianrun Textile & Technology Co. Ltd (无锡天天润纺织科技有限公司), which produces fancy yarns for the international market. The fourth floor where they worked was rented out to another corporate entity that China Labour Bulletin (CLB) has not been able to verify. Tiantianrun is one of the major fancy yarns manufacturers in China and supplies to notable brands including Lion Brand Yarn (U.S.) and to retailers including TEDi (Germany), Action (Netherlands), and Hema (Netherlands). Nearby workers told Apex News that over 200 people worked at Tiantianrun, while the company’s 2022 annual report indicates that 94 employees were registered for social security payments. CLB found that according to the corporate database Tianyancha, the company “had not provided authentic or complete data” to the local authorities. The Tiantianrun factory fire began on the first floor of the building, which - along with the third and fifth floors - was warehouse space. The second and fourth floors are production line workshops. A safety inspection of nearby premises was conducted after the fire to eliminate other safety hazards. But as CLB has advocated for years, post hoc inspections cannot bring back the lives of those lost in workplace accidents. China’s safety management system should better prevent accidents before they occur - rather than simply responding after the fact. Further, China’s official trade union has a role to play in understanding and eliminating the risks apparent to front-line workers and that are systemic across a particular industry. Although the official investigation report of the Tiantianrun factory fire will likely not be available for several months, the characteristics of this incident, as reported by eyewitnesses to domestic media, follow patterns of well-known safety risks in the industry. The similarities to the November 2022 fire that took the lives of 42 garment factory workers in Anyang, Henan province, are striking. For example, the practice of crowding warehouse space and factory space in the same building presents dangers to workers when flammable materials are not properly stored.
Basic Information
Case ID: 2023-002
Identification Number from Open Supply Hub (OS-ID): CN2020351QR5SS4
Affected Country: China
Date of occurrence: 2023-11-20
Social Sector Risks concerned:
- Occupational Safety and Health (Conventions Nr. 155 & 183 & 184; Recommendations Nr. 164 & 192)
Supplier Details
WUXI TIANTIANRUN TEXTILE & TECHNOLOGY CO., LTD
No 5 Longtan Rd.
Qianzhou Industrial Zone
Wuxi
214181
Jiangsu
China
Supplier Website: http://www.tianrunchina.com
Production Site
WUXI TIANTIANRUN TEXTILE & TECHNOLOGY CO., LTD
No 5 Longtan Rd.
Qianzhou Industrial Zone
Wuxi
214181
Jiangsu
China
Total number of workers/employees:
501-1.000 (according to company website)
No gender specific information available.
Workers movement
No information about unions available.
No information about workers commitee available.
Business Relations
Known Buyer/Brands:
- Action Deutschland GmbH
- HEMA Deutschland GmbH
- TEDi GmbH & Co. KG
At least one of the buyers has the duty to report according to the Supply Chain Act / CSDDD.
Follow up
Are there any reactions to the follow up: no information
Sources
Name of reporting organisation: China Labour Bulletin
Source of information about the case:
Contributor: SÜDWIND
- Last updated on .