Gokaldas India, Bangalore

Following the death of a young child in a day-care facility run by the Gokaldas India factory in Bangalore (supplier for FLA affiliate Adidas), the FLA received a request for an investigation into the circumstances surrounding the child’s medical emergency, including several factors leading to delays in securing medical attention.

The FLA engaged Dr. Bobby Joseph, M.D, a medical doctor based in the Bangalore area, to conduct the investigation.  Dr. Joseph found several violations of the FLA Workplace Code of Conduct and the State of Karnataka’s regulations for factories, including:

1. No medical doctor at the factory, though the State of Karnataka requires a doctor to be on duty at any facility with more than 500 workers (Gokaldas India employed 1600 at the time of the death).
2. No ambulance available at the factory, though the State of Karnataka requires it.
3. No qualified nurse on duty at all, though the State of Karnataka requires not only that a nurse be on duty throughout the work-day, but also that the principal caregiver of the day-care center be qualified as a nurse or formally trained care-giver.

Ultimately, in his report, Dr. Joseph found that “it is impossible to comment on the consequences of the lack of a medical professional or an ambulance, and of the possible consequences of immediate hospital treatment.”  Goldakas India has begun taking steps to remediate the non-compliances exposed by the death of the worker’s child.  The FLA calls on adidas to regularly monitor these steps and to ensure that its other suppliers in Bangalore comply with the medical standards established by the State of Karnataka.