Health risks at Panasia Clothing, Bangladesh
More than 50 workers at a garment factory in Gazipur, Bangladesh, suddenly fell ill with symptoms such as dizziness and vomiting on Monday morning, leading to a temporary suspension of operations. Most were treated and discharged, while around 15 remained hospitalized but in stable condition.
At around 10:00 a.m. on Monday, more than 50 workers at the Bangladesh Panasia Clothing Limited factory in Gazipur suddenly fell ill shortly after starting their shifts, reporting symptoms such as dizziness and vomiting. Panasia Clothing is listed in the Open Supply Hub as a supplier to Primark (2026), NEXT PLC (2025) and El Corte Ingles (2024). The factory, which employs around 2,200 workers, immediately arranged for the affected individuals to be transported to nearby hospitals, including Tairunnessa Memorial Medical College Hospital and Gazipur Shaheed Tajuddin Ahmad Medical College Hospital. Most workers received primary treatment and were discharged the same day, while approximately 15 remained hospitalized but were reported to be out of danger. According to factory officials, the incident began with a small number of workers becoming unwell roughly two hours into the workday, after which others rapidly developed similar symptoms and in some cases collapsed. In total, about 55 workers were admitted to hospitals for observation and care. Medical professionals and local authorities, including the Gazipur Civil Surgeon and Industrial Police, assessed the situation and concluded that the symptoms were consistent with mass psychogenic illness (also known as mass hysteria), a condition in which psychological stress manifests as physical symptoms. As a precaution, factory operations were suspended for the day, and officials confirmed that all affected workers were in stable condition, with many already able to return home. Union-based analyses indicate that while incidents of mass illness among garment workers in Bangladesh and other Asian countries are often labeled as “mass psychogenic illness,” this interpretation is widely contested. Trade unions and labor advocacy groups argue that such episodes are frequently linked to poor working conditions - such as heat, inadequate ventilation, contaminated water, overwork, and stress - rather than purely psychological causes. They therefore view “mass hysteria” less as a sufficient explanation and more as an oversimplified diagnosis that can obscure underlying structural and occupational health problems.
Basic Information
Case ID: 2026.009
Identification Number from Open Supply Hub (OS-ID): BD20190833XZ668
Affected Country: Bangladesh
Date of occurrence: 2026-05-13
Social Sector Risks concerned:
- Occupational Safety and Health (Conventions Nr. 155 & 183 & 184; Recommendations Nr. 164 & 192)
Supplier Details
Panasia Clothing Ltd
Aziz Chowdhury Complex-2 Vogra Joydebpur
Gazipur
Bangladesh
Supplier Website: https://www.panasiaclothing.com
Production Site
Panasia Clothing Ltd.
Aziz Chowdhury Complex-2 Vogra Joydebpur
Gazipur
Bangladesh
Total number of workers/employees:
2108
No gender specific information available.
Workers movement
No information about unions available.
No information about workers commitee available.
Business Relations
Known Buyer/Brands:
- Cyrillus
- El Corte Ingles
- Next Germany GmbH
- Primark Limited
- Woolworths
Source of information buyers:
https://opensupplyhub.org/production-locations/BD20190833XZ668
2. Source of information buyers:
https://www.panasiaclothing.com/customers.php
Follow up
Sources
Name of reporting organisation: Dhaka Tribune
Source of information about the case:
https://www.dhakatribune.com/bangladesh/nation/409925/over-50-garment-workers-fall-ill-in-gazipur
Contributor: SÜDWIND
- Last updated on .