Accord claimed that it has made a “good and real progress” towards the goal of turning Bangladesh’s garment manufacturing into a safe and sustainable industry.
In a statement posted on its website on Friday, the Western buyers’ initiative said more than 250 corrective action plans have been agreed so far while implementation of many such plans is already underway.
Corrective initiatives being implemented include things like reducing weight loads and adhering to load management plans.
Other corrective actions are a matter of cleaning up, organising, and then being disciplined in maintenance practices, said Accord on Fire and Building Safety in Bangladesh. These also include properly connecting and sealing electrical wires and keeping wires and circuits free of dust and lint.
Accord inspected over 1,000 ready-made garment units for their fire, electrical and structural safety. The inspections found faults and safety risks in all these three areas in a significant number of factories.
The signatory companies of Accord and the faulty factories are working together to correct the flaws as soon as possible.
Accord set some safety requirements for the factories like installing fire doors, automated smoke detectors and fire alarm systems, establishing fire protected exits from factory buildings, and strengthening of building columns.
In less than 2% of all inspected factories, Accord’s structural engineers deemed the factories unsafe for production and occupancy in their current state.
After lack of safety measures was spotted, over 21 factories have been shut down as a total of 1,631 units were inspected by Accord and Alliance, another such initiative by north American RMG importers.
Source: Dhaka Tribune
