WALMART has donated $1.6 million (£1.04 million), to part-fund a Bangladesh training centre to help improve the country’s garment factory conditions. The Environmental Health and Safety (EHS) Academy – established by the Institute for Sustainable Communities (ISC) – will offer apparel manufacturers high-quality, comprehensive and affordable training on workplace safety.
A factory that produced Walmart clothing caught fire in November 2012, killing 112 people and injuring at least 150. Another garment factory went up in flames in January this year, in Mohammadpur in the western region of Dhaka, causing seven fatalities. Employees were forced to jump out of the second-storey windows when all fire exits were found to be locked.
“The EHS Academy is an important part of our ongoing commitment to improve fire safety standards in Bangladesh and we are proud to partner with ISC to address the critical need for training around fire safety, health and workplace safety,” said Rajan Kamalanathan, vice president of Walmart Ethical Sourcing, Bloomberg reports.
Source: Vogue news