Workers not happy with workplace safety
Garment workers bitterly complain that lax safety measures in factories lead to deadly fires like the one that killed 111 people at Tazreen Fashions in Ashulia on Saturday.
Blaming the owners for poor working conditions, they say even many factories known to be compliant with safety regulations do not have emergency exits. Workers are often compelled to use the same gate for entry and exit, and thus exposed to the risk of stampede in the event of any danger.
Most factories are equipped with modern fire extinguishers. But the equipment either do not work or the plants do not have enough staff trained to operate the extinguishers during emergency, say workers.
Sometimes, garment waste and raw materials are piled on staircases, making it difficult for the workers to pass through, they say.
Such lapses in the safety system came to a head after the nation’s deadliest industrial blaze in Ashulia on Saturday.
The Daily Star spoke to 10 garment workers from as many factories in Ashulia and its adjoining areas to know about the working conditions and safety measures in their factories.
The workers asked not to be named for fear of reprisal from their employers.
A sewing machine operator at Ratul Garments in Ashulia said, “Our factory has only one gate for entry and exit. There is no other way to get out in case of any accident.”
The 25-year-old worker said whenever the fire alarm goes off, the on-duty supervisors stop them from leaving the building.
“They always say it is nothing serious and that they will check it. The supervisors don’t want to halt the production for even a single moment.”
His comment was similar to that of the survivors of the Saturday’s fire.
Ibrahim Mondol, a sewing machine operator at Tazreen Fashions, said on Monday that he along with a number of others tried to leave the factory when a fire alarm went off at about 6:00pm on Saturday.
But the production manager stopped them and said it was part of a “compliance audit”.
“We went back to work on the fourth floor. After a while, I heard loud shouts. As I looked down, I saw a plume of smoke coming out of the staircase.”
Ibrahim removed an exhaust fan in the manager’s room and squeezed through the opening to get out.
A female worker at Onima Fashion in Jirabo said the factory has two staircases. “There is usually no problem. But if there is any emergency, it is very tough to get out of the building as all workers rush out at the same time.”
She said buyers, their representatives and audit teams visit the factory at times but they hardly talk to workers.
A goods inspector at another apparel plant said the factory’s main gate is kept shut in case of any accident.
Institute of Architects Bangladesh President Mubasshar Hussain, who went to Tazreen Fashions on Monday, wondered how Rajdhani Unnayan Kartripakkha gave permission for constructing the building without fire exits.
“The factory has three staircases, and they all lead to the ground floor. If there was at least one emergency exit, the death toll would have been much lower.”
“How did the government agency concerned allow the factory owner to use the ground floor as warehouse when the workers have to enter and exit through it?” he asked.
Some workers said they sometimes have to work up to 24 hours at a stretch, but they are forced to tell the buyers that they work from 8:00am to 5:00pm every day.
“If any worker tells buyers or their representatives about the actual working condition, he is either dismissed or fined,” said a worker.
A few workers said dismissal of workers without notice is common in some garment factories.
Some workers said the working condition in their factories has improved in recent years following pressure from buyers, workers’ bodies, and the government, but there is still a lot to be done.
Source: The Daily Star
