European retailers’ inspection team has found some 25% of recently inspected garment factories from which they source products will need to install fire sprinklers.
A number of 1,750 factories were inspected.
“Approximately 25% factories will need sprinklers,” said Brad Loewen, chief safety inspector of Accord on Fire and Building Safety in Bangladesh.
He was addressing a press conference held in Dhaka yesterday to present the findings of recent factory inspection.
“For a 150-square feet space, one sprinkler will be needed and the building is over 23-metre tall, all floors will require it,” Brad told the Dhaka Tribune on the sidelines of the press conference.
A fire sprinkler is an active fire protection measure, consisting of a water supply system, providing adequate pressure and flow rate to a water distribution piping system.
The device is used to douse fire from spreading across the building.
The Accord, a platform of 150 European retailers, will inspect 1,500 factories by the end of August this year.
There are around 3,600 active factories under Bangladesh Garment Manufacturers and Exporters Association (BGMEA) and nearly 2,000 under Bangladesh Knitwear Manufacturers and Exporters Association (BKMEA).
Bangladesh’s readymade garment sector employs over 4m workers of which 80% are women.