The safety inspections in a good number of garment factories supplying apparel to brands mostly based in the European Union will be completed by December, according to the RMG Sustainability Council (RSC), a safety monitoring body in the RMG sector in Bangladesh.
A total of 1,900 export-oriented readymade garment factories were listed with the then Accord and commenced initial inspections to identify fire, electrical and structural flaws, according to sources.
Out of the 1,900 units, initial inspections in around 377 factories have yet to be completed as of the present date, even though the assessment process began in 2014 after the formation of the Western buyers' platform -- Accord.
Following the expiration of Accord, the RMG Sustainability Council (RSC), established in June 2020, has been addressing the safety issues of these apparel manufacturing units.
The council acknowledged that its operations were impeded by the Covid-19 pandemic, while manpower shortages were also a factor.
The RSC has hired some 44 engineers to double its capacity, said the council.
Meanwhile, a total of 534 factories have addressed all initial safety findings.
The RSC is a collaborative effort involving the Bangladesh RMG industry, global brands and trade unions.
It has taken over the responsibilities of the Accord, managing safety inspections, training and an independent occupational safety and health complaints mechanism for workers in its listed RMG factories.
If any factory fails to address the initial safety findings within the stipulated time frame, it enters an escalation process and brands ultimately terminate business with that unit.
Currently, 228 factories are in stage one, 103 are in stage two of the escalation process, while 52 have been declared ineligible to do business with RSC brands.