Over 400 Corrective Action Plans (CAPs), which were prescribed by the Accord, have been finalised by the RMG factories and company signatories and also are being approved by the Accord Chief Safety Inspector (CSI).
The Accord, a platform of the EU retailers, came up with the disclosure in a statement released yesterday.
The Accord on Fire and Building Safety in Bangladesh completed its initial inspections of 1,106 factories, from where Accord’s signatories brands source products within time line of end September 2014, said the statement of the Accord.
More than 80,000 safety issues were identified that need to be resolved, while many of the corrective actions such as reducing weight loads and adhering to load management plans are already being implemented and monitored, the retailer platform said.
The Accord inspections identified more substantial safety requirements such as installing fire doors and automated fire alarm systems, establishing fire protected exits from factory buildings, and strengthening of columns in the buildings.
“We have found safety hazards in all factories ranged from minor to significant. The Accord team is now working intensively with factory owners, brands, and labour colleagues to ensure the safety findings are corrected,” said Brad Loewen, the Accord’s Chief Safety Inspector.
The CAPs are paramount to this as they provide the remedial measures which must be taken to ensure an acceptably safe working environment, said Brad.
Based on the inspection finding, Accord recommended review panel immediate evacuation and suspend production at 17 as the Accord inspections found that the structural integrity of the building fell below an acceptable level of safety.
Around 110 inspections found that immediate actions were required to bring the factories above accepted safety levels for occupancy and production to continue.
For other inspections occupancy and production has continued while the remediation measures are carried out.
“The next phase of the Accord will focus on the implementation and monitoring of the corrective action plans and rolling out the training and worker participation program – including establishing credible labour management, occupational safety and health committees at the factory level,” said Alan Roberts, Executive Director International Operations.
The issue of fire, electrical and building safety came under the spotlight last year following the collapse of Rana Plaza that killed over 1,135 workers and over 2,500 sustained injuries.
Since the catastrophes, Accord a plat form 189 European retailers committed to improving safety standard, including fire, electrical and structural safety, in the apparel sector.
