The Accord on Fire and Building Safety has announced that it has made “good and real progress” towards the goal of turning Bangladesh’s garment manufacturing into a safe and sustainable industry.
Its statement, that just 2% of the 1,000 units it has inspected for fire, electrical, and structural safety have been deemed unsafe for production in their current state, is certainly encouraging .
However, it is of utmost importance, to view inspections as only part of the process, and not as the goal in themselves.
Finding flaws in safety and compliance reveals nothing that is not already known or suspected. The more important task in hand is ensuring ways are found to improve standards for the future.
Brands should work more closely with the BGMEA and BKMEA, to help factory owners implement improvements and minimise hardship for workers in factories affected by safety closures.
The Accord’s announcement that 250 corrective action plans have been agreed for factories inspected by its engineers is of practical significance in this regard.
For the industry as a whole, however, it is important to go beyond the mainly first-tier sites being inspected by the brand-led initiatives and to ensure standards are improved all along the supply chain.
The industry has many customers and investors potentially available. What it needs most to ensure safety and improve productivity is land on which new modern, compliant buildings can be built.
The government must help by allocating under-utilised khas and other state-controlled lands, for RMG investors, in order to secure the industry’s future.
