A media report on safety in the garments factories caught my attention. Serious faults were detected by 'Accord', the joint team investigating factory safety in the garments sector. This lack of safety is becoming a chronic issue in garments factories in Bangladesh. Safety is the first and primary concern, especially on flammable issues and must not be taken lightly, by anyone concerned, particularly the regulatory authorities. Not only structural defects of factory buildings but also non-compliance to anything related to fire and safety issues is a matter of top priority for all concerned and shouldn't be ignored. Unfortunately, ignoring the matter or taking short cuts on safety issues seems to be the 'order of the day' as far as the factory owners are concerned.
There is lack of adequate fire exit stairs and passages in most of the factories. In multistoried factories the fire escape ladder is usually a flimsy 'add on' put as an afterthought. Most often the door between the ladder and the factory floor is kept locked. The passage to this safety exit is quite often stacked with flammable materials. This serious matter has not been addressed or mentioned by any of the reporters of the media. If factory owners consistently ignore these essential and critical safety issues, the prospects of this important export sector may be jeopardised in the long run. Factory owners should consider this matter seriously and rectify all such defects as early as possible.
Engr SA Mansoor
Gulshan, Dhaka
sam@dhakacom.com
Safety in garments factories
FE Team | Published: March 06, 2014 00:00:00 | Updated: November 30, 2026 06:01:00
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