The Alliance inspection teams have identified major structural flaws in eight more garment factories---six in Dhaka and one each in Narayanganj and Chittagong--- and requested the official review panel to take immediate action in this connection, sources said.
The North American initiative has sent the list of the factories to the review panel recently, they added.
The units located in the capital city are: Benhid Apparels, Bonny Apparels, Global Merchants, Odessa Fashions, Love Craft Garments Fabric and Ashiana Garments Industries.
The rest two are Arrow Apparels Ltd at Narayanganj and Artistic Apparels Ltd at Chittagong.
Inspector General of the Department of Inspection for Factories and Establishments (DIFE) Syed Ahmed, also chief of the review panel, when contacted, confirmed they had received a list containing the names of the factories from the Alliance and said they would start visiting the factories in question from next week.
A total of 25 apparel units have been closed until now following the western retailers' inspection programmes during the last six months. These factories have about 15000 workers on their payrolls, according to DIFE statistic.
About 2000 workers lost their job due to partial shut down of some 11 units, it added.
The shutdown took place after the official review committee visited the units after having opinion of the Accord and the Alliance regarding their structural flaws, sources said.
The official panel visited 53 factories; 35 units located in 17 buildings recommended by the Accord and 16 in eight buildings by the Alliance while rest two by a BUET team.
Out of the 25 units that were closed permanently, 19 produced apparel products for the Accord's signatory's brands, retailers and apparel companies, five for the Alliance.
The official panel, on the basis of recommendations by the BUET inspection team, shut one unit permanently and one partially.
Eight factories were partially closed down following Accord's recommendations while two on the basis of recommendations made by the Alliance.
A total of 18 factories that have promised to implement the panel's recommendations are in operation, officials added. Out of these, eight were inspected by the Accord and 10 by the Alliance.
However, the Alliance official website revealed that five units were permanently closed while five more were partially shut down.
Regarding the closed units, the DIFE chief said there was no alternative but to shut those factories down considering the safety of the workers.
The Accord -- an initiative of more than 150 global apparel brands, retailers, companies and trade unions -- has so far assessed more than 800 factories. It is expected to assess about 1500 factories by September next.
The Alliance - a group of North American apparel companies, retailers and brands - has completed its inspection in 604 units by July last.
On the other hand, BUET has inspected 252 factories and submitted reports on about 200 factories to the authority concerned. It is yet to resume its inspection programmes due to some procedural complexities, according to sources.
When communicated, Md Shahidullah Azim, vice president of Bangladesh Garment Manufacturers and Exporters Association (BGMEA) said "Zero tolerance is maintained regarding structural flaws."
If any unit is identified risky for workers, it has to be closed, he reiterated.
Structural flaws detected in eight more RMG units
Monira Munni | Published: August 13, 2014 00:00:00 | Updated: November 30, 2026 06:01:00
Share if you like