Majority of the Alliance-surveyed apparel factories have been found to be structurally sound, although there are instances where the buildings are identified as overloaded, its assessment reports revealed.
The overloaded factory owners have been urged to take immediate action to reduce the load and reinforce the buildings' columns.
"Less than one per cent of the garment units surveyed are found to be unsafe in terms of structural integrity," M Rabin, Alliance Managing Director (MD) told the FE Thursday.
The Alliance for Bangladesh Worker Safety has surveyed 508 ready-made garment (RMG) units, out of its listed 630 factories, which have undergone thorough fire, electrical and structural assessments. The survey result shows that 99 per cent of the factories are structurally sound, he added.
Alliance engineers have assessed 508 RMG factories until to date. In five cases, they have recommended the review committee to take necessary steps for the units' immediate closure, the Alliance MD explained.
Out of the five, three factories have been closed, he added.
RSI Apparels in Chittagong was closed following the official review committee's (RC) recommendation, while Jans Fabrics Ltd authorities also closed their unit and shifted the workers to its another unit, he explained.
The authorities of the MAM Garments shut down its full unit, despite RC's recommendation of partial closure, Mr Rabin said.
"The purpose of the initiative is not to close any factory or render the workers unemployed, but to ensure safe workplace," the Alliance MD added.
The Alliance recently published detailed inspection reports on more than 27 RMG factories on its website.
In the case of individual factories, dozens of deficiencies have been identified that the Alliance will now work on along with the factories to address those, according to a statement issued by the Alliance.
"The common issues include inadequate fire suppression equipment, lack of fire doors and poor electrical wiring," it added.
The statement also said, as this work goes on, it is important to recognise the impact on the workers who make their living in these factories. Workers are the backbone of the garment industry and should not be the ones to pay the price as necessary improvements are made to make their workplaces safe.
As such, workers who are unable to work due to factory closures are being compensated in part by the Alliance's Worker Support Fund, which is made up of dues from each of the Alliance's 26 member-companies. Nearly 1,000 workers' salaries have been paid following Alliance-recommended factory closures to date, it added.
The Alliance has reiterated its commitment to inspect 100 per cent of factories by July 2014. Before they are released, inspection reports are shared with factory management and worker representatives, as the Alliance and individual members begin to partner with all factories to prompt remediation for each item in the reports.
"Above all, the goal is to ensure that inspection reports are comprehensive and consistent, and done in a way that allows for the process of remediation to continue, while minimising the impact on factory workers," it stated.
