A total of 152 fire incidents happened in industries and factories from 2018 to June 2025 that claimed 131 lives and injured 578, revealed a latest research study of labour safety rights groups.
From 2022 to June 2025 a total of 13 incidents of chemical explosions took place at ready-made garments and other industries, it said.
The research findings were revealed at a press briefing - jointly organised by Action Aid Bangladesh, Bangladesh Institute of Labour Studies (BILS), Bangladesh Legal Aid and Services Trust (BLAST), Karmojibi Nari, and Safety and Rights Society (SRS) - at the National Press Club in the capital on Thursday.
General Secretary of Sramik Nirapad Forum Sekender Ali Mina read out a written statement at the press briefing.
He said about 90 per cent of workers are still outside the purview of labour safety law, and so their rights and safety are being violated every day. No institutional mechanism has been taken for safety of workers' lives.
He called upon the government and countrymen to consider safety as the 'first priority' and thus build 'a culture of safety' in the country.
Mr Mina put forward eight-point charter of demands for preventing recurrence of accidents, including fire, in factories.
The demands are: strict enforcement of local and international laws for ensuring health safety and storage of chemical and explosive products, providing adequate financial compensation to the victims and persons injured in different accidents, rehabilitating the affected workers and ensuring their proper medical treatment, making public the inquiry reports on all industrial accidents, ensuring proper trial of the persons responsible for these accidents, and incorporating local government and local community to prevent incidents.
Upgrading safety measures and strengthening monitoring activities to prevent accidents, initiating a move to bring about reforms in safety-related laws and institutions, immediate implementation of the Labour Reform Commission (LRC), and scaling up campaign for building public awareness to help prevent recurrence of accidents are also among the demands.
LRC Chairman Syed Sultan Uddin Ahmed moderated the event. Country director of ActionAid Bangladesh Farah Kabir, panel lawyer of BLAST Sharmin Sultana, and member secretary of National Coordination Committee for Workers Education Naimul Ahsan Jewel were present, among others.
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