The response and awareness relating to detection of fire hazards in Bangladesh's garment factory workers has increased significantly over a couple of years, according to the latest report of the Alliance.
University of Texas-Houston, in cooperation with Dhaka University, conducted an in-depth impact assessment of Alliance's training methods to measure their effectiveness and suggest improvements.
The assessment involved targeted surveys of 4,591 workers, as well as focus group discussions in which 220 workers offered additional perspectives on health and safety within their factories.
"In the impact assessment, 45 per cent of workers correctly recognised all fire hazards - a significant improvement over the baseline which was only 2.0 per cent in the baseline assessment conducted last year," said the second annual report that was launched on Tuesday and is also available on its official website.
The assessment found that knowledge and awareness on fire safety had improved among the workers after participating in the Alliance training, it said adding that following the training, workers had a much better understanding of fire hazards and their roles in emergencies and evacuations.
The goal of the assessment was to evaluate whether the Alliance's training activities were achieving the stated objectives. The results were compared with a baseline study that was conducted one year before these training initiatives were undertaken.
About 96 per cent of workers reported in the impact assessment that they would leave the area using a designated escape route in case of an emergency, an increase from 82 per cent in the baseline, the report revealed.
The percentage of workers who said they would take shelter in a safe place inside the building had decreased from 24 per cent in the baseline to 8.0 per cent, and the percentage of workers who thought they should exit the building by taking an elevator decreased from 17 per cent to 3.0 per cent, it added.
The impact assessment also made clear areas where the Alliance could improve its Basic Fire Safety Training Programme. In addition to focusing on specific issues - like evacuation of high-rise buildings and high-hazard areas - the assessment emphasised the importance of continued training.
"Although the impact assessment showed that the training has made positive changes, training is not a one-time endeavour. The Alliance will work with factories to provide new and refresher training courses to existing workers and managers," it noted.
munni_fe@yahoo.com
