Accord tags terms in fixing fire protection system in RMG units

The Accord has tagged a number of conditions, especially in respect of fixing fire protection system and conducting detailed engineering assessments (DEA), with its remediation initiative for the country's apparel sector.
Under the Accord guidelines, garment manufacturers henceforth will require prior approval from the platform of the EU-based apparel brands and buyers for addressing their safety flaws in apparel units assessed by its engineers.
"All fire alarm designs, sprinkler system designs and standpipe (hydrant) designs shall be submitted to the Accord for review prior to installation," a statement issued by the Accord Wednesday said.
"If the installation work is done without reviewed designs, the system might not be recognized by the Accord," it warned.
Regarding DEA, the Accord said at present it does not have any short list of consulting firms to conduct DEA but "the factory should get approval from the Accord before entering into a contract with any firm to conduct DEA."
"The final DEA report must be approved by the Accord and no retrofitting work shall commence without Accord's approval," the statement added.
According to its requirements, the consulting firm must have five and ten years' of experience of consulting and engineering in relevant field.
Fire door, a common requirement for almost all garment factories, must be sourced from authorized and certified manufacturing facility, it said.
The Accord mentioned that they are receiving information that fire doors are being marketed which have inauthentic seals or labels and are not really certified doors.
"These do not meet the Accord, Alliance, or national standards. If installed, they would have to be replaced by actual certified fire doors," it again cautioned.
It mentioned a list of 55 names of fire door suppliers and vendors and factory owners can seek Accords' assistance in confirming the acceptability of a fire door.
When contacted, welcoming the Accord's guidelines, Bangladesh Garment Manufacturers and Exporters Association (BGMEA) vice president Md Shahidullah Azim said there would be no confusion for executing the remediation work.
Earlier, it also developed a fire safety manual for the existing readymade garment buildings suggesting installation of automatic fire alarm and sprinkler systems.
The manual suggested creating fire compartments using fire resistant walls and floors, providing at least two exits and ensuring the exits free from smoke and fire by requiring fire barriers around the exit stairs but locks were not permitted on the exits.
In the manual, the Accord emphasised on fire prevention, early warning of the fire, and containment of the fire and safe exits.
According to it, for any floor with only two exits, the maximum occupant load should not exceed 500 people and for three exits, the maximum occupant load should not exceed 1,000 people.
"In buildings without automatic sprinkler protection, exits must be separated by at least 1/2 the diagonal dimension of the room and the buildings equipped with automatic sprinkler protection exits in each room should be separated by at least 1/3 of the diagonal dimension of the room," the Accord manual said.
Exit doors of the buildings must not be equipped with locking hardware and it should be possible to open any designated exit door using a single motion, without the use of a key, tool, or special knowledge, the Accord manual suggested.
The manual set the maximum travel distance to reach an exit from any point in the building at 45 meters.
The distance limitations for RMG factories can be increased to 60 meters where a complete automatic fire detection system, portable fire extinguishers, and standpipe system are provided in accordance with the standard. Travel distance limitations can be increased to 122 meters where a complete automatic sprinkler system, automatic fire alarm system, and portable fire extinguishers are provided, the Accord said.
The manual said the automatic sprinkler protection needed to be installed throughout all portions of new and existing high-rise buildings with an occupiable floor greater than 23 meters above the finished grade. Existing buildings greater than two storied with non-rated construction should not exceed 2000 square meters per floor unless automatic sprinkler protection is provided throughout, the manual stated.
The Accord said that the fire protection was a fundamental goal of the initiative and the manual deals only with existing buildings.
"The Accord has some different requirements for new construction, as there are different options available for achieving safety in a newly constructed building,' the Accord said in another statement.

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