Govt-appointed RMG factory inspection yet to resume

The government-initiated readymade garment (RMG) factory assessment programme is yet to resume even after six months have passed.
Sources have attributed this to delay in completing the first-phase inspection reports, ending disputes between the local and foreign experts over inspection standards and resolving some other procedural complexities.
On the other hand, remediation of non-compliant garment factories hit snags as majority of the owners are yet to get inspection reports with corrective action plan even after six months of inspection done by the BUET, they added.
On June 26, the Bangladesh Garment Manufacturers and Exporters Association (BGMEA), in a letter, requested the Department of Inspection for Factories and Establishments (DIFE) for giving the inspection reports to the factory authorities.
Under a government-ILO joint project, teams of the Bangladesh University of Engineering and Technology (BUET) assessed fire, electrical and structural safety of more than 200 garment factories during last November-December period.
The teams submitted reports on 80 units to the concerned authority in February, sources, involved with the process, said.
But the consultancy agency, appointed by the International Labour Organisation (ILO), wanted reports with grading depending on risk factors.
Later in May, the BUET teams submitted its final reports on 200 manufacturing units with grading, they explained.
The BUET inspection reports marked 25 per cent units as 'red' and 'amber' while two units were found risky and later closed by the factory authorities. The rest were marked as 'yellow' and 'green'.
Moreover, the dispute over standards, especially about the required concrete strength, between the BUET and western retailers' appointed experts, is one of the main reasons that delayed the resumption of the government-ILO led inspection programme, they said.
 "Completion of reports and resolution of the disputes between the local and foreign experts over the standards took much time," a source, involved with the process, said adding: "A consensus over the standards is needed for further smooth inspection of garment factories."
The resumption of the second phase inspection programme would not be possible until the contract between the BUET and the ILO is renewed, he added.
 "The process of launching the second phase of the BUET-led inspection is under way and it is expected to start very soon," ILO Country Director Srinivas Reddy said.
All inspections are carried out using a uniform set of minimum inspection standards, jointly agreed upon by the BUET, Accord, Alliance and the National Tripartite Committee (NTC), he said.
 "The issue of required concrete strength is being discussed and all three initiatives (BUET, Accord and Alliance) have agreed on PSI for brick and stone aggregate", he added.
When contacted, Syed Ahmed, Inspector General of the DIFE said, they have started distributing the BUET inspection reports to the concerned factory authorities since July 02 and hoped to provide all the reports within this week.