Move taken to identify non-apparel factories

The government has initiated a move to identify factories beyond apparel units, especially those that deal with flammable products and chemicals and also operate without approval, to prevent occupational health hazards, officials said.
The move came following the January 31 fire incident in a plastic factory, namely Apcco Bangladesh Limited, in Mirpur that killed 13 people, they said.
The factory did not have legal permission for operation and lacked sufficient fire safety measures and security for workers, they noted.
The Department of Inspection for Factories and Establishments (DIFE) has already formed a committee comprising representatives from the authorities concerned to conduct a survey in this connection, they added.
"We have already directed the committee to conduct a survey on the factories that do business without required approval and also use flammable items and chemicals," DIFE Inspector General Syed Ahmed told the FE.
The committee has been given one month's time to identify such factories initially in the Dhaka city, he said adding that it would help to have a total picture of plastic sector including number of such units and their workers, whether they have required approval or not and to know the safety conditions there.
"We will take a decision about our next course of action after receiving the survey reports," the DIFE chief said.
On the other hand, Alliance for Bangladesh Worker Safety also called upon the government to inspect factories besides the garment units for ensuring workplace safety.
According to sources, some 5,000 plastic factories are operating across the country of which 3,500 are small, 1,480 medium in size and the rest are big ones.
Some 1,200 factories, set up in an unplanned way and mostly unauthorised, are operating in the Dhaka city, they added.
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