RMG sector losses from fire incidents
Monday, 16 July 2007
THE fire that broke out in a South Korean-owned garment factory at Dhaka last Saturday night, caused extensive damage to its stocks and machinery. The concerned owner has estimated the loss at some Taka 1.0 billion. Fortunately, none died in the incident as it started after the work-time was over. But the ferocity of the fire, probably from electrical short circuit, required the fire fighters to use all their might throughout the night to tame it. It engulfed all six stories of the building very fast that also surprised the fire service personnel.
This was not the first major fire incident in a garment factory in the present year. Several such incidents have been already noted in the Dhaka region including one at Narayanganj recently. More conspicuously, 25 garments industries were gutted in the Chittagong region during the last six months. This figure is an unprecedented one and duly raises the question whether all of them were just mishaps or anything else that causes damage to the readymade garment (RMG) sector. The Bangladesh Garments Manufacturers and Exporters Association (BGMEA) have already issued warnings and statements to the effect sometime ago that the frequent fire incidents in the garments industries need to be very seriously investigated as the same could be the result of deliberate human mischief. The BGMEA has even alluded vested interest groups who could be the sponsors of such fire accidents from behind the scene. The motive could be large scale damage of capacities of the local RMG industries that would boost the prospect of foreign RMG suppliers.
Therefore, the latest fire incident on Saturday night at Badda needs to be thoroughly investigated to establish clearly the reasons for its happening. It is notable that the fire broke out in the particular factory in the late hours of the night after all work activities had stopped. This may not be a coincidence. Mischief of any sort can be detected and prevented with the alertness of staff and workers. But the same is very difficult in the lean hours when a factory building remains largely unattended.
However, conspiracy theories notwithstanding, the BGMEA should also play its part to ensure that no garment industry from now on remains unserved by the minimum of fire prevention and coping facilities of its own. As it is, 300 garments workers have lost their lives in fire accidents so far and singularly because the factory owners and operators had not provided emergency fire exit or a separate stairway in the premises. Reportedly, there are RMG industries which still remain without such exits. These should be obliged to comply with regulations immediately. The rules also require that every RMG factory should have a squad of its workers and staff trained in fire-fighting with essential and basic equipment for doing so at their disposal. They should be preferably led by a former fire service department personnel employed by the garments factory. But this requirement is followed only by a handful of garments industries. Thus, it is also very necessary to enforce this role unfailingly throughout the industry.
Both the owners of the RMG units as well as the government ought to realise in time that they must get down very quickly to taking hard measures to make it impossible for fires to break out in the RMG factories. This is absolutely needed. The growing losses in this sector must be stemmed because it happens to be one of the few helping to keep the country's economy afloat.
This was not the first major fire incident in a garment factory in the present year. Several such incidents have been already noted in the Dhaka region including one at Narayanganj recently. More conspicuously, 25 garments industries were gutted in the Chittagong region during the last six months. This figure is an unprecedented one and duly raises the question whether all of them were just mishaps or anything else that causes damage to the readymade garment (RMG) sector. The Bangladesh Garments Manufacturers and Exporters Association (BGMEA) have already issued warnings and statements to the effect sometime ago that the frequent fire incidents in the garments industries need to be very seriously investigated as the same could be the result of deliberate human mischief. The BGMEA has even alluded vested interest groups who could be the sponsors of such fire accidents from behind the scene. The motive could be large scale damage of capacities of the local RMG industries that would boost the prospect of foreign RMG suppliers.
Therefore, the latest fire incident on Saturday night at Badda needs to be thoroughly investigated to establish clearly the reasons for its happening. It is notable that the fire broke out in the particular factory in the late hours of the night after all work activities had stopped. This may not be a coincidence. Mischief of any sort can be detected and prevented with the alertness of staff and workers. But the same is very difficult in the lean hours when a factory building remains largely unattended.
However, conspiracy theories notwithstanding, the BGMEA should also play its part to ensure that no garment industry from now on remains unserved by the minimum of fire prevention and coping facilities of its own. As it is, 300 garments workers have lost their lives in fire accidents so far and singularly because the factory owners and operators had not provided emergency fire exit or a separate stairway in the premises. Reportedly, there are RMG industries which still remain without such exits. These should be obliged to comply with regulations immediately. The rules also require that every RMG factory should have a squad of its workers and staff trained in fire-fighting with essential and basic equipment for doing so at their disposal. They should be preferably led by a former fire service department personnel employed by the garments factory. But this requirement is followed only by a handful of garments industries. Thus, it is also very necessary to enforce this role unfailingly throughout the industry.
Both the owners of the RMG units as well as the government ought to realise in time that they must get down very quickly to taking hard measures to make it impossible for fires to break out in the RMG factories. This is absolutely needed. The growing losses in this sector must be stemmed because it happens to be one of the few helping to keep the country's economy afloat.