Some 46 readymade garment (RMG) factories in Bangladesh received formal recognition from RMG Sustainability Council (RSC) for ensuring minimum life safety standards at their respective workplaces.
RSC Managing Director Abdul Haque and Chief Safety Officer (CSO) MD Hassan Nawazis on Tuesday handed over the Letter of Recognition (LoR) to the representatives of the factories at the RSC's office in Dhaka.
With these new units, a total of 675 RMG factories have received the RSC recognition for remediating the flaws initially identified in line with the corrective action plan (CAP), according to a statement.
The RSC in June 2020 took over the infrastructure and functions of the Bangladesh Accord, a legally binding global pact catalysed by the fatal Rana Plaza collapse in April 2013.
Since its inception, RSC has carried out 26,822 safety inspections at its covered factories.
RSC CFO Mr Hassan said, "LoR recognises the effort made for completing initial CAPs (Corrective Action Plans)."
He further said sustainable compliance is critical, as it requires continuous monitoring effort and a collective mindset. It serves as a proactive measure for managing workplace safety and thereby helps create a safe RMG supply chain.
Following the initial inspections, the factory and the brands are tasked with developing a CAP that details the time-bound remedial actions for completion, based on the severity of the findings.
RSC regularly coordinates with factories to ensure that outstanding CAPs are being completed and conducts follow-up inspections to monitor the implementation of remediation processes.
After reaching 100 per cent completion of all initial findings, a factory is entitled to receive the letter of recognition.
"Our recognition reflects the continued progress of our industry in prioritising worker safety and compliance," said Abdul Haque, managing director of RSC.
"The factories receiving this have shown strong commitment to sustaining the safety standards achieved over the years. Now sustaining this accomplishment is more challenging than achieving it. We must remain committed towards that."
RSC currently covers 1,921 factories and conducts inspections alongside workplace safety training programmes and an independent complaints mechanism.
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