The Accord, the largest platform of western retailers, has called for immediate evacuation of a readymade garment (RMG) unit in Tejgaon after its inspection team found major structural flaws in the factory building for the sake of its workers' safety.
The Accord's inspectors found some concerns about the main columns along two internal grids of the building, where the Jeans Care Ltd is operating, were measured to be less than half the size shown on a structural drawing. The team informed its chief safety inspector about the serious flaw.
Following the finding, the Accord conveyed the message to the concerned authorities including the factory owner, the BGMEA and the Labour Ministry.
In the message, the Accord's Chief Safety Inspector Brad Loewen said: "There are some serious concerns with the structural integrity of the building you (the factory) occupy. In order to ensure the immediate safety of the workers, I request you to evacuate the building immediately."
Immediately after being informed, a government-formed review committee took up the issue and rushed to the factory Tuesday to scrutinise the Accord's assessment report.
A member of the review committee, however, told the FE that the committee reached a decision on continuation of the factory's production for time being with reducing its load capacity.
According to a previous agreement, the review committee is to submit its findings to the concerned authority within 48 hours of any such recommendation for shutting down of any factory on safety grounds.
According to the report, the main columns along two internal grids of the building were measured to be less than half the size shown on a structural drawing. And the stresses calculated using the simple calculation methods used as back-up to visual inspections indicated that they were stressed beyond an acceptable level, according to the mail.
The inspectors said that they looked at different ways to manage the loading to bring down the stresses to an acceptable level but concluded with the decision to re-locate the Jeans Care factory from the building.
They also recommended evacuating the building until the structure is strengthened or the structure in its present form can be validated as adequate.
In addition to this, the loading in the remaining factory also needs to be controlled to keep it within acceptable limits, they added.
Factory managing director Md Shafiullah said, "I don't think there is any serious fault that requires immediate shut down of my factory as we are continuing production for quite a long time."
Expressing frustration, he alleged the Accord also informed his buyers that source apparel products from the factory.
"How could they circulate the inspection information before the review committee scrutinises the findings," he questioned. He was worried over the future of 700 workers of the factory.
Bangladesh Garment Manufacturers and Exporters Association (BGMEA) vice president Md Shahidullah Azim said they are informed about it and they look into the issue.
Before evacuating the factory, brands have to ensure that the workers will get their salaries with arrears if any repair work takes place in consultation with the manufacturer, said Roy Ramesh Chandra, secretary general of the IndustriAll Bangladesh Council.
"If the manufacturer is not solvent enough to carry out the remediation work, brands should pay a significant amount needed for the repair," he said. He called upon the Accord signatories to set an example by implementing their commitments.
