Swedish retail giant H&M praised the progress the Bangladeshi garment factories made in improving workplace safety following the recommendations of foreign inspection agencies: Accord and Alliance.The two agencies, formed after the collapse of Rana Plaza in April 2013, have recommended remediation of a lot of flaws in factory structure, electrical connections and fire safety measures.The retailer’s own internal follow-up data shows almost 60 percent of the remediation work is completed, and the company sees good progress, H&M said in a statement yesterday.“We have worked out solutions for all financial support requests together with our suppliers and are cooperating closely with them to remediate according to corrective and tailor-made action plans.”H&M said it has been producing garment items in factories that meet the Accord requirements for operation and have taken the necessary measures. Fire exits are one of the most fundamental requirements for a supplier in order to be allowed to produce for H&M, according to the statement. As our presence in Bangladesh is long-term, it contributes not only financially to the individual factory, but also to the development of the textile industry as well as to the Bangladeshi community as a whole.”Any delay of the work of the Accord is therefore of great concern to the company, H&M said.The company, however, said it is correct that the other buyers within the Accord are experiencing some delays. There have been problems with deliveries of new upgraded fire doors and sprinklers due to import delays since these products are not available in Bangladesh, the company said. Delays are also caused due to the workload that the Accord inspectors asked to complete to ensure safety, H&M said. The Accord has completed primary inspection of 1,600 out of 5,000 garment factories in Bangladesh.Of all the factories that H&M is working with, less than 300 meet the Accord requirements for operation.
