A total of 522 RMG factories producing clothing products for Accord signatory brands have made less than 40% progress on remediation to improve their workplace safety. In a meeting with the Bangladesh Garment Manufactures and Exporters Association (BGMEA), the Accord on Fire and Building Safety placed the list of 522 factories that made less than 40% progress towards ensuring their workplace safety standards. The meeting aimed at discussing the remediation progress was held between the BGMEA and the Accord in the city yesterday. “We held talks on the remediation progress and the Accord informed us that a total of 522 factories made less progress,” BGMEA Vice-President Mahmud Hasan Khan Babu told. “We will talk to those RMG owners to know the reasons behind the slow progress of remediation. We will take measures to speed up remediation.” The BGMEA official said steps will be taken based on the findings after cross-checking the Accord Allegation with the individual assessment report of each factory. Earlier, the Alliance for Bangladesh Worker Safety gave a list of 36 RMG units, which made less remediation progress. Following that meeting, the owners were talked to, and the move brought a good result, he added. Rob Wayss, executive director (Bangladesh Operations) of Accord told that The Accord is working with the government and the industry people to set up an office to cover the factories located in the Chittagong zone. “It will help us better support the factories we work with.” The outcries over safety issues began after the Rana Plaza factory disaster that killed over 1,135 workers and injured over 2,500 people on April 24, 2013. After the factory collapse, the Alliance made a commitment to provide financial and technical support to improve fire and building safety standard of RMG factories from which they source products. The Accord has completed its assessment of 1,600 factories alongside publishing Corrective Action Plans for 1,358 RMG units and doing a follow-up inspection on 1,304 factories.
