Buyers and retailers have expressed concern over slow progress on structural remediation in readymade garment (RMG) factories assessed by the Western retailers’ groups, insiders said.According to them, structural remediation is now slower than that of fire and electrical ones, industry insiders said.Apparel makers, however, blamed slow move in detailed engineering assessment (DEA) approval by the retailers’ platforms, absence of required engineering firms having experience of conducting DEA and high cost for such a slow progress.Accord assessed some 1,600 local garment factories that produce apparel products for its more than 200 signatory members and found more than 80,000 safety hazards in its initial inspection.According to the official website of Accord, some 966 factories submitted their DEA reports to the group for approval till June 2016 while only 297 got clearance.Only 20 per cent or 3,854 structural issues out of 19,790 have been so far remediated till July last, according to Accord.About 70 per cent and 45 per cent electrical and fire safety hazards respectively have been remediated till July, it added. Alliance, another platform of North American-based apparel buyers and companies, assessed some 759 garment factories.Some 3,334 structural hazards or nearly 49 per cent out of total identified 6,707 have been fixed in its listed factories till September last.On the other hand, 11,569 electrical issues out of 16,824 flaws and 8,851 fire hazards out of 14,122 have been remediated, according to Alliance.About 68 per cent and 62 per cent of electrical and fire hazards were remediated respectively, according to Alliance.The Department of Inspection for Factories and Establishments (DIFE) could not provide any details about the structural remediation progress in 1,500 garment factories assessed by an International Labour Organisation (ILO)-government joint initiative.Roger Hubert of H&M in a recent meeting inquired about the high percentage of structural analyses (DEAs) which are not yet approved and the impact this has on structural remediation being delayed.He expressed concern on the relatively low percentage of structural remediation completed, anticipated this will be high(er) cost remediation, and hinted that Accord will face criticism for being responsible for obstacles in completing remediation (relating to new findings, delays with DEAs, and applying a ‘higher’ standard).The main reason of slow progress in structural remediation is DEA, which is time-consuming and costly, Md Hatem, former vice president of Bangladesh Knitwear Manufacturers and Exporters Association (BKMEA) told the FE.DEAs are conducted by a qualified structural engineer hired by the factory and a complete DEA takes around 45 days to conduct and involves preparing as-built drawings, conducting engineering tests e.g. sampling and testing concrete strength, assessing actual loading, preparing load plans and developing retrofitting drawings, according to people involved with the process.The progress is being delayed because the Western retailers’ platforms are taking much time to approve those while sometimes they, especially Accord, asked for new requirements, Md Siddiqur Rahman president of Bangladesh Garment Manufacturers and Exporters Association (BGMEA) said.Abdus Salam Murshedy, managing director of Envoy Group, said the number of engineering firms selected by the groups is insufficient to handle the large number of factories required to do DEA.Initially, there were few such firms having expertise of conducting DEA, he added.Accord, in a recent meeting, informed the actions it has taken to see DEAs approved and structural remediation completed.Those included continually adding to resources available to local structural engineering firms, one-on-one ‘training’ through hundreds of meetings Accord engineers hold with local firms on specific factory’s DEA, dedicating large numbers of Accord engineers almost exclusively for DEA review and approval and garnering the support of BGMEA for their members and non-payment for services until DEAs are approved.
