The government has moved to bring export- and non-export-oriented industrial units using or producing chemicals, plastic and boilers under a legal inspection framework to ensure safety of workers. Under the initiative, the government will operate regular inspections at the factories to identify the risky ones. The issue of workplace safety at non-export-oriented industries has come under the spotlight after the fire accident caused by a boiler blast at Tampaco Foils Ltd in Tongi on September 10 that left at least 36 people dead and over 150 injured. Sources at Department of Inspection for Factories and Establishments (DIFE) said the factory inspection authorities have already issued a directive to their offices to carry out the inspection. The directive mentions that at least 50 percent of non-RMG units should be inspected in the RMG-dominated areas in Dhaka, Chittagong, Gazipur and Narayanganj. “We focused on safety issues in RMG industry after the Rana Plaza incident. Now we want to lay focus on other industries as well,” DIFE Inspector General Syed Ahmed told daily sun. “We have already given our inspectors one-month time to collect information on the factories and their locations,” he said. Ahmed said the structural, fire and electrical safety matters of these factories will be looked into. At the same time, the inspectors will also focus on chemical and other flammable warehouses, he added. After the Tampaco incident, International Labour Organisation (ILO) Director-General Guy Ryder issued a statement on September 13, expressing the organisation’s will to extend support to Bangladesh in efforts to ensure safety of its workers,” he said. “Strengthening the capacity of regulatory oversight bodies is a key as it is the need to bring together diverse stakeholders to establish a strong culture of preventative safety in all industrial sectors,” the statement added.
