Accord on Fire and Building Safety in Bangladesh, the platform of European brands and retailers, on Wednesday said that it was considering expanding its inspection programme to include boilers in the apparel and textile sector. Accord made the declaration following the boiler explosion at Multifabs Ltd in Gazipur on July 3 that killed 13 workers and injured dozens more.In a statement, the EU retailers group expressed its deepest sympathies and condolences to the families and loved ones of those who have perished from the explosion and wish those who have suffered injuries a full and speedy recovery. It said that early morning on July 4, an Accord team of fire, electrical, and structural engineers conducted a post-explosion inspection at factory and the reports of the Accord engineers will be completed as a matter of highest priority and are expected to provide more details on what happened, the level of damage, and what will be required regarding repairs.‘In light of the obvious need, the Accord will evaluate whether it can expand its inspection programme to include boilers,’ the Accord said.It also urged all brands producing at Multifabs Ltd as well as the factory owner to ensure full and fair compensation to the families of the workers who died and to the injured workers, consistent with the standard established by the Rana Plaza Arrangement.The Accord said that the platform conducted initial fire, electrical and structural inspections at Multifabs Ltd in 2014 and 2015 and the required fire separation of the boiler room from the Accord fire safety inspections was verified as corrected by Accord engineers at a follow up inspection on October 26, 2016.
