The Alliance for Bangladesh Worker Safety says 322 readymade garment factories or 88 percent affiliated with the initiative in the country have completed all material components in their corrective action plan, reports bdnews24.com. Alliance Executive Director James Moriarty revealed the information at a news conference in Dhaka on Thursday last. These factories, including 84 percent of items most critical to life safety, are now considered ‘substantially’ remediated, the former US ambassador in Dhaka said. “I am pleased to note that the Alliance continues to achieve unprecedented progress in our efforts to improve safety within the ready-made garment industry in Bangladesh. Our factory remediation work is progressing at a rapid pace, and we remain on track to meet our stated commitments by the end of the year,” he said. According to him, 290 factories required structural retrofitting five years ago and 264 of those or 91 percent fully completed retrofitting, meaning their foundations, columns and beams are now able to meet the imposed load demands required of an industrial building. He said 141 factories needed sprinkler systems and 118 of these or 84 percent completed installation of the systems extending the time available for people to escape from fires. The system can also extinguish fires in the very early stages of combustion, reducing risk for workers and firefighters alike. Nearly all factories have now upgraded their outdated electrical systems and installed fire doors that provide an escape route for workers as well as help stop a fire from spreading, added Moriarty. “All of these achievements aren’t just good for the safety and well-being of workers, they are good for business (as well),” he said. According to him, Alliance continues to operate a confidential 24-hour helpline, Amader Kotha, for more than 1.4 million workers across nearly 1,000 factories. He mentioned Alliance efforts to train the workers, managers and security guards with regard to fire safety and skills necessary to protect life. “If these gains are going to be sustained over the long-term, however, they must be owned and led locally, from within Bangladesh.” As previously announced, he added, the Alliance will transition their operations to a safety monitoring organisation managed by “credible and trusted” local partners by the end of this year. He said they were in conversations with the government, BGMEA, ILO and other stakeholders on the exact details of the transition. “…and we expect to announce details in the coming weeks,” Moriarty said. Alliance and Accord on Fire and Building Safety were formed after the deaths of over 1,100 workers in the 2013 Rana Plaza collapse raised concerns among the buyer countries over workplace safety in Bangladesh. Bangladesh has earned $24.39 billion in the first eight months of 2017-18 fiscal year with a 7.38 percent year-on-year growth. The export earnings from July to February, however, missed the target of $24.4 billion by 0.02 percent, according to data released by the Export Promotion Bureau. Readymade garment or RMG sector contributed $20.25 billion to the total export earnings, beating the target of 3.21 percent growth. The export earnings in the sector grew 8.68 percent in that period. BGMEA President Siddiqur Rahman is pleased with the performance by the sector. “It’s obviously positive…I hope it will grow by 10 percent in the rest of the financial year,” he told the news agency. The government targets to export $37.5 billion in the current fiscal year. Last financial year, it exported goods worth over $34.65 billion with a growth of 3.39 percent against a target of $37 billion.
