The government is determined to prevent accidents and ensure a safe working environment in factories, industries and commercial establishments.
According to a press release, as 17 institutions scored less than 25% of the specified criteria, they will be given an opportunity to improve their overall situation for the next three months.
Prime Minister’s Private Industry and Investment Adviser Salman F Rahman MP said that if a certain amount of improvement does not happen within this time, those companies will be sealed.
Also, 206 more companies scoring 50% of the criteria will be given an opportunity for the next six months.
He said that action will be taken against those industrial establishments if the environment does not improve within a certain time.
All the inspected industrial establishments will be notified of their existing defects and instructed to correct them within a specified period.
At the same time all concerned authorities, Divisional Commissioner/Deputy Commissioner/Upazila Nirbahi Officer, local public representatives and all concerned associations will be informed about the inspection report and instructions.
He stated these at the end of the second meeting of the National Committee formed for ‘preventing accidents and ensuring a safe working environment in factories, industries and commercial establishments’ held at the meeting room of the Ministry of Home Affairs of the Secretariat on Wednesday (February 1).
Prime Minister’s private industry and investment adviser said that under Bangladesh Investment Development Authority’s supervision and through DIFE (Department of Inspection for Factories and Establishments) 5,206 establishments were visited of nearly half a million industrial establishments in the country.
We are planning to inspect another 10,000 factories. The meeting also discussed the matter of converting the Department of Inspection of Factories and Establishments into an authority by increasing its manpower and jurisdiction.
The meeting mentioned that the ‘Bangladesh National Building Code’ 2020 and its effective implementation require the formation of the Bangladesh Building Regulatory Authority (BBRA). All the participants opined that the present situation will improve considerably if all the design approval and building construction supervision work related to building construction under BBRA is completed.
The representative of the Ministry of Housing & Public Works (Additional Secretary) said, an action plan in this regard will be prepared within the next month and appropriate measures will be taken to form and implement the BBRA Chairperson of the meeting, Prime Minister’s Private Industry and Investment Adviser hoped that the Ministry of Works will from the BBRA and will start its activities in the shortest possible time greater national interest.
Home Minister Asaduzzaman Khan MP, Local Government Minister Md Tajul Islam, Mayor of Dhaka South City Corporation Barrister Sheikh Fazle Noor Tapas, Mayor of Dhaka North City Corporation Md Atiqul Islam and State Minister for Labour and Employment Begum Mannujan Sufian MP who were in the meeting welcomed the government’s initiative.
They also thanked adviser Salman F Rahman for taking forward all these important works.
