Safety concerns still plague the RMG factories that were inspected by the Accord, as only a fraction of them have installed fire-detection and alarm systems even after 10 years of the Rana Plaza accident.
Over 80% of the identified safety flaws have been fixed in the last decade, only 27.25% out of 1,700 factories installed fire detection and alarm systems as of April this year, said the monthly progress report of the RMG Sustainability Council (RSC).
Some 22.40% completed installation of the fire suppression system until April 2023.
The Accord, a platform of global unions and over 200 EU-based apparel buyers, was launched immediately after the Rana Plaza collapse in 2013, to inspect fire, electrical and structural integrity of local factories.
It inspected some 1,700 factories and monitored initial remediation that was prescribed with a timeframe until handover of all activities to the RSC, which has representations from factory owners, in June 2020.
Data shows completion rates of common fire-related remediation items like design approval of fire suppression systems, and fire detection and alarm systems are 86% and 89.65% respectively.
Meanwhile, 96% factories have removed lockable collapsible gates and 89% have adequate egress lighting in fire exits.
As per media monitoring by the Clean Clothes Campaign, the number of publicly reported workplace accidents has declined to 26 in 2022 compared to 2021’s 33 reported accidents in the industry.
As per the data of Safety and Rights Bangladesh 2022, total workplace deaths in the RMG industry in 2017 and 2018 were 15 and 10 respectively.
In the next two years, in 2019 and 2020, the numbers reduced to only two and one respectively.
However, the number jumped to 13 in 2021.
The comparison of the number of workers killed has shown a somewhat deteriorating trend in the industry’s safety status in recent times.
