The ongoing factory assessment and its post-inspection monitoring under the joint initiative of Accord, Alliance and govt-ILO for ensuring workplace safety and labour standards in the country’s RMG sector are facing hurdles due to the current political deadlock, sources said. The engineering teams could not move to the factories over security concern, they added. The Accord has recently hired three engineering companies — Arup, Woosun, and Hughes — to conduct its initial assessment in 200 more garment factories that were added to its list after completion of its initial assessment in September last. Factories that were added by the signatory companies to the Accord’s factory list after August 15 last year remained outside initial inspection purview. “Due to current political unrest this programme is slower than planned,” said the EU based retailers’ initiative Accord in its monthly update adding that its engineers have reduced their schedule of initial inspection visits each week. According to factory feedback, around 20 per cent of safety issues in the Corrective Action Plans (CAPs) have been remediated, it added. “The Accord engineering team was not able to conduct follow-up inspections to verify this remediation last month due to the political unrest,” it noted. However, the Accord expected to restart a reduced schedule of follow-up inspections soon following recent information from the government relating to increased security measures. After its initial assessment, the Accord said it had found more than 80,000 safety hazards in its assessed garment factories. The Accord inspections have also identified more substantial safety requirements, such as installing fire doors and automated fire alarm systems, establishing fire exits from factory buildings, and strengthening columns in the buildings. On the other hand, Managing Director of Alliance, another initiative launched by the North American buyers, retailers and apparel companies, M Rabin said though its initial inspection in 649 factories including the newly listed ones had already been done, the post-monitoring programme is progressing slowly due to the ongoing political deadlock. “So far, post-inspection monitoring has been done in 63 factories,” he said expecting to do the same in 100 units this month with a probable improved political situation. Similarly, the flaws finding programme by the government-ILO (International Labour Organisation) joint initiative is also facing problems as the two companies appointed recently under the initiative also reduced their number of factory visits following the continuous blockade and hartals, sources involved with the process said. They expressed their fear that if such situation is prolonged further, it might not be possible to complete inspection within the extended deadline of April next. Under the joint programme, some 1,500 garment factories that remain outside the purview of Accord or Alliance inspection will be assessed. Bangladesh University of Engineering and Technology (BUET) assessed some 500 factories while the rest are expected to be assessed by TUV-SUD Bangladesh Pvt Ltd and Veritas Engineering and Consultant. The three initiatives were formed to ensure workplace safety in the country’s apparel industry for a period of five years following the Tazreen and the Rana Plaza tragedies that killed more than 1,200 workers.
