The National Fire Protection Association (NFPA) has released the Bangladesh ready-made garment (RMG) industry high level assessment report. It presents an appraisal and gap analysis of Bangladesh’s fire and building safety standards, inspection procedures and training programs.
The final report includes short-term and long-term recommendations that provide a road map for sustainable electrical, fire and life safety in RMG manufacturing facilities in Bangladesh.
NFPA and the University of Maryland were invited by the Alliance for Bangladesh Worker safety (the Alliance) to provide an independent review of their factory upgrade program designed to improve worker safety.
The Alliance identified a sample of 14 factories currently undergoing remediation in the Dhaka region of Bangladesh. The project team to visit the sites, observe building operations and interview key stakeholders in the building industry.
Based on these activities, NFPA made recommendations for the government officials and other stakeholders to undertake efforts to institutionalize sustainable worker safety enforcement programs.
“The Alliance has been working hard to meet its goal to create a safe environment for workers in Bangladesh’s factories, and its results-oriented process has helped make progress within the industry, said Don Bliss, NFPA’s vice president of Field Operations.”
The success of the suggested methods for improvement after the Alliance timeframe expires will depend on the concerted efforts of all stakeholders in Bangladesh RMG fire and life safety.