Safety campaign launched for apparel workers

A new campaign to raise awareness on basic Occupational Safety and Health (OSH) issues in the apparel sector was launched yesterday.

The radio-based campaign titled 'Safe Workplaces, Go Ahead Bangladesh' was initiated by the labour and employment ministry and Department of Inspections for Factories and Establishments (DIFE), in collaboration with the International Labour Organisation (ILO). The campaign has received funding from Canada, the Netherlands and the United Kingdom.

In order to create better recognition amongst garment workers, supervisors and managers, well-known TV celebrity Mosharraf Karim will support a number of campaign activities, said a statement from the ILO.

“Efforts to improve workplace safety remain the highest priority for the Bangladesh government. This campaign will reach out to garment workers to help them better understand safety areas,” said Mikail Shipar, secretary to the labour and employment ministry, at the launch.

“I also firmly encourage owners and managers to listen as they too have an equal responsibility regarding safety and health.”

Srinivas Reddy, ILO country director for Bangladesh, said, “This safety campaign is certain to benefit a large number of RMG workers. It is vital however that the efforts to build a culture of safety in Bangladesh begin to go beyond the all-important RMG sector.”

A series of 19 radio episodes will be broadcast on Dhaka FM 90.4 on Thursday and Friday evenings at 10pm, starting tonight. Each 30-minute episode will focus on a specific OSH issue under a drama format and will include songs and discussions. The first show will cover 'what to do in an emergency' while others will include electrical safety, earthquakes, good housekeeping and hygiene.

A series of safety-related radio commercials will also be broadcast throughout the day over a period of two months. It will focus on five key areas -- the role of DIFE; what to do in case of a fire; maternity protection; safety is everybody's responsibility and the role of safety committees, which comprise representatives of management and the workers.  A popular song 'we want safety' has been produced to highlight key safety messages.

A weekly contest linked to the radio programme will also give listeners the chance to win Tk 1,000 prizes, as well as a grand prize of Tk 50,000 at the end of the campaign.