Progress significant, but more still to be done
Says Mesbah Rabin, managing director of Alliance for Bangladesh Worker Safety
The Daily Star (TDS): What’s your take on progress in workplace safety in Bangladesh after three years of factory inspections?
Rabin: We are proud to report that our factories are safer now than they were three years ago, and they get safer every day as we continue to work with factory owners through the remediation process. At the halfway point of our five-year initiative, 50 percent of required repairs have been remediated, and the remaining 50 percent are underway. Factory workers tell us they feel safer and more empowered, and factory owners report that they have greater confidence in the safety and management of their facilities.
There’s still much to be done, but we’ve come a long way since our initiative began in 2013. The Bangladesh Fire Service and Civil Defence reports that fires in Bangladesh’s garment factories have dropped by nearly 90 percent in recent years -- from 250 in 2012 to just 30 in 2015, none of which resulted in death.
TDS: How many factories has the Alliance inspected? Comment on the progress in remediation as per the recommendations by engineers?
Rabin: The Alliance has completed inspections in 100 percent of our nearly 700 factories, and we have been working closely with factory owners throughout the remediation process. Overall, our factories have completed half of required repairs, and a majority of factories have fewer than five high priority safety risks left to address -- and these are the items we are working with factories to prioritise.
TDS: Give details on financial assistance available for the factory owners who are seeking to upgrade their production units.
Rabin: Our member companies have made more than $100 million in funds available for low-cost loans to factory owners seeking financial assistance with remediation. We’ve also established a worker support fund through which we have fulfilled 100 percent of requests from factory owners, providing compensation to more than 6,500 workers displaced by factory remediation to date.
TDS: What’s your experience of working with the factory owners for remediation and inspections?
Rabin: We are proud of the work we’ve been able to accomplish with factory owners through the remediation and worker empowerment process, and we continue to communicate with factories daily. We take our mission very seriously and hold factories accountable to our strict requirements. While the majority of our factories have been very engaged and responsive on these important issues, we’ve unfortunately needed to suspend operations with 77 factories that have failed to make progress toward remediation.
TDS: What are the challenges to factory remediation in Bangladesh?
Rabin: Progress in remedying factory safety issues is significant, but it takes time. Factors such as political unrest, a lack of qualified engineers, the time consuming yet required import of vital safety equipment not available in Bangladesh, and natural disasters such as the 2014 earthquake in neighbouring Nepal have all delayed remediation. Despite this, the work of the Alliance and our member companies to improve factory safety in Bangladesh presses forward, and our measurable progress is saving lives.
Overall, our factories have completed 50 percent of their required repairs, and a majority of factories have fewer than five high priority safety risks left to address. We are redoubling our efforts to stress the importance of factories prioritising progress on these and other issues that are most critical to life safety.