Action plan on factory safety

The government yesterday signed a plan of action on fire safety and structural integrity in the garment sector with the employers' and workers' organizations.
Key activities identified in the plan include assessment of the structural integrity and fire safety of garment factory buildings and strengthening labour inspection.
Worker and management training and occupational safety and health and worker rights and rehabilitation of disabled workers are part of the plan.
The International Labour Organisation will assist in the implementation and coordination of the roadmap, known as national tripartite plan of action, ILO said in a statement.
Implementation will be monitored by a high-level committee, which will be chaired by Labour and Employment Secretary Mikail Shipar.
The panel will review and update the plan of action as necessary, including for activities to be carried out this year and in 2014 and 2015.
The action plan was signed at the labour and employment ministry by the labour secretary, President of Bangladesh Employer's Federation Md Fazlul Hoque, BGMEA Vice President Reaz-Bin-Mahmood, BKMEA First Vice President Mohammad Hatem, Chairman of National Coordination Committee for Workers' Education Sukkur Mahmud and Secretary-General of the Industrial Bangladesh Council Roy Ramesh Chandra.
The plan brings together the NTPA on fire safety in the RMG sector signed on March 24 in response to the Tazreen factory fire and the joint tripartite statement adopted on May 4 after the Rana Plaza tragedy.
“It is another important step in our progression towards improving worker safety in the RMG sector in Bangladesh,” said Srinivas B Reddy, director of the ILO Office in Dhaka.
The ILO has developed a three-year programme on improving working conditions in the readymade garment sector to support implementation of the NTPA.