US bill seeks enforceable safety codes

Two House Democrats filed an amendment on Wednesday that would require that garments made in Bangladesh and sold at base retail stores owned by the Department of Defence will require meeting of enforceable fire and building safety codes.
House representatives George Miller, of California, and Jan Schakowsky, of Illinois, filed the amendment to the House's defence spending bill after a series of high-profile tragedies shed light on poor working conditions in Bangladesh.
In a statement, Schakowsky said a number of garments and documents with Marine insignias were found in the rubble of the November 2012 Bangladesh Tazreen Fashions fire that killed 112 workers.
Survivors have stated that the building's exits were locked, forcing many to jump from the 3rd or 4th floor windows. Public data indicates that the Army-Air Force Exchange imported 1,24,000 pounds of garments last year from several garment factories in Bangladesh, the statement said.
"It is not only unjust but inhumane that garment workers barely make ends meet and are subjected to working in unsafe buildings, many of which don't have fire escapes or potable water. As a huge purchaser of garments, the US military should not be complicit in putting the lives of Bangladesh's workers in grave danger," said Schakowsky.
Miller, who visited Bangladesh last month, in his statement said: "Workers that manufacture clothing embossed with our nation's military slogans and insignias shouldn't have to face blocked fire exits and threats of being fired for refusing to work in unsafe conditions."
Garment workers' safety in Bangladesh came to international attention after the April collapse of Rana Plaza, killing more than 1,100 people and injuring over 2,500.