The Bangladesh Investment Development Authority (BIDA) will lead inspection operations at the mills, factories and business establishments to ensure a safe working environment there and also to find out the reasons for possible fire incidents.
Based on the available data and information, the government would take necessary measures for ensuring a safe working environment there and also to avert possible fire incidents and other accidents.
This was informed at a training workshop held at the BIDA Multipurpose Hall in the capital's Sher-e-Bangla Nagar area today. The workshop was meant for the integrated inspection and surveillance teams to ensure a safe working environment at mills, factories and business establishments as well as averting fire incidents.
Prime Minister's Private Industry and Investment Adviser Salman F Rahman spoke on the occasion as the chief guest.
BIDA and the Department of Inspection for Factories and Establishments (DIFE) jointly organized the workshop.
Presided over by Labour and Employment Secretary Ehsane Elahi, BIDA Executive Chairman Md Sirazul Islam spoke as special guest at the programme.
Security Services Division Secretary Md Mokabbir Hossain, FBCCI president Md Jashim Uddin, BIDA Executive Member Abhijit Chowdhury, Dhaka Divisional Commissioner Md Khalilur Rahman, Director General of DIFE Nasir Uddin spoke, among others, on the occasion.
Speaking on the occasion, Salman F Rahman said that the inspection teams headed by BIDA would take data from the field-level to identify the reasons for fire incidents at mills and factories side by side the existing problems in those establishments.
Based on these data and information, necessary measures would be taken to address those problems, he added.
The PM's Adviser asked the inspectors to identify the real reasons for fire incidents at the mills and factories through collecting accurate information from the field-level and thus finding out the reasons for solving those.
He said based on the available information, the national committee formed to avert fire and other incidents at mills and factories would prepare recommendations to address those and thus safe working environment would be ensured at mills, factories and business establishments in phases.
Salman said following the Rana Plaza building collapse, there has been a revolution in the RMG sector to build standard and environment-friendly RMG industries.
"If environment-friendly industries can be build in the RMG sector, then why those could not be replicated in other sectors," he said adding that the government would be able to build environment-friendly compliant mills, factories and other establishments in other sectors apart from RMG.
Salman said the government under the able leadership of Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina has attained notable successes in power, energy, agriculture and in various economic fronts over the last 12 years.
"To maintain such continuity of development, there is no alternative to building these mills and factories into an international standard," he added.
Turning to the issue of Covid-19 vaccination, Salman said the government would bring 30 per cent of the country's population under inoculation by December this year while Bangladesh has managed well the pandemic compared to other neighbouring countries.
Suggesting RAJUK to play more proactive role to attract both local and foreign investment, he said the government would respond quickly if any investor face problems at the Chemical Village for getting land allocation.
BIDA Executive Chairman Md Sirazul Islam said that apart from the RMG and export-oriented industries, some 46,000 mills, factories and business establishments have been identified for inspection. Out of those, some 5,000 mills, factories and other business establishments at Dhaka, Narayanganj and Gazipur would be inspected initially by some 27 inspection teams.
He reminded the inspection team members that they would not conduct raid at mills and factories, rather they would collect information to improve working environment in those mills and factories.
Earlier on July 15, the government formed a high-level committee to prevent accidents in factories, mills, industrial and commercial establishments and ensure a safe working environment.
PM's Private Industry and Investment Adviser Salman Fazlur Rahman is the president of the committee.
The minister for commerce, the minister for industries, the minister/state minister for labour and employment, the minister/state minister for housing and public works, the local MPs and the mayors of the concerned city corporations or municipalities are among 24 members of the committee.
The functions of the committee include taking necessary measures reviewing the observations and recommendations received from the field inspection by the responsible authority or committee.
