Workers’ safety remains largely ignored

Workplace safety for factory workers, except in the readymade garment industry, continues to be largely ignored in Bangladesh leading to frequent accidents with huge loss of lives.
The issue resurfaced recently when 52 workers were killed and many injured after a devastating fire ripped through a factory of Hashem Foods Ltd at Rupganj in Narayanganj.
Talking to The Business Post, labour rights activists said compliance regarding workers’ safety in factories, other than the RMG sector, was never prioritised as there has been no pressure from buyers or consumers in this regard.
The activists said that workers’ safety in the RMG sector improved following pressure of buyers and brands after Rana Plaza collapse in 2013, but no reform was seen in non-RMG factories in the country over the years.
Following the Rana Plaza collapse, which took the lives of more than a thousand workers, brands and buyers introduced two platforms, Accord and Alliance, to ensure compliance with international standards of workers’ safety in the RMG sector.
According to Safety and Rights Society (SRS) Executive Director Sekender Ali Mina, at least 220 workplace accidents took place across the country between January and June this year, causing the deaths of at least 306 workers.
“Transport, construction, hotel, stone transportation and ship breaking sector are at the top when it comes to unsafe workplaces in the country,” he said.
Blaming corruption, weak enforcement of law and the culture of impunity regarding deadly incidents at workplaces, he demanded compliance for all labour sectors highlighting that workers’ deaths were not being properly addressed as many of them remain unreported.