Alliance Inspection
Number of closed RMG factories may increase
The number of closed factories on the Alliance list is likely to increase as the government-set review panel is going to start its review work on the eight factories from next week where the North American retailers’ group found serious structural faults and suggested for evacuation. Name of one more factory has been sent to the review panel by the European retailers’ group recommending immediate evacuation.
The Alliance has already completed its safety assessment at more than 600 garment factories which are the suppliers of the North American retailers and brands, but the platform is yet to complete all the inspection reports.
During the inspection the Alliance-listed five units were permanently closed while five more were partially shut down due to structural faults.
In a latest progress, the Alliance found serious structural faults in eight more factories and sent recommendation for evacuation to the review committee.
The units where the Alliance found structural flaws are Benhid Apparels, Bonny Apparels, Global Merchants, Odessa Fashions, Love Craft Garments Fabric and Ashiana Garments Industries in the Dhaka city, Arrow Apparels Ltd in Narayanganj and Artistic Apparels Ltd in Chittagong.
Department of Inspection for Factories and Establishments officials said the Alliance inspection team had sent the list of eight factories and the EU retailers’ group Accord had sent the name of a factory to the review committee suggesting immediate evacuation due to structural flaws.
A source close to the inspection process said out of the eight factories inspected by the Alliance more than one factories might be fully or partially closed considering their vulnerability of the structures.
According to the source, the factory where the Accord inspection teams found critical findings located at Sabujbagh in the capital city might shut after the inspection of review committee as the condition of the factory building is very risky.
Syed Ahmed, inspector general of the DIFE, also the chairman of the review panel, told New Age that there was a list of nine factories in their hand and they would start review from next week.
He said that the review work at nine factories as per the latest recommendations of the Alliance and Accord would start from August 25 and will be completed by August 30.
According to recent statistics of the DIFE, 25 garment factories have so far been closed and 11 factories partially shut down following the inspection programmes of the EU and North American buyers’ groups during the last six months.
The review panel comprising representatives from the government, the Accord on Fire and Building Safety, Alliance for Bangladesh Worker Safety, BUET and the Bangladesh Garment Manufacturers and Exporters Association visited 53 factories in last six months following the recommendations of the Accord and the Alliance.
After the Rana Plaza building collapse last year that killed more than 1,100 people, mostly garment workers, North American apparel companies, retailers and brands formed Alliance and EU retailers formed Accord to improve safety in the Bangladeshi RMG factories.
The Alliance has completed its inspection in 604 units by July and the Accord has so far inspected more than 800 factories.
The EU retailers group is expected to complete its inspection at about 1,600 factories by September.
-With New Age input
