Production at the two garment factories where Accord, the EU retailers’ platform, found severe faults, have been suspended. Structural inspectors of the Accord detected major structural faults in the building of Hazi Kujrat Ali Mollah Super Market at Pallabi in the city that housed the garment factories — Softex and Fame Sweater. After finding out the faults the Accord on Wednesday expressed its concern for the safety of the workers and asked the factory owners to evacuate the building immediately.
At the same time the Accord placed its inspection reports to the review panel of factory inspections.
The review panel consisting of two engineers from Bangladesh University of Engineering and Technology, one engineer from Accord and one engineer from Alliance for Bangladesh Worker Safety, a platform of North American retailers, a representative of garment factory owners and the chief inspector of factory and establishment discussed the issue at a meeting on Thursday.
The review panel asked the factory authorities to suspend production and gave long-term and short-term corrective action plan.
A member of the review panel told New Age that the committee asked the authorities of Softex and Fame Sweater to minimise the load of their floor within four days.
After minimising load the Fame Sweater could run its operation, but to run Softex long-term corrective action plan will have to implemented, he said.
The operation of Softex will remain closed up to retrofitting and the process might take time for three months, meeting source said.
The factory owners requested the Accord to arrange the retrofitting cost and the workers wages for an interim period.
The Accord for the first time on March 4 asked to close a factory — Jeans Care Ltd — due to safety reasons since the start of its inspection of fire, electrical and building safety in the Bangladesh garment factories from where the retailers under the group procure products. The Accord has so far inspected 50 garment factories after it began inspection on February 18 this year.
Jeans Care Ltd is also housed in a shared building like Softex and Fame Sweater.
After the Rana Plaza building collapse on April 24 last year that killed more than 1,100 people, mostly garment workers, the retailers and apparel brands formed Accord.
The consortium announced its action plan including factory inspections, training and worker empowerment and said that it would inspect over 1,600 factories that manufacture products for its retailers.
-With New Age input
