Factory Tragedy Again
The tragic death of nine employees in a devastating fire at two garments factories housed in an underconstruction building on Mazar Road, Mirpur shows once again that no lesson was learnt from similar mishaps recorded in recent years. Reports say that the staircase of the seven-storey building is so narrow that even the fire brigade people had great difficulty climbing the steps. Unbelievably, there were no fire extinguishing cylinders in the factories. This is the height of callousness on the part of the factory owners. We are appalled to see that the garments factory managements' consideration for profit in general has so far got the better of their best concern for the employees safety.
In this connection the Bangladesh Garments Manufacturing and Exporting Association (BGMEA) must share the blame for not pressing for a minimum safety standard in all the factories enlisted with it. Similarly, the government also has failed in its supervisory role. Either this must have been totally absent or has been compromised for graft. After a series of fire incidents in garments factories, a set of recommendations was put forward that included among others: a) double exits, b) keeping the staircases clear for all the time and, c) keeping the gates unlocked during the working hours. Why have all these suggestions been ignored?
That our nascent but thriving garments industry needed a few concessions to maintain its competitive edge in the international market initially may have precluded a harsh criticism of its safety drawbacks. But this should no longer hold good. We now realise that the industry has reached a stage where it has no scope for even slightly contravening with safety rules and put at risk the lives of hundreds of employees. We object to the setting up of garments factories in any building anywhere in the city. Such factories must be specially designed to have the required safety gadgets and standard structural lay-outs. Can we then suggest that the garments factories move to a special zone rather than being huddled in insufficient spaces or on narrow lanes.
For all latest news, follow The Daily Star's Google News channel.
Comments