ASM Anam Ullah :
The Occupational Health Safety (OHS) conditions in most informal sectors are unsatisfactory in Bangladesh. Employers within most of these industries do not respect and enforce the National Labour Act, ILO conventions or the relevant UN conventions. As a result, factory fires and building collapses are common in Bangladesh.
In the RMG sector in Bangladesh, fires and building collapse occurred in several factories between 2005 and 2012. This was a matter of concern to the nation as thousands of innocent workers were killed in several factory accidents in Bangladesh because the national government did not take drastic measures to stop all these catastrophes. Although, in 2009, the national government took some initiatives by forming a Safety Council, which was ineffective and failed to prevent factory casualties.
Tazreen Fashions fire tragedy on 24 November 2012 was one of the deadliest fire incidents in Bangladesh’s industrial city Ashulia. A nine-storey building evinced a fatal fire that caused the deaths of 112 RMG workers and injured approximately 200. The fire at the factory was caused by low-quality electrical infrastructure inside the building, which was the leading cause of the devastating fire. In addition, before the incident, the Tazreen Fashion factory had been inspected several times by local and international (e.g., Walmart) monitoring teams. Still, the flawed inspection could not stop the fire and killing of workers.
The Rana Plaza building collapse on 24 April 2013 was a horrific experience for about 1134 RMG workers and their families and communities in Bangladesh who lost their lives. The incident also injured thousands of RMG workers. The building authority of Bangladesh first allowed the Rana Plaza to be constructed as a building on swamp land for commercial purposes. However, some of these additional floors were later leased for use as RMG factories, requiring the installation of heavy industrial machinery and equipment, which was against the Bangladesh Factory and Labour Act.
In the face of extreme pressure, both internally and externally, mainly from the trade unions of Bangladesh and their international alliances and the global consumer groups, anti-sweat shop and human rights organisations, the Bangladesh Government was forced to amend the Labour Act and enforce it strictly. As a result, since 2013, the Bangladesh Government has taken some initiatives to control fire in various sectors, including RMG, but the results were unsatisfactory.
In addition, there was a suggestion from scholars and other social and political partners of the Bangladesh Government to add some new sections to the National Labour Act for appropriate OHS policies, practices and regulations. But, so far, the Government did not take any decisive steps toward the new OHS policy and its regulation in the informal sector in Bangladesh. Therefore, fires and casualties are not being stopped in most informal economic manufacturing centres in Bangladesh.
For example, at least forty-nine people (including nine firefighters) were killed and more than 400 injured in another fire at a container depot in southeastern Bangladesh on 4 June 2022. The fire broke out at the BM container depot in Sitakunda, Chittagong district, on Saturday night (4 June 2022), according to the state news agency Bangladesh Sangbad Sangstha (BSS). The investigation team has not yet explained or revealed the reason. However, according to experts’ assumptions and the national newspaper’s information, the fire may have started due to improper storage of combustible materials.
Now the fundamental question is why innocent workers and civilians often die in brutal incidents like Tazreen fashions, Rana Plaza, Sitakunda or Hashem Food and Beverage? Scholars argue that the fire of the Tazreen Fashion, Rana Plaza, Hashem Food and Beverages andSitakunda disaster symbolised the country’s rotten administrative system, mainly the nation’s informal economic sectors that lacked proper oversight strategies.
Most importantly, as a developing country, Bangladesh has recently expanded its manufacturing capacity, resulting in accommodating more people in existing and upcoming industries. But the question is whether the Bangladesh Government is ready to take the pressure of the informal economic sector and whether they can adequately control all these industries? Scholars still argue that the Inspection for Factories and Establishments (DIFE) is an Incompetent, inexperienced, unorganised, and lacks the resources to monitor Bangladesh’s vast informal manufacturing sectors with limited workforces.
Therefore, the Government of Bangladesh and its other stakeholders must follow and respect the recommendations and ensure they are earnestly implemented.
The Bangladesh Government need to establish an OHS culture by following the ILO, WHO United Nations guidelines. But, more importantly, major ILO conventions relating to OHS, such as C161, C155 and C187, must be ratified soon, which are necessary for the initial guidelines of OHS at the state and organisational levels.
In addition, Bangladesh Government must seek assistance for essential technical and policy support from the International Network of Safety and Health Practitioner Organisations (INSHPO) and the American Society of Safety Engineers (ASSE). These two influential agencies can help Bangladesh develop an improved OHS framework, policy and regulatory strategy. Other developed countries, such as Australia, can also be a good partner for Bangladesh to learn how to manage oHS at the industry levels.
Bangladesh must make a political commitment to implement the National Labour Act, the ILO and the UN convention in Bangladesh. Without respecting and enforcing the Labour Act by the Bangladesh Government and employers, the working conditions in Bangladesh’s most informal economic sector may not be changed sooner or later.
(The Author is an Australian Academic, OHS Expert and Member of Amnesty International Australia and Sydney Outreach Committee (SOC), Human Rights Watch, Australia).
