‘Bangladeshi RMG sector is the safest’-Accord ED

Desk Report: The Executive Director of Accord on Fire and Building Safety in Bangladesh Mr. Rob Wayss said, “I think right now, of the developing countries with a ready-made garment sector, Bangladesh is the safest”. He made such remark while giving a statement to the Guardian.

It was the Rana Plaza collapse back in 2013 which gave birth to both Accord and Alliance and in which about 250 international brands, buyers and companies signed. Both were designed to improve safety dramatically in 2,300 factories supplying western brands. Both are to complete their terms this year.

As of now, facing the threat of being cut off by western buyers, thousands of factory owners have invested in fire doors, sprinkler systems, electrical upgrades and stronger foundations, eliminating more than 97,000 identified safety hazards in facilities covered by the Accord alone.

Ensuring safe factories stay that way will be the next challenge. Both the Alliance and Accord are trying to work with Bangladesh in some capacity after their terms expire.

As per the Guardian, “The government is not ready at this time to take over and regulate factories at a satisfactory level,” added Wayss.

But recently, a plan for the Accord to monitor factories until 2021 has been temporarily halted by the Bangladesh high court. A similar scheme by the Alliance is still the subject of fraught negotiations.

Inevitably, the onus for safety in Bangladesh’s garment factories will soon return to the government. Whether it is able, or willing, to enforce the new standards will decide the real legacy of Rana Plaza.