47% factories fail to implement corrective measures: Bida

About 47 percent of the factories that were deemed at risk of industrial accidents by the Bangladesh Investment Development Authority (Bida) have yet to implement necessary corrective measures within the stipulated deadline of December 2023, officials of the government agency said.

Of the 106 at-risk factories identified by Bida in May last year, 17 high-risk ones were instructed to implement a corrective action plan (CAP) within three months.

Meanwhile, the remaining 89 factories with lower risk were told to ensure safer working environments by the end of the year.

"Four of the 17 high-risk factories have been shut down while one was relocated from Naryanganj to Manikganj," said Abhijit Chowdhury, national coordinator of the factory inspection initiative.

Besides, nine of the high-risk factories have already completed necessary corrections while three others are on the cusp of the same, he added.

Bida identified the at-risk factories as part of a nationwide initiative to prevent industrial accidents after more than 50 people died in a fire at the factory of Hashem Foods Ltd on July 8, 2021.

Chowdhury said the Department of Inspection for Factories and Establishments had outlined the CAP in separate letters to the 106 factories, asking them to adopt fire safety measures and comply with other regulations.

"When we started monitoring the factories in September last year, we told them to implement the CAP and prepare a progress report in this regard by December," he added

Chowdhury also said the Federation of Bangladesh Chambers of Commerce and Industry (FBCCI) has been cooperating with Bida in monitoring the implementation of the CAP.

For example, the FBCCI supported the initiative by appointing three consultants who are experts in fire and infrastructural safety, among other technical fields, to help conduct inspections.

"During the monitoring and inspection process, we tried to create awareness among factory owners regarding the necessity of fire-safety measures and the required equipment," he added.

Referring to Bida's findings following the factory inspections, Chowdhury said there is a demand to form a single platform where entrepreneurs can avail all necessary clearance certificates, including trade license renewal.

Factory owners also urged authorities to introduce a single organisation for ensuring safety measures at their units to avoid the time-consuming process of being inspected by different government agencies.

"We already held two meetings regarding the findings and are preparing a recommendation to submit to higher-ups of the government," he added.

Regarding the recent fire at Bailey Road, he said restaurant and building inspections are not covered under Bida's initiative. Therefore, the organisation has no liability in this regard.

The nationwide factory inspection initiative was started by the Prime Minister's Office through the formation of a 24-member national committee headed by Salman F Rahman, the prime minister's adviser on private industry and investment.

In the first phase of the initiative, 5,206 factories in Dhaka, Chattogram, Narayanganj and Gazipur were inspected by Bida officials between November 2021 and March 2022.

In the second phase from April to June last year, Bida inspected 5,001 factories across 17 districts, including Manikganj, Munshiganj, Mymensingh, Narsingdi, Kishoreganj, Khulna and Jashore.

"This time too the focus has been areas with the highest concentrations of factories, where the work is labour intensive and deals with chemicals, plastic and food processing," Chowdhury said.

He informed that the final report on the second phase would be handed over to the national committee for factory inspections after the government issues a gazette for the formation of a new committee.

This is because the current national committee is set to be reshuffled by the newly-elected government.

Regarding the combined findings of both inspections, he said 56 percent of the factories were at risk of fire while the remaining 44 percent suffered from power, infrastructural and environmental risks.

Also, Bida will conduct the third phase of factory inspections in 15 industry-dense districts through 58 teams across the country, Chowdhury added.