In light of the recent fire at the Hashem Foods factory in Narayanganj, where 52 workers tragically lost their lives, the Bangladesh Agro-Processors' Association (BAPA) has issued directives to its members regarding safety measures that could help prevent such disasters.

BAPA also urged its members to ensure that their factories are completely free of any form of child labour.

The association of agro-processors informed its 569 members across the country about the new directives through a letter issued on Saturday.

The directives include taking proper action to prevent fire incidents, widening the doors and stairs to facilitate quicker movement, and introducing evacuation drills so that workers know how to exit their facilities in a safe and orderly fashion, according to a copy of the letter obtained by The Daily Star.

In addition, BAPA urged its members to raise fire safety awareness among their workers with the help of local fire service departments.

Similarly, working with civil defence agencies could help ensure that the existing labour laws are followed, it said.

In the wake of a horrific fire incident at Hashem Foods, BAPA's executive committee held an emergency meeting on July 11, where they decided to take appropriate precautionary measures to prevent any kind of accident or loss of life in other factories.

Besides, the association is also mulling over whether to set a safety standard for the industry in order to ensure compliance, it added.

BAPA General Secretary Md Iqtadul Hoque said they are planning to initially adopt certain global safety standards, such as the regulations set by the Accord and Alliance for garment industries.

The Accord and Alliance, two foreign inspection and remediation platforms, were formed to strengthen workplace safety in the local garment sector after the collapse of Rana Plaza building in April 2013.

BAPA will begin working on safety compliance measures in the industry after Eid-ul-Azha with the help of some garment factory owners who operate agro-based factories as well.

"And although agro-products and garments are two different sectors, we will follow some common and key measures from the garments safety compliance," he added.

Hoque went on to say that the tragic fire at Hashem Foods was an eye-opener for the agro-processing industry.

"Now we understand that if we want to run factories properly while growing the industry, we have to find any weaknesses and deal with them accordingly," he told The Daily Star on Saturday.

In response to a query about the use of child labour at Hashem Foods, which is a member of BAPA, Hoque said they did not know about the issue before the fire incident.

The agro-processing sector is a comparatively new and growing sector so there is a bit of a learning curve, as evinced by the Hashem Foods incident.

"After the fire incident, many weaknesses and limitations of the factory were discovered and we are taking a lesson from them so that such issues do not recur," he added.

On July 8, at least 52 workers, including child labourers, died in a devastating fire at the Hashem Foods manufacturing unit that produced fruit drinks and biscuits.

The incident occurred at a time when the country's agricultural exports crossed the $1-billion mark for the first time despite the ongoing coronavirus pandemic.

According to BAPA, locally made agro-based products are being regularly exported to more than 145 countries.