Bangladesh’s factories are still not safe enough ten years after the Rana Plaza disaster

Fires regularly break out in garment factories in countries like Bangladesh and India because fire safety is not in order. To improve this, the international unions and almost two hundred international clothing brands signed an agreement ten years ago, the old Bangladesh agreement, now called the International Accord. The reason was the collapse of the large Rana Plaza garment factory, which killed more than 1,100 people and injured around 2,500.

In the last ten years, 150,000 safety risks have been identified in factories, for example electrical installations sensitive to short circuits. Joris Oldenziel, director of the body overseeing implementation of the deal, reports that more than nine out of ten risks have now been addressed. For example, emergency exits, fire doors and fire alarms have been installed in many factories. Safety inspections have been carried out in more than 2,000 factories. As a result, there are far fewer fires than a decade ago, he says.

But more needs to be done, he says. “Fire alarms and sprinkler systems still often need to be checked to be functional and up to international standards,” he says.

Not signed

Also, not all factories are safer now. Only more than a third of some 4,500 factories in Bangladesh are covered by the agreement, a Clean Clothes Campaign spokesperson said. Most factories are excluded because the garment companies have not signed the agreement. “The safety risks in the rest of the factories are too great. There are no fire doors, exits are blocked, and the building structure is not good.

Internationally renowned brands such as Levi’s and Ikea have yet to sign the agreement. The Schone Kleren campaign has already urged them to join. “Levi’s benefits because some factories also manufacture clothing for the brands that signed the agreement. Levi’s is not contributing financially and that undermines the deal,” the spokeswoman said.

A similar agreement was reached this year for garment factories in Pakistan. Agreements for India, Sri Lanka and Morocco should also be negotiated in the coming years.