Odhikar

Eight female workers killed and over 50 workers injured in a fire outbreak at Smart Export Garments

One of the primary sources of foreign remittance, Ready-Made Garments (RMG) is vital to Bangladesh’s economy. However, repeated instances of fire outbreak in garment factories have not only claimed lives of hundreds but also pointed out the concerned authority’s utter disregard towards moral responsibility. In recent times, the most horrific incident in the RMG sector was the fire at Tazreen Fashions factory in Nishchintapur of Savar. The fire claimed at least 113 lives of workers and injured hundreds more. Even then the government and Bangladesh Garment Manufacturers and Exporters Association (BGMEA) authorities were not alarmed. Such incidents are occurring due to lack of proper inspection of the factories in the RMG sector. As a result, many factories have sprung up in residential areas without acquiring permission. These factories have no fire safety license from the Fire Service and Civil Defence, no insurance, no fire escape and even sufficient fire extinguishers inside the factories. These factories therefore, become a death trap for the workers. Such is the case of Smart Export Garments Limited.

fact-finding-RMG-Smart Export Garments-Dhaka-2013 (full text in English, PDF)
fact-finding-RMG-Smart Export Garments-Dhaka-2013 (full text in Bangla, PDF)

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