Bangladesh Factory Explosions renew Call for Action

London - Leading Labour Rights Groups, including the Clean Clothes Campaign, have come together to reiterate their call for swift action after a boiler explosion in a factory in Bangladesh killed at least 10 people and left dozens more injured.

A boiler exploded in a clothing factory owned by knitwear manufacturer Multifabs on July 3, causing part of the building to collapse and resulting in the death of at least 10 people. The factory, which is said to have supplied goods for Littlewoods, Aldi and Lindex, had been closed for 10 days for Eid, and was set to reopen on Tuesday, July 4. Search is said to still be underway for missing workers, as the Witness Signatories of the Accord on Fire and Building Safety in Bangladesh, Clean Clothes Campaign, International Labor Rights Forum, Worker Rights Consortium and Maquila Solidarity Network come together to demand a quick response and action following the accident.

Labor Rights Group urge the Bangladesh Accord to include boiler inspections following tragic explosion

“We extend our condolences to the families that lost loved ones in this terrible incident and our thoughts are with them and with those who were injured,” said the Group in a statement. “The boiler explosion shows the danger of poorly maintained and uninspected boilers in the garment industry in Bangladesh. Boilers are currently not covered under the inspections of the Accord on Fire and Building Safety in Bangladesh, which stipulates that the boiler room be separate from the rest of the factory with fire-rated construction, but does not include inspections of the boilers themselves to detect explosion risk.”

The Labor Rights Groups argue that the separation of boilers is an insufficient measure against fire-related risks, as seen in the explosion which took place in Mulitfabs and is urging the Accord safety standard and Accord inspection programs are immediately expanded to include the inspection of boilers. The Accord’s Witness Signatories have advocated for the inclusion of boilers in the Accord since 2014, and the Groups are calling upon brands and retailers alike to take action now to include boilers. In order to include the inspection of boilers in the Accord, the steering committee, the leadership body of the Accord, will need to approve of the addition to the Accord’s safety standard and the Accord’s inspectorate will have to add on the technical capacity to inspect boilers.

“Both should be done without delay and a program to inspect all boilers in factories product for Accord signatory brands and retailers should be swiftly launched,” added the Labor Rights Groups. In addition, the Group are also urging the Accord to address any other safety hazards which have cause accidents in garment factories over the past years, but are not included in the scoop of the Accord ’s program. This includes checking for defects in factory generators, gas lines and freight elevators. “The Bangladesh government, apparel brands and factory owners have a responsibility to provide remedy following safety failures. They should now ensure a swift process to provide the families affected by the boiler explosion and fire at Multifabs with all medical care necessary as well as full and fair compensation.”

The Labor Rights Groups are currently in the process of identifying and confirming which brands sourced from the factory in order to seek out compensation and medical care for the victims affected by the factory explosion. A statement from fashion company Lindex on its website regarding the explosion said:“We take this accident very seriously but now our main concern is with those suffering from the accident. Our deepest sympathies and condolences goes to the affected families. We have been cooperating with Multifabs for many years and we will work together and support them in any way we can. As part of our health and safety work, we signed the Bangladesh Accord in 2013. Since then we have seen a significant improvement in this area. So far it looks like it is a terrible accident that has occurred. We are currently monitoring the situation, our local Lindex employees are at the factory together with the Bangladesh Accord to assist and find out what has happened.”

The call to action follows on from the 3 year renewal of the Bangladesh Accord on Fire and Building Safety, which saw 13 current retailers renew their commitment and an additional 8 new brands signing the agreement, including global retailers such as H&M, Primark and Inditex (Zara). The new agreement is set to ensure that over 1,000 garment factories in Bangladesh offer workers safe working conditions.

Photo: Courtesy of the Clean Clothes Campaign