two years after bangladesh factory collapse, a struggle to set things right

DHAKA, Bangladesh
With the machine embroidered small hearts on thousands of pieces of fabric, the needle was stuck on the vast factory floor.
Alif Embroidery Village is a factory of 1,800 workers in the suburbs of Dhaka, producing clothing for international brands such as H & M and Gap.
One by one, a young man hand-reliefs the interior belt of the Jeep with the words H & M label and silver font \"conscious cowboy.
Nearby, workers methodically printed the words \"Holly Whyte\" on their vests and added a layer of flash.
Young women in colorful Sally style
Dry the letters with your hands.
But in the hustle and bustle of everyday clothing, another kind of work is going on.
On the first floor, engineers and construction workers climbed up a large hole around the concrete column and the steel bars inside sprouted.
More than 30 concrete columns will be in these six-
Story building for months.
The hole in the ceiling is waiting to install a high
Technical smoke alarm system.
There are still plastic packages on the edge of the newly installed fire door.
Two years after the worst garment factory disaster in the world, Bangladesh\'s garment industry is in the midst of an urgent and massive effort to bring the plant to international safety standards.
At the end of the year, more than 2,700 of the 3,500 export facilities had been inspected, \"remedy \"-
Correct a series of problemsis underway.
Alif Embroidery Village is located in Savar, a bustling industrial zone packed with garment factories, just a few miles from Rana Plaza.
Two years ago on April24.
The story structure collapsed, crushing and hurting thousands of garment workers under broken cement boards and twisted metal.
More than 1,100 workers were killed and 2,500 injured.
The tragedy shocked the world and the booming garment industry in Bangladesh.
It accounts for 80% of Bangladesh\'s exports and has driven an annual economic growth of 6% in recent years.
Larna square sounded the alarm.
Calls on other factories as well as international clothing brands and the government to improve the working conditions of about 4,500 garment factories that employ 4 people.
There are 4 million workers, including about 80% women.
In the wake of the Rana Plaza disaster, more than 200 clothing brands promised to bring their source factories in line with international safety standards under two international agreements.
According to the Bangladesh Fire and Building Safety Agreement, about 1,250 factories were inspected, which represents more than 190 brands including H & M, Tesco, Primark, benetton and Inditex, the owners of zara.
According to the Bangladesh workers safety non-binding coalition, which represents the largest 26 countries in the United StatesS.
Clothing buyers including Walmart
Wal-Mart, Target and Gap have checked about 700 factories.
With the support of the government of Bangladesh, the International Labor Organization and other groups, factories that did not comply with the agreement or the alliance have been inspected under the third initiative called the National tripartite plan.
Out of about 700 factories, another 1,400 were inspected.
As of now, 32 of the 2,700 inspected factories have been closed due to imminent risks.
The factory must correct the electrical, structural and fire safety issues outlined by the inspector and posted on the public website within six to 36 weeks.
If they do not comply, the accord and alliance clothing brands must stop doing business with them.
The export license of the factory can also be revoked.
The progress of the Alliance plant varies from 80% of the facilities that completed the \"correction\" to less than 10% of the other facilities that were completed.
Tuomo Poutiainen, project manager of the International Labor Organization in Dhaka, said the large-scale and rapid arrangement of the Bangladesh mission was \"unprecedented \".
\"You can\'t see the speed of doing this anywhere else in the world,\" he said . \".
At the same time, efforts are being made to achieve safe and sustainable development by training government inspectors, through additional labor laws and organizing garment workers.
There is a sense of urgency as the alliance and Accord Group operate under the age of five
Annual agreement concluded on 2018.
Since then, the government of Bangladesh, which is working to strengthen the inspection team, will have to implement safety standards with ILO and private inspectors of large clothing brands.
After Rana square, the government recruited 218 labor inspectors to join the then 68 labor inspectors.
An additional 45 inspectors are being recruited.
\"Three years is an optimistic timeline, from nothing to a well-trained dental Inspectorate,\" said Brad Lovin, chief security inspector of the agreement . \".
\"You want you to do this faster, but the reality is that these things are not fast.
\"In order to meet the standards of certain international buyers, there were fire extinguishers, sprinklers, fire training and other safety measures in the village of Alif Embroidery before the disaster in Rana square.
But it will cost $1 to upgrade.
The factory will pay £ 5 million, said Mohammed Acket Rana, chairman and general manager of Alif Embroidery Village. (
He has nothing to do with Mohammad SOHR Rana, head of the Mohamad square, who was arrested after the collapse. )
Expensive equipment such as fire doors and hydrant pumps must be imported.
Fire doors are $2,000 per pair and fire hydrant pumps are $60,000 per pair.
Fire safety equipment and standards are often unfamiliar concepts in Bangladesh, causing confusion in many factories.
However, more progress has been made in upgrading familiar and less costly electrical systems.
About 70% of garment factory fires are caused by electricity, so improving the electrical system can have a great impact on safety.
While remediation costs are expensive, \"We want to run a good business,\" Larner said . \".
\"We think it\'s an investment.
But his factory represents the high end of Bangladesh\'s garment factories, which have upgraded funds.
At the other end, a lot of cash
Tight factories need low
Reaz Bin Mahmood, vice president of finance, Bangladesh Garment Manufacturers and Exporters Association, major industrial group, said cost loans were upgraded.
But Mahmood says more factories may be closed if they do not comply.
He was referring to the workers and he said: \"I don\'t know where these women will go if more factories are closed . \".
Poutiainen of the International Labor Organization says garment workers are an important part of ensuring the safety of the workplace in the future.
The workers hotline has been set up and more workers have joined the emerging trade unions.
But increasing the participation of workers is a disturbing prospect for many factory owners.
\"For a non-existent Labor voice, the door is opening,\" said Poutiainen . \".
The report was prepared in collaboration with the McGraw Business News Center, Graduate School of Journalism, New York City.