WASHINGTON – The Alliance for Bangladesh Worker Safety can point to a huge spike in factories completing Corrective Action Plans (CAPs) in the past 18 months. The North American body announced latest figures in its fifth and final report this week. Figures show 93 per cent of remediation is complete across Alliance-affiliated factories, with 428 factories having achieved completion of their initial Corrective Action Plans. In addition, nearly 1.6 million workers have been trained in fire safety and more than 28,000 security guards have been trained in fire safety and emergency evacuation procedures.
More than 1.5 million workers in 1,017 factories now have access to the Alliance’s 24-hour confidential worker helpline, which has been transferred to local leadership and will soon be available to factories across the entire industry in Bangladesh.
Worker Safety Committees have been formed and are operating in 181 factories, giving workers a seat at the table with management in resolving safety issues within their factories. The Alliance said it has also developed local training providers to expand its worker training and safety committee programs beyond Alliance-affiliated factories and create a sustainable ecosystem of safety in Bangladesh. The Alliance is now transitioning its training program and helpline to local partners who, it is said, will continue both and expand them to additional factories throughout Bangladesh. It is understood that Alliance member brands plan to work through a locally-based organisation to collectively monitor safety standards, training execution and helpline promotion in the factories from which they source, as consistency in the level of safety achieved under the Alliance will remain a requirement of these brands.
“In these past five years, the Alliance, our member brands and the owners of Alliance-affiliated factories have achieved unprecedented progress toward the goal of improving safety in Bangladesh’s ready-made garment industry, while simultaneously helping to solidify Bangladesh’s standing as a global leader in garment exports,” said Alliance executive director Jim Moriarty. “Maintaining this progress must remain an ongoing effort—and for our member brands, it will remain a top priority long beyond the Alliance’s departure.”
“The US Embassy in Dhaka applauds the achievements of the Alliance, and will continue to strongly support the brands’ efforts to monitor safety and empower workers in their factories, said U.S. Ambassador to Bangladesh Earl R. Miller. “With this work, the Alliance has set a standard for the industry to follow in Bangladesh.”