The Alliance for Bangladesh Worker Safety says that since the month of July, a further 36 affiliated factories completed all material components outlined in their Corrective Action Plans (CAPs).
The additions bring the total number of CAP completed factories to a “milestone” 400 – more than half of the 670 or so active factories supplying its member companies.
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Set up in the aftermath of the Rana Plaza building collapse that killed more than 1,100 workers, the Alliance performs independent inspections on the structural, electrical and fire safety of all factories from which its members source. Each factory is then provided with a Corrective Action Plan (CAP) designed to help it address safety issues and achieve compliance with Alliance safety standards. The Alliance also provides technical advice and access to low-cost loans to assist factories with remediation.
“We are confident that the vast majority of factories operating under the Alliance that supply our member companies will be in excellent shape and will function fully in accordance with our rigorous safety standards at the time of our transition at the end of this calendar year,” says Alliance executive director Jim Moriarty. “Even after the dissolution of the Alliance, Alliance member brands will continue to monitor conditions in Bangladesh factories from which they source to verify that those factories remain safe going forward.”
Across all Alliance factories, 91% of all required factory remediation has now been completed, according to the group.
The Alliance, which mainly represents North American brands and retailers, has previously told just-style that some shared factories are being remediated under the Bangladesh Accord. Some of the outstanding safety issues requiring remediation are also likely to be larger structural issues that will take longer to resolve.
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By GlobalDataNevertheless, the progress lays the groundwork for the Alliance’s planned transition to a Safety Monitoring Organization (SMO). This will include Bangladesh leadership and will oversee safety inspection and monitoring, worker training and the 24-7 Amader Kotha helpline beginning in 2019.
The helpline recently transitioned to an independent initiative in a move that expands its services beyond Alliance-affiliated factories.
Meanwhile, in addition to the new CAP completions, five factories were suspended in August, bringing the total number of factories suspended to 173. This is the first time since March that the Alliance has had to suspend factories that did not make adequate progress.
