A total of 477 garment factories, out of the 2,200 units inspected by the western retailers' platforms, have so far completely fixed the safety hazards, identified in their initial inspection, sources said.
Engineers of Accord on Fire and Building Safety in Bangladesh have inspected some 1,600 units, and 142 out of them have been fully remediated. The number is 335 for the factories under Alliance for Bangladesh Worker Safety, out of 600 units, they added.
Accord and Alliance were formed to improve the workplace safety situation in the country's readymade garment (RMG) sector immediately after the Rana Plaza building collapse that killed more than 1,100 workers on April 24, 2013.
"A total of 142 factories have completed all remediation from initial inspection, out of which 14 factories have remediated all the issues, including the new findings," according to Accord quarterly report, released on April 24 last.
Remediation is close to completion in 767 factories under Accord, which have completed more than 90 per cent of their remediation, it added.
Accord, a platform of more than 220 global brands, buyers and trade unions mostly based in European Union (EU), reported 84 per cent overall remediation progress till April 01.
While marking this significant progress, major life-threatening safety concerns remain outstanding in too many factories, and these need to be fixed urgently, Accord said in the report.
The concerns included inadequately-protected fire exits, insufficient fire alarm and fire protection systems, and outstanding structural retrofitting work, it added.
Accord received some 614 complaints, out of which 185 were not health- and safety-related issues. Some 197 complaints, raised by workers or their representatives, have been resolved by its safety and health complaints mechanism. Currently, 124 complaints are under investigation.
Accord has so far terminated business relation with 109 of its listed suppliers due to non-compliance of post-inspection remedial work, it mentioned.
On the other hand, Alliance has suspended business with a total of 168 factories due to their lack of progress in ensuring safe working environment, according to its official website.
