Health and hygiene provision

Before becoming an owner of a company, one’s should know the Labor Act of Bangladesh. Tazreen
Fashion represented the unhealthy and unhygienic environment of our garments industry which was
unfocused for a long time. Before the incident no one gave importance on the environmental and
conditional situation of garments. If we take a look at the Labor Law, It is clearly mentioned that owners
should provide some basic needs to the labor which ensures the rights of every person working under a
company.

Labor Act-2006, Section 51-60 provides law about the health and hygiene issues of workers in
Bangladesh. The Labor Act mentioned about the cleanliness, ventilation and temperature, protection
formdust and fume, waste disposal services, artificial humidification, controlovercrowding, adequate lig
hting, provision of safe drink water, presence of adequate number of latrines and urinals and spittoons.
Tazreen fashion didn’t followed all the laws they must follow to remain as the member of BGMEA, but
the lacking of the application of the Law helped them to run the company without facing any penalty.

LAW:

Section 51: it is mentioned that every establishment shall be kept clean and free from effluvia arising
from any drain privy or other nuisance.

Section 52: Every workroom in the garments must have adequate ventilation facilities so that there
remain adequate circulations of fresh air in the room.

Section 56: Restricting overcrowding in the workrooms and ensuring free movement of the workers at
the workplace.

Section 57: In every part of a garments or factory where workers are working or passing, there shall be
provided and maintained sufficient and suitable lighting, natural or artificial, or both.

Section 58: States that there should be sufficient and proper arrangement for wholesome drinking
water, container legibly marked as “drinking water” and must be kept at place maintained twenty feet
away from washing place, urinals and latrines.

Section 59: There should be adequate number of specific type of latrines and urinals for the workers at
the workplace. There should be separate latrines and urinals for male and female, as well as, there
should be proper arrangements for keeping them in hygienic condition.
Findings:

 Tazreen Fashion workers worked in and unhygienic and unhealthy place.

 The sanitation was unhealthy which can cause several dieses.
 There weren’t enough places for huge labors.
 Many labor worked in a small place which increases the environmental temperature.
 Cleanness wasn’t done in regular basis.
 Labor didn’t get any support from the company while suffering from dieses.
 There wasn’t any financial support for the labors.

Recommendation:

 BGMEA should ensure that every garment is following the Labor Law of Bangladesh.
 Those who disobey the law should not treat well.
 Every garment should provide separate sanitary for both man, women and make sure that they
are separate from each other.
 Company should take the responsibility of a sick labor; if needs they should also provide
financial backups.
 To ensure health and hygienic environment every garments should follow architectural
guideline for their buildings to avoid future tragedy like Tazreen fashion.

Safety and Security provision

Safety and security issue is one of the important factors for garments industry. At first everyone should
give the guarantee of safe and secure work place. Tazreen tragedy was reported by national and
international media because of the lacking of safety and security policy which took at least 117 lives of
the workers. Because of the poor design of the building and raw construction materials the tragedy was
happened but not only for this reasons the overload of the heavy machine on the top floor silently
impacting on faulty building.

Laws:

Section 62: Every factory building should have adequate number of ‘fire exit’ and they must be marked
legibly in red colored letters.

Section 64: Only adult male workers with tight-fit outfits should be employed to work at moving type of
machinery.

Section 34-40: provides that normally no young person should be allowed to work at dangerous
machinery.
Findings:

 Inadequate number of fire exits at the work place.

 The fire exits are not properly marked in red color
 Inadequate arrangement of fire alarming in the garments
 There insufficient number of firefighting equipment’s.
 Workers are poorly trained in handling firefighting equipment’s.

Recommendation:

 Ensure well and strong physical structure of the building.

 Should train workers to use firefighting equipment’s.
 Use active fire alarm system.
 Heavy machines should place in 1st floor.
 Young person should not work in dangerous machinery.

Welfare Provision
Workers are the heart of a company and every company has some responsibilities for their workers.
Ensuring a proper environment for workers helps them to work freely but not only this it increases the
satisfaction level of the workers which has greater effects on the production. Tazreen fashion is symbols
of the whole garments industry in which most of them do not provide welfare benefits to their workers
they only believe on their own profits not in workers need.

Law:

Section 89: Every part of the establishment where workers work there should be first-aid box.

Section 92: Where 100 or more workers are ordinarily employed a canteen should be there with proper
arrangements.

Section 93: In every establishment wherein more than 50 workers are ordinarily employed, adequate
and suitable shelter or rest rooms, and suitable lunchroom with provision for drinking water.

Section 94: In every factory, wherein more than 40 women workers are ordinarily employed, there shall
be provided and maintained a suitable room or rooms for the use of children under age of six years of
such women.
Section 90 and 90A: In every establishment factory wherein more than 25 workers are employed, shall
maintained compulsory, in the manner prescribed by rule, a safety record book and safety information
board and where in any factory, 50 or more workers are employed, there shall be a Safety Committee
formed and functioned in the manner prescribed by Rule.

Findings:

 In Tazreen fashion there wasn’t enough first aid boxes for the labors.
 There wasn’t any dispensary room in Tazreen fashion.
 A very poor condition is found in the childcare facility for the female workers.
 Tazreen fashion didn’t provide any maternity facility for the women workers.
 They have no record about the safety information.

Recommendation:

 Safety issue should evaluate in a regular basis.

 First aid box is mandatory for every floor.
 Need to train workers about the usage of first aid.
 Factory building should design under the permission of BGMEA.
 Government should certified garments that follow every law.
 There must be a canteen, a restroom, and children care room for workers.
 Emergency medical should be provided if any occurrence happens.