Factory Fire in Bangladesh Kills Eight
May 9, 2013
Another tragedy struck the garment district of the Bangladeshi capital of Dhaka last night. Eight people were holding an after-hours meeting in a garment factory when a fire broke out. All eight people died in the fire, having been overcome by toxic smoke from burning acrylic fabric.
Fabric and the lint it creates are both highly flammable. A fire in a garment factory has a tremendous amount of fuel and can burn through the structure very quickly. Such fires are even more deadly when unsafe industrial practices are followed. Escape doors are often locked to prevent young workers from leaving the factory, or stairways are blocked with garments. Such was the case in the deadly fire that killed 112 Bangladeshi workers in 2012. Similar problems led to the deaths of 260 Pakistani workers in factory fires in Karachi and Lahore in 2012.
The latest fire in Bangladesh comes as bodies are still being recovered from the collapse of an eight-story garment factory in Dhaka. The collapse, on April 24, occurred in a factory loft that had had three illegal stories added to a five-story building. The day before the building collapsed, large cracks appeared in the structure. The owner and manager opened the factory the next day despite these structural problems. When large generators came on during a power outage at the factory, the vibration caused the factory to collapse. Two weeks later, the death count from the factory has risen to more than 900 people, making the Dhaka collapse the most deadly accident to ever occur in the garment-trade industry.
Since the collapse, the Bangladeshi government has closed 18 garment factories for failing to meet work and safety standards. The country pledged to inspect every factory in Bangladesh as part of a safety initiative. Much of the clothing made in Bangladesh is exported to Western Europe and North America, so Western brands that were manufacturing their clothing in Bangladesh are feeling pressure to become more active concerning industrial safety on behalf of the workers who make their fashion.
Other World Book Articles:
- Bangladesh 2012 (Back in Time article)
- International trade
- Safety
- Sweatshop
- Triangle Shirtwaist Factory Fire