Govt determined to ensure safe working environment: Salman F Rahman

The government is determined to prevent accidents and ensure a safe working environment in factories, industries and commercial establishments, said Prime Minister's Private Industry and Investment Adviser Salman F Rahman.

"17 institutions scored below 25% percent in the specified criteria and they will get three months to improve their overall situation," he said yesterday at the end of the 2nd meeting of the National Committee formed for preventing accidents and ensuring safe working environment in commercial establishments.

"If a certain improvement does not happen within this time, those companies will be sealed," he told the meeting held at the Secretariat.

"206 companies scoring 50% will be given an opportunity for the next six months," he said, adding, action will be taken against industrial establishments failing to improve the working environment within specified time. 

All inspected industrial establishments will be notified of their existing defects and instructed to correct them within a specified period. At the same time all concerned authorities, Divisional Commissioner/Deputy Commissioner/Upazila Nirbahi Officer, local public representatives and all concerned associations will be informed about the inspection report and instructions.

Salman F Rahman informed that 5,206 establishments of nearly half a million industrial establishments in the country were visited under the Bangladesh Investment Development Authority's supervision and through DIFE (Department of Inspection for Factories and Establishments).  

"We plan to inspect another 10,000 factories," he said at the meeting, which also discussed the matter of converting the Department of Inspection of Factories and Establishments into an authority by increasing its manpower and jurisdiction.

Home Minister Asaduzzaman Khan, Local Government Minister Md Tajul Islam MP, Dhaka South City Corporation Mayor Barrister Sheikh Fazle Noor Tapas, Dhaka North City Corporation Mayor Md Atiqul Islam and State Minister for Labour and Employment Begum Mannujan Sufian MP were present in the meeting.