Garment factory fires: Here and in the USA

2 December 2012, 18:00 PM

Faruque Hasan, Alaol Avenue, Uttara, Dhaka

Photo: AFP

The Triangle Shirtwaist factory fire in New York City in 1911 caused the death of 146 garment workers, mostly women and children. Many jumped to their deaths because the doors were locked to prevent stealing. The fire at Tazreen Fashions in Dhaka in 2012 has killed 111 workers, mostly women. Most of them died because the factory doors were locked to prevent stealing. The two fires prove that Bangladesh is lagging behind at least one hundred years from the USA. The Triangle Shirtwaist factory disaster caused the US federal government to implement industrial safety standards laws. Will Bangladesh government implement safety standards law? Or will the law remain blind as usual to those who were responsible for the deaths of so many workers?