Factory
Inspectorate - Number of Inspectors
Information
provided to the CCA by the Inspectorate shows that
in August 2006 the number of employed inspectors responsible
for either health or safety in either factories
or docks for the whole of Bangladesh was only 20.
This is in fact a decrease of 1 compared to the number
of inspectors present in 1984.
Numbers
of inspectors with a health and safety function in
1984 and 2006
| |
1984 |
2006 |
| DCI
(Eng) |
1 |
2 |
| DCI
(Medical) |
1 |
1 |
Inspector
(Eng)
|
5
|
8 |
| Asst
Insp (Eng) |
4 |
2 |
| Inspector
(Med) |
4 |
5 |
| Asst
Insp (Med) |
4 |
1 |
| Dock
Labour |
2 |
1 |
| Total
Inspectors |
21 |
20 |
Source:
Government of Bangladesh Report to ILO Committee,
1984; and Factory Inspectorate information, 2006
This
decrease in the number of inspectors since 1984 should
be contrasted with the 67% increase in number of registered
premises and 140% increase in the number of workers
in this period. It should be noted that as far back
as 1984 the ILO's Committee of Experts, considered
the Government to have an inadequate number of inspectors
- but 22 years on, the situation is no better.
Number
of Registered Factories
| |
1998 |
1993 |
2002 |
2006 |
%
increase |
| Dhaka |
6,471
|
7,470
|
10,028 |
11,665
|
80% |
| Chittagong |
3,334
|
3,719
|
4,390
|
4,851 |
45% |
| Khulna |
517
|
579 |
681 |
863 |
67% |
| Rajshai |
4,211
|
4,416 |
4,898 |
6,850 |
62% |
|
Total |
14,533
|
16,184 |
19,997 |
24,229
|
67% |
Source:
Factory Inspectorate Reports.
Numbers
of Workers
| |
1998 |
1993 |
2002 |
2006 |
%
increase |
| Dhaka |
490,606
|
554,056 |
970,229
|
1,060,394 |
116% |
| Chittagong |
160,317
|
219,905 |
396,241 |
561,903
|
250% |
| Khulna |
82,309
|
87,087
|
99,546
|
108,845
|
32%
|
| Rajshai |
121,656
|
143,962 |
234,006
|
313,056
|
157%
|
|
Total |
854,888 |
1,005,010 |
1,700,022
|
2,044,198
|
140%
|
Source:
Factory Inspectorate Reports.
In
Dhaka, there are four ‘safety’ inspectors
(though the Deputy Chief Inspector in not involved
in active inspections) and three “health”
inspectors responsible for 11,665 premises. The number
of inspectors has not changed in the last five years.
In Chittagong (where the ship-breaking yards are located),
for the last two years there have only been three
active inspectors - none of whom undertake occupational
health inspections – responsible for 4851 premises.
(There are a number of unfilled positions in the Dhaka
office.) There is no dock labour inspector for the
port in Mongla. The table shows the lack of relationship
between numbers of premises and numbers of inspectors.
Numbers
of Health and Safety Factory and Dock Safety Inspectors
by Division, August 2006
| |
Dhaka |
Chittagong |
Khulna |
Rajshai |
| Factory
Safety |
|
|
|
|
| Deputy
Chief Inspector (engineering) |
1 |
0 |
1 |
0 |
| Inspector
(engineering) |
2 |
2 |
2 |
2 |
| Assistant
Inspector (engineering) |
1 |
1 |
0 |
0 |
| Factory
Health |
|
|
|
|
| Deputy
Chief Inspector (medical) |
0 |
0 |
0 |
1 |
| Inspector
(medical) |
2 |
0 |
1 |
2 |
| Assistant
Inspector (medical) |
1 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
| Dock
Safety |
|
|
|
|
| Dock
Labour Inspector |
1 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
| Total
Health and Safety inspectors |
7 |
4 |
4 |
5 |
|
Total Registered Premises |
11,665
|
4,851
|
863
|
6850 |
It
is important to note that when an Inspector (engineering)
does an inspection, s/he is only looking at safety
issues; and when an inspector (medical) does an inspection,
s/he is only looking at health issues. Therefore in
order for a company to have a full health and safety
inspection, it requires two inspectors.
The
Factory Inspectorate has, over the years, asked the
Labour Ministry for more staff. Since the fire at
KTS Garments the issue of more inspectors is again
before the Ministry. There does not however seem to
be sufficient commitment to follow this process through.
|
