Spring
2001
Assessment Of Working Environment Of
Garments Industries
Mohammad Habibur Rahman,
Muhammad Rubaiyat Zaman,
Investigation
of occupational health and safety problem in four selected garment industries
has been carried out in this study. A working method has been developed to carry
out this investigation, based on the Work Environmental Theory, Local Theory,
Theory about Implementation Processes and National Factory Acts and Regulation.
According to the working method four factories were investigated. The management
and workers at different locations of four factories were interviewed and some
people from other organizations, working with garment industries and having some
role on occupational health and safety issues in the garment industries were
also interviewed. After investigation it was found that these factories suffer
work related problems like dust (55%), high and uncomfortable temperature (50%),
chemical exposure from fabrics (30%), high noise level (25%), poor ventilation
system and repetitive work. It was also noticed that the workers and management
were afraid of fire in the work place. Beside the occupational health and safety
problems the workers complained about low wages, abuse of labor rights and
uncertainty of the job as well. It was observed that the occupational health and
safety conditions of a factory depended not only on the internal factors like
workers behavior (understanding and reactions about the work related problems),
management behavior, stability of business (agreement with the buyers) and
economical situation of the factory, but also on the external factors like work
environment regulation, practical condition of enforcement of work environment
regulation, behavior of street level bureaucrat, government attitude in relation
to enforcement of the working environment regulation and socioeconomic situation
of the country. |