Report On The Fire Accident At Tazreen Fashion Limited

Date of Submission : 31 March 2014

Submitted by :

Zaimun Saleheen Jamil

Head of Administration, Tazreen Fashion Limited
Sayed Tanvir Alam
Deputy Head of Administration, Tazreen Fashion Limited
Sayed Amir Hamza
General Secretary, Tazreen Fashion Limited
Md. Monir Hossen
Secretar, Tazreen Fashion Limited
Md. Evanoor Rahman (Evan)
Secretar, Tazreen Fashion Limited
Ariffuzzaman
Secretar, Tazreen Fashion Limited
Rajibul Islam
Head of Tazreen Fire Accident Investigation Team
Mahamuda Akhter
Deputy Head of Tazreen Fire Accident Investigation Team

Page | 1
 Table of Contents

Content Page No.

Background 3

Introduction 4

Description of the incident 6

Discussion on the effect of the incident on the company's business 7

Initiatives taken for treatment of injured worker 8

Compensation 9

Condition of some victim or their family 10

Insurance 10

Key findings 10

Comments of Mr. Delwar Hossen, Owner of Tazreen Fashion Ltd. 11

Source of information 12

Conclusion 13

Recommendation 14

Bibliography 15

Report On the Fire Accident At Tazreen Fashion Limited | 2

Background
Bangladesh's textile sector is concentrated in export processing zones in Dhaka
and Chittagong. The textile industry includes knitwear, ready-made garments and
some specialized textile products. The export from textile sector accounts for
about 80% of the total exports from Bangladesh. Bangladesh now ranks third in
world textile exports (by value), only lagging behind Turkey and China, US and
Europe are the major export destinations for Bangladesh garments. There has
been intensive strife in the garment industry sector through the years as workers
most basic demands for acceptable minimum wages; work safety and freedom of
association remain unmet, while the protests and riots of workers are met with
police and company repression. Low salaries, unsafe working conditions, lack of
proper training methods, and other issues make the RMG sector as one of the
most hazardous to work in. More than 500 workers have lost their lives in the
past 5 years due to fires in various factories. Some of the major incidents of fires
in factories in RMG sector include deaths of 51 workers in fire at Garib and Garib,
Matrix Sweater and Ha-Meem Group in 2010, death of 65 workers in factory fire
at Chitagong KTS composite textile mills in 2006, death of 20 workers at
Narayangonj Sun Knitting in 2005, 48 workers killed in a fire at a garment factory
in Narshingdi in 2004, 53 workers killed in 2000 in a fire at Narshingdi Chowdhury
Knitwear, death of 22 workers at Mirpur Rahman & Rahman Apparels in 1997,
death of 27 workers at Mirpur Tamanna Garments in 1997,and 27 killed in fire at
Mirpur Sareka Garments in 1990.

Report On the Fire Accident At Tazreen Fashion Limited | 3

Introduction

Factory Information :

1. Factory Name Tazreen Fashion Limited

2. Factory Address Plot: 252, 253 & 258 Monoshontospur,
Nischintapur, Ashulia, Saver,
Dhaka-1341, Bangladesh
3. Year of 01 March 2009
Establishment
4. Building Structure Nine Stored
5. Total Area Factory : 49,000 Sq. Ft.
Office : 2000 Sq. Ft.
6. Total Production Line Production Running – 12 Lines
7. Total Employees Workers : 1200 Persons.
Executives : 20 Persons.
Others : 80 Persons.
8. Total Machineries 650 Sets.
9. Item of Production Knit Polo Shirt
Fleece Jacket (fancy)
Basic T Shirt
10. Production Capacity Knit- Polo shirt : 8,00,000 Pcs
Per Month Fleece Jacket (Fancy) : 3,00,000 pcs
Basic –T-Shirt : 10,00,000 pcs
11. Annual Turnover 3 Million U.S Dollars Per Month
36 Million U.S. Dollars Per Years
12. Major Buyers Walmart, KIK GMBH, Teddy Smith Ace, C&A,
Li & Fung, Infinity Women, Karl Rieker,
Carrefour, Dickies, Ikea etc.

The Tazreen Fashion Limited, a sister concern of the Tuba group, employed 1,630
workers, who produced T-shirts, polo shirts and jackets. The factory produced
clothes for various companies, including the US Marines, Dutch company C&A,
American company Walmart and Hong Kong company Li & Fung. The Tuba group
is a major exporter of garments from Bangladesh to the U.S., Germany, France,
Italy and the Netherlands, whose clients include Walmart, Carrefour and IKEA.

Report On the Fire Accident At Tazreen Fashion Limited | 4

The factory was flagged in May 2011 with an 'orange' grade by a Walmart ethical
sourcing official for violations and/or conditions which were deemed to be high
risk. The notice said that any factory receiving three such assessments in two
years would not receive Walmart orders for one year.

On Saturday 24 November 2012 at around 06:30 pm a devastating fire broken out

in Tajreen Fashion's factor at Nischintapur, Ashulia, Saver, Dhaka and it was
managed to bring the blaze under control at around 6 am, after more than 11
hours of frantic efforts. A total of 111 workers died and around 300 workers
injured in this incident. Only 58 dead bodies was identified which are received by
deceased family or relatives. Rest of 53 dead bodies was laid down in Jurain
graveyard after DNA sample collection.

On 27 November 2012, Walmart America ended its relationship with Tuba, which
Walmart stated had been contracted by a supplier without its knowledge. The
corporation also said that it would be working with suppliers to improve fire
safety. Walmart also said it would donate US $1,600,000 to Institute for
Sustainable Communities, which will use the donation to set up an Environmental,
Health and Safety Academy in Bangladesh. Scott Nova, executive director of
Worker Rights Consortium, said the donation is too little to make the industry
safe, particularly because many factories do not even have basic safety features
such as fire escapes.

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Description of the incident

On Saturday 24 2012 at 06:30 pm, a fire broke out in Tazreen Fashion's factory at
Nischintapur, Ashulia, Saver, Dhaka, Bangladesh. At least 111 people were
confirmed dead in the fire, and at least 200 were injured, making it the deadliest
factory fire in the nation's history. It is unclear what caused the fire but officials
suspect an electrical short circuit might have caused the disaster. This fire is also
known as 'The 2012 Dhaka Fire' now.

The fire, presumably caused by a short circuit, started on the ground floor of the
nine-story factory with the top three floors under construction, trapping the
workers. Because of the large amount of fabrics and yarn in the factory, the fire
quickly spread to other floors, complicating firefighting operations. The fire
burned for more than seventeen hours before firefighters succeeded in
extinguishing it.

The factory lacked emergency exits that led out of the building. Of the building's
three staircases, all three led through the ground floor, making them unusable in
the fire. These exits were also very narrow. There was no power supply so the
building was in darkness and made it difficult for the people to escape the
building.

Most of the workers died because they could not come out of the factory when
the fire engulfed the building. All the workers were trying to come out from the
factory through the stairs and made the stair staircase extremely crowded and
more made it more difficult to come out of the factory.

Some workers escaped the building by climbing out of a third-floor window onto
the bamboo scaffolding that was being used by construction workers. Other
workers who had escaped to the roof of the building were successfully rescued.
The number of rescued was unclear.

2,000 people used to work in the factory. Most workers had left for the day when
the fire started but as many as 600 workers were still inside working overtime.
Most victims were found on the second floor, where at least 69 bodies were
recovered. Twelve of the victims died leaping from windows to escape the flames.
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Others died of their injuries after been taken to area hospitals. Unofficial sources
put the number of dead at more than 120.

The factory building was in crowded area and there was no wide streets attached
to it. All the streets which lead to the factory was very narrow. Absent of
sufficient approach road was the main difficulty to put out the fire. The fire
service had to take great trouble to approach the factory. The fire department
also said that rescue operations have been very difficult because the factory was
packed with fabrics, yarn and cotton. Death toll raised because firefighters could
not enter some floors of the building. Firefighters managed to contain the blaze at
the morning of Sunday 25 November 2012.

Burned bodies were lined up in front of the brunt building for recognition. A
crowd of thousands of relatives of factory employees and onlookers gathered at
the scene. Due to the crowd and it was becoming difficult for the relatives of the
victims to recognize the bodies. So army soldiers were deployed to maintain
order. Some bodies were also sent to the hospitals and police stations. Relatives
of factory employees had to check all these places to find the body of their loved
ones. Most of the bodies were burnt beyond recognition. So, authorities started
burials while The injured workers were taken to local hospitals for treatment of
burns and smoke inhalation. The nearby hospitals became filled by these injured
workers and many in these hospitals also caused some deaths.

Discussion on the effect of the incident on the company's business

How should the losses caused by November 24 fire at Ashulia’s tazreen fashions
be accounted for. The owner of the factory and director of Tuba Group that has
six other garment factories, the losses mean burnt sticks, cancelled orders and
missed opportunities of making profit. All of these can be measured min
monetary terms. The loss of taka 63 core to the five-member committee that was
formed by the home minister to probe the incident but actual losses consist in
lost business opportunities since many buyers are not comfortable placing orders
with the Tuba group after the Tazreen fire. Exported worth only $31 lakh in the
last 11 months, liming that exported about $40-50 lakh worth of merchandise a
month had the fire incident not taken place. These numbers, however, mean
Report On the Fire Accident At Tazreen Fashion Limited | 7
nothing to two years old Masum Rana and 18 month old Mizanur Rahman, two
cousins who lost their mothers in the fire.

The annual turnover of the factory was over USD 36 million. The major buyers
including Wal Mart, KIK GMBH, Teddy Smith Acc, C&A, Li 7 Fung, infinity Women,
Karl Rieker, Carrefour, Dickies, Lkea etc . The fire resulted in the deaths of 111
workers and more than 300 workers injured. Walmart cancelled its import
contract with this factory considering its inadequate occupational safety
measures.

The Bangladesh Occupational Safety, health and Environment Foundation carried

out an independent investigation into the incident to highlight the root causes
and failures resulting in the large number of death and injuries in the incident .
The team conducted field investigations, visited the factory site, met the workers
and victim of the factory, met government officials and others Stakeholders. The
finding of the report were present during a multi stake holder consultation on
Safe Work at Garments Factory in Bangladesh.

After all this matter government to ensure the implementation of the Bangladesh
Labour Act 2006 other relevant laws and International Convention &
recommendation on health and safety. Formation of the mobile courts at the
factory level to ensure that workers get speedy justice for their disputes.
Strengthening of government structure like factory inspectors and fire safety,
establishing a culture of accountable.

Initiatives taken for treatment of injured worker

 BGMEA
BGMEA took an initiative to take the responsibility of treatment
of all injured worker in Tazreen fire incident. They have already
developed a list of 63 injured workers and decided to give BDT
100,000 in each injured worker. Authority said this list can be
extended. It’s depending on need.

Report On the Fire Accident At Tazreen Fashion Limited | 8

  Govt
From Govt. side there is no visible initiative to take the
responsibility of injured workers.

 Trade Union
They are not providing any shorts of financial support or
treatment facilities towards the injured workers. Actually TU
are acting as a pressure group to ensure the rights of workers.

 NGO/Others
Some NGOs or CBOs working for profiling/ listing death, injured
and missing worker. Some organizations are trying to find out
the causes of fire and way out. Beside this from NGOs a joint
writ petition was filed to the court. Actually most of
organizations are working to generate the information.

Compensation

 General Workers:
One of BGMEA official said, they have already given all sorts of
dues & compensation to workers as per BLA 2006 except
injured and death workers. On 5th December 2012 at the
premise of Industrial Relation Institute (IRI) BGMEA paid dues
and compensation money to the workers with the presence
concern government officials and trade union leaders.

 Death Compensation:
Govt. declared that all deceased family will received taka
600,000 as compensation.

 Injured Worker:
One of BGMEA official said all of identified injured worker will
get compensation. He also said distribution of compensation
among injured workers already started.

Report On the Fire Accident At Tazreen Fashion Limited | 9

Stories of some victims

 Sumaiya, a worker, lost her eye in the Tazreen Fashion fire and
now a tumor has been discovered in her brain. She doesn’t
know how she will pay for her treatment.

 All that is left for Masum, a young boy of a worker at Tazreen

Fashion Limited, is his mother's photographs. His mother
Mahfuza Begum used to bring him to the factory with her and
used to wave at him from the third floor of the building during
her breaks. Mahfuza's could not find her body. They gave
samples of Masum and his grandfather’s blood at the DNA lab
but the samples did not match the DNA of any of the
unidentified bodies- said. Her family did not even get to know
of a grave where he can go to shed a tear when he grows up.

 The body of Mitu was kept in the school field where all the
bodies were kept. Her son, Mizanur, identified her from her
sandal and locket. He said his family had received Tk 1 lakh
from the BGMEA, Tk 6 lakh from nongovernmental
organization. While Mizanur received at least Tk 7 lakh for
losing the most beloved person in his life, Masum did not
receive a penny.

 Mirazul Islam, who jumped from the fourth floor and broke his
left hand.

 Reba Khatun, who still walks with a limp and Anisa Begum, who
received spinal injuries.

Insurance
Authority of Delta Life Insurance Co. Ltd. (official insurance Company of BGMEA.)
said only 20 workers will get BDT 100.000 as group insurance benefit. They will

Report On the Fire Accident At Tazreen Fashion Limited | 10

distribute this amount of money after receiving the 20 workers list from BGMEA.

Key findings
 There was no fire or emergency exit or stairways.
 All exit ways meet at the ground floor and that was used as
main entrance and exit ways. Fire originated from ground floor.
So there was no scope to come outside using these exit ways.
 Owner did not follow building code, as the nine-storey factory
had permission for three floors.
 The ground floor was being using as a storage facility. There
were a stuck of spin, fabric and other raw materials which
helped spread up the fire rapidly.
 High voltage electricity transformer was at the ground floor as
well as beside the stairway. The stuck of spin and fabric was
much closed to this transformer.
 Production manager and linesmen had stopped workers on the
second and the third floor from using the staircase when they
tried to get out in panic after the fire alarm went off, that
trapped many of them in the inferno. They also said, it was a
false alarm’. Highest number of dead body (69) was recovered
from 2nd floor.
 Workers were not trained on fire safety.
 Fire extinguishers and other fire defense materials were
inadequate.
 Most of the workers died due to suffocation and burn. Only six
workers died due to fall from height.
 There were no sufficient water sources inside or outside the
factory. Nearby ground floor water line was blocked by stored
materials. There is no system to reserve water in overhead
tank.
 The factory did not have a renewed fire certificate either. It
applied for the certificate but did not get it till the day of the
fire.
 Finally unpardonable negligence on the part of owner was
responsible for the deaths of so many workers.

Report On the Fire Accident At Tazreen Fashion Limited | 11

Comments of Mr. Delwar Hossen, owner of Tazreen Fashion ltd.

"Mr. Delwar Hosen said. It was unknown to him that only 20 workers will get
insurance benefit. We have deposited money to renew fire license but authority
did not renewed, Delwar added. He confessed that all staircase meet inside the
ground floor, it was wrong. He also said, there was no electric line where fire
originated."

Source of Information

 Website of Bangladesh Occupational Safety Health &

Environment Foundation (OSHE)
 Website of Tazreen Fashion Limited
 Website of BGMEA
 News Report
 Internet
 Electronic Media

Report On the Fire Accident At Tazreen Fashion Limited | 12

Conclusion

From the information portrayed in this report we can understand that this fire
accident at Tazreen Fashion Limited caused a great harm to the workers, the
owner and also the companies Tazreen Fashion used to do business with. A huge
amount of valuable goods brunt with it. It hampered Tazreen Fashion's and our
country's relation with foreign buyers. It caused huge loss of valuable life. It gave
numerous number of family shock which they will never forget.

If some safety measurements were installed in this factory, this incident would
not become such brutal. Safety is neglected in our country widely. Thus our
country was face some brutal massive accidents. If safety is not taken in regard
we will face them again.

To avoid this kind of accidents, a building should be built according to the building
code. Safety measurements should be installed. Fire safety measurements such
as fire exit should be made when constructing the building and fire extinguishers,
fire alarm etc. should be maintained on each floor.

Safety of workplace is a right of workers. If workers are not given safety in a

company or industry, the workers should protest against it. They should take
these to the responsible authorities and force the company to provide their right.
There are very strict laws and penalties against these.

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Unfortunately in our country workers themselves neglect their right of safety at
workplace. A person should be concerned about himself/herself, the people
he/she works with and the people who works under him/her.

Recommendation:

a. Government should formulate and implement Occupational Safety and

Health (OSH) Policy on priority basis
b. Properly implement Bangladesh Labour Law and other relevant laws in
all factories
c. Increase the capacity (manpower & logistic) of Department of Inspection
for Factories & establishment and introduce separate inspection system
for RMG sector
d. Government should take steps to operate mobile courts in factory level
regularly to ensure occupational safety & health
e. Every factory owners should establish building properly following the
Bangladesh National Building Code and fire safety guideline
f. Form participatory fire safety committee and OSH committee in each
floor & give them proper training and keep it active
g. Arrange fire safety and OSH training regularly including refreshers
training. Also arrange effective fire drill regularly
h. Ensure availability of fire defense materials in each floor of the
establishment and use of it when needed
i. Introduce automated fire defense system at factory level
j. Use separate establishment for warehouse & production unit
k. Roof top and all gates of the factory where workers movement exist are
remain open during working hour employing adequate number of

Report On the Fire Accident At Tazreen Fashion Limited | 14

 security guards in each gate
l. Every factory should have emergency exits or stairways as part of legal
obligation
m. Maintain all machines, tools & equipments properly & regularly
Develop a separate RMG Workers Welfare Fund with the contribution of concern
employers association, buyers, brands, workers and government to ensure social
security of the workers.

BIBLIOGRAPHY

From BBC News:

More than 100 people are now known to have died in a fire that swept through a
clothes factory in Bangladesh, local officials say. The blaze broke out late on
Saturday in the multi-floor Tazreen Fashion factory in the Ashulia district on the
outskirts of the capital Dhaka. Some people died after jumping from the building
to escape the flames. It is unclear what caused the fire, which started on the
ground floor trapping many victims in the factory. Officials suspect an electrical
short circuit might have caused the disaster. Firefighters managed to contain the
blaze on Sunday morning. Fatal fires are common in Bangladesh's large garment
manufacturing sector, and the BBC's Anbarasan Ethirajan in Dhaka says Western
companies are likely to renew pressure on the local businesses to improve safety.
In a separate development, at least 13 people died when a flyover under
construction collapsed late on Saturday in the south-eastern city of Chittagong,
police said. The authorities are investigating both accidents
Initial reports said eight people had been killed in the factory fire, but the scale of
the disaster became clear when rescue workers entered the building on
Sunday."We resumed our search this morning and found the bodies lying on
different floors of the factory building," Brigadier General Abu Nayeem
Mohammad Shahidullah of the Dhaka fire brigade told AFP news agency. Later
reports said that 120 people had died, but the number of fatalities was then
lowered to at least 112. A number of people are believed to be missing. The fire
started on the ground floor - which was reportedly used as a warehouse - and
Report On the Fire Accident At Tazreen Fashion Limited | 15
quickly spread through the building. Senior fire department official Mohammad
Mahbub told the Associated Press news agency that the factory had no fire exit
on the outside of the building."Had there been at least one emergency exit
through outside the factory, the casualties would have been much lower," he
said. The factory owner denied the allegations that the building was unsafe to
work in."It is a huge loss for my staff and my factory. This is the first time we have
ever had a fire at one of my seven factories," Delwar Hossain told AFP. Police and
soldiers were deployed to keep the situation under control as thousands of
anxious relatives of factory employees gathered at the scene."Where's my son?"
cried Sabina Yasmine. She said she saw the body of her daughter-in-law, who died
in the fire, but her son was missing, AP reports.Relatives of the factory's workers
gathered at the scene - desperate for news about their loved ones.She expressed
fury at the factory owners, who she blamed for the fire.Fatal fires are common in
Bangladesh's large garment manufacturing sector.Lax safety standards, poor
wiring and overcrowding are blamed for causing several deadly factory fires every
year.In December 2010, a wiring problem led to a fire in another clothes factory in
the same industrial zone, leaving at least 25 people dead.There are around 4,500
factories in Bangladesh, employing more than two million people.Clothes account
for up to 80% of Bangladesh's $24bn (£15bn) annual exports.UK Foreign Office
Minister Baroness Warsi said she was "shocked and saddened to learn of the
tragic loss of life".

From The Telegraph:

By David Bergman, and Muktadir Rashid
The fire, which is thought to have been caused by an electrical short circuit, began
on Saturday evening and took 13 hours to control. It was only yesterday morning,
that the full extent of the death toll was discovered. A total of 111 people are
thought to have died.
It was the first major fire in Bangladesh's garment factories in six years, and one
of the country's most deadly fires. The factory, which is in the village Nischintapur
just outside Dhaka, employed about 1,200 workers. It is owned by Tazreen
Fashion, part of the Tuba group, which sells to companies such as Walmart, Teddy
Smith and the Edinburgh-based EWM.

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Bharat Chandra Bishwas, a fire service official, said it appeared to have been
caused by short circuits from a generator. Habibur Rahman, Dhaka's police chief,
said sabotage was not suspected.

From Asia Times:

By Syed Tashfin Chowdhury
DHAKA - Bangladesh observed a national day of mourning on Tuesday following a
fire that killed more than 100 workers at a readymade garments factory on
Saturday and also to mark the deaths on the same day of 26 people when a
flyover under construction in Chittagong collapsed.

The fire at Tazreen Fashions Ltd, a garments factory owned by the Bangladeshi
conglomerate Tuba Group, led to the death of reportedly 111 workers, whose
bodies were recovered after the fire was brought under control on Sunday
morning, almost 11 hours after the blaze broke out on the evening of November
24. Witnesses and survivors alleged that the real number dead is possibly much
higher.

The worst industrial disaster in Bangladesh's history has againraised international

concern over the safety and disaster management standards at most garments
factories in the country, many of which supply the Western world with cheap and
popular clothing.

The reason for the blaze is not yet known, with Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina
raising the prospect of a political motive while some survivors said they had been
promised before the tragedy that they would receive on Sunday three-months'
unpaid wages and an unpaid standard bonus for the October Eid festival.

Tazreen Fashions, located in a rural area of Ashulia district nearly a three-hour

drive from Dhaka, occupies a nine-storied building, with a space of nearly 1,500
square meters on each floor. The ground floor, which stored the factory's raw
materials, had the only entrance to the factory, with three staircases leading to
other floors.

The factory's main operations took place from the first to the fifth floors, with the
three remaining floors still under construction. According to survivors and
Report On the Fire Accident At Tazreen Fashion Limited | 17
witnesses, the fire broke out on the ground floor around 6:15pm on Saturday.
Manik Mia, who was working on the fifth floor, escaped immediately after
hearing the fire warning siren. "I managed to rush down the stairs and ran out of
the factory, not heeding what my production manager had to say. But I also
witnessed how production managers of the first and second floors were barring
workers from leaving their workstations, calling it a 'fire drill'," he said.

Although this seemed to ease the minds of some workers, panic broke out about
seven minutes later when smoke began to billow upwards. Workers, mostly
female, stampeded to the first and second floors in a bid to make it to the
ground-floor entrance. But as fire barred access to the stairs and the only gates
were also allegedly locked up under instruction of management, possibly fearing
looting, the workers tried to break through upstairs windows. Some tried to scale
the pipes outside the building and others jumped through holes they managed to
make by breaking large exhaust fans on the first floor.

Some workers managed survived their falls from upper floors with severe injuries.
Others were not so fortunate. According to fire department sources, those
"trapped on the first and second floors could not come out as there were not
enough exits".

Witnesses claimed that the fire department vehicles reached the spot around
9:30pm on Saturday. The fire was brought under control around 5am on Sunday.

After the recovery work was suspended around Sunday evening, some reporters
and workers went into the charred building. Mahfuzul Haque, a journalist with
New Age, told Asia Times Online, "I walked into the second floor to find a skull.
There was no skin on it. The rest of the body was nowhere to be found. Here and
there lay body parts like hair, arms etc. There were pieces of glass bangles all over
the floor, as mostly female workers had faced the tragedy."

More than 500 Bangladeshi workers have died in factory fires since 2006,
according to Clean Clothes Campaign, an Amsterdam-based anti-sweatshop
advocacy group. Such a list would have been reduced if most of the nearly 3,000

Report On the Fire Accident At Tazreen Fashion Limited | 18

apparel factories in Bangladesh, employing over 3 million workers, had met fire
safety standards, according to labor experts in Bangladesh.

"The manner in which the gates of the only entrances to most factories are
locked, thus trapping thousands of workers inside the factory once a shift begins -
and also in the case of such disasters or unrest - is a punishable offence according
to Bangladesh's Labour Act of 1965," Syed Sultan Uddin Ahmed, assistant
executive director of Bangladesh Institute of Labour Studies told Asia Times
Online. He urged a proper investigation by the five committees that have been set
up to investigate the tragedy.

"Inquiry committees were also formed during earlier fires, like the one at Ha-
meem garments factory in December 2010 that claimed the lives of at least 23
workers. But no concrete report was made public later. This should not happen
this time," he said.

Tazreen Fashion's parent company, Tuba Group, exports apparel products to

major brands like Walmart, Carrefour and IKEA, according to its website. Its
Tazreen factory, which opened in 2009, employed about 1,600 people to make
polo shirts, fleece jackets and T-shirts. These were exported to countries like USA,
Germany, Italy, France, the Netherlands and others.

Tuba's website displays a document mentioning that Tazreen was rated "orange",
which stands for a high-risk safety rating, following a May 2011 audit conducted
by an "ethical sourcing" assessor assigned by Walmart, the world's largest retail
company.

Walmart spokesman Kevin Gardner said after the blaze that Walmart was "so far
unable to confirm that Tazreen is a supplier to Walmart nor if the document
referenced in the article is in fact from Walmart."

The New York Times quoted the International Labour Rights Forum, which tracks
fires in the Bangladesh garment industry, as saying that documents and logos
found in the debris indicated that the factory produced clothes for Walmart's
"Faded Glory" line as well as for other American and foreign companies.

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Shafiul Islam Mohiuddin, president of the Bangladesh Garment Manufacturers
and Exporters Association, maintained at a press conference on Monday, "It is a
large, ultra-modern, compliant factory", while also admitting that the production
managers on the first and second floors were at fault for not letting the workers
go during the disaster.

Mohiuddin suggested that the incident could be sabotage, echoing comments by

Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina to parliament on Monday that the fire was "pre-
planned".

Hasina brought the parliament's attention to how on Sunday, as the ashes of the
Tazreen factory were still warm, a worker at a Debonair garments factory, also in
Ashulia, set a fire inside her then empty workplace. The fire was doused before it
could cause damage.

"I have seen video footage of it recorded on the CCTV camera," Hasina said. The
worker, one Sumi Begum, "was paid 20,000 takas for torching it. He who paid her
has also been arrested. But those who are behind all these must be arrested."
According to police, Sumi was paid by a Debonair floor manager to start the fire.

"I have seen after independence jute warehouses were set on fire. At that time
jute was the only product to earn foreign currency. Now I see garment factories
are being set on fire." She believed the fire incidents had direct links to recent
communal atrocities in Cox's Bazaar and attacks on the police. "Police come first
[on the list], then come garment (factories), who's next?" bdnews24 reported
Hasina saying.

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