Walmart Bangladesh factory collapse

Walmart Bangladesh factory collapse. The disaster occurred on April 24, 2013, at the Rana Plaza building in Savar Upazila, Dhaka District, Bangladesh, where a number of factories, including those producing garments for Walmart, Primark, and Benetton Group, were located. The collapse resulted in the deaths of 1,134 people, with over 2,500 injured, making it one of the deadliest industrial disasters in history, comparable to the Bhopal disaster and the Triangle Shirtwaist Factory fire. The incident drew widespread condemnation from organizations such as the International Labor Organization and the United Nations, and led to increased scrutiny of labor practices in Bangladesh and other developing countries.

Introduction

The Rana Plaza building, owned by Mohammed Sohel Rana, was constructed in 2006 and housed several garment factories, including New Wave Style, New Wave Bottoms, Phantom Apparels, and Ether Tex, which supplied clothing to major retailers such as Walmart, Primark, Benetton Group, and H&M. The building was designed to be a commercial complex, but the owner had added several floors without proper building permits or safety inspections, similar to the Senghenydd Colliery Disaster and the Pemberton Mill collapse. The Bangladesh Garment Manufacturers and Exporters Association and the Bangladesh Knitwear Manufacturers and Exporters Association had also raised concerns about the building's safety, but their warnings were ignored, much like the warnings prior to the Flixborough disaster and the Seveso dioxin disaster.

Background

The garment industry in Bangladesh is a significant contributor to the country's economy, with many factories operating in Dhaka and other major cities, similar to the textile industry in Lancashire during the Industrial Revolution. However, the industry has faced criticism for its poor labor practices, including low wages, long working hours, and inadequate safety measures, similar to the conditions described in The Jungle by Upton Sinclair and exposed by Mother Jones. Many factories in Bangladesh are not compliant with international labor standards, and the country has a history of industrial accidents, including the Dhaka garment factory fire and the Chittagong ship-breaking yard disaster. The International Labor Organization and the World Bank have worked with the Government of Bangladesh to improve labor conditions and safety standards in the industry, but progress has been slow, much like the efforts to improve working conditions in the coal mining industry after the Sago Mine disaster.

Collapse and Response

On the morning of April 24, 2013, a crack was discovered in the Rana Plaza building, but the owners and managers of the factories inside the building allegedly ordered workers to return to work, despite the risks, similar to the events leading up to the Buffalo Creek flood and the St. Francis Dam failure. At around 9:00 am, the building collapsed, trapping thousands of workers under the rubble, much like the Thailand floods and the 2010 Copiapó mining accident. The Bangladesh Army, Bangladesh Navy, and Bangladesh Air Force were deployed to the scene, along with firefighters and rescue teams from Dhaka and other nearby cities, including Chittagong and Sylhet. The International Committee of the Red Cross and the United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs also provided assistance, similar to the response to the 2010 Haiti earthquake and the Indian Ocean tsunami.

Aftermath and Investigation

The collapse of the Rana Plaza building was widely condemned by human rights organizations, including Amnesty International and Human Rights Watch, as well as by labor unions such as the AFL-CIO and the International Trade Union Confederation. The Government of Bangladesh launched an investigation into the disaster, which found that a combination of factors, including the building's poor design and construction, as well as the owners' negligence, had contributed to the collapse, similar to the findings of the investigations into the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear disaster and the Deepwater Horizon oil spill. The investigation also identified several individuals, including the building's owner, Mohammed Sohel Rana, and several factory owners and managers, who were accused of criminal negligence and manslaughter, similar to the charges brought against those responsible for the Bhopal disaster and the Love Canal disaster.

Reactions and Criticisms

The Walmart Bangladesh factory collapse sparked widespread outrage and criticism, with many calling for greater accountability and transparency in the garment industry, similar to the reactions to the Rana Plaza collapse and the 2013 Dhaka garment factory fire. Labor activists, including Naomi Klein and Arundhati Roy, criticized the sweatshop conditions in Bangladesh and the role of major retailers such as Walmart and Primark in perpetuating these conditions, similar to the criticisms of sweatshops in China and Indonesia. The European Union and the United States also faced criticism for their trade policies, which were seen as prioritizing free trade over labor rights and safety standards, similar to the criticisms of the North American Free Trade Agreement and the Trans-Pacific Partnership. In response to the disaster, several major retailers, including Walmart, Primark, and H&M, announced plans to improve safety standards and labor practices in their supply chains, similar to the efforts of Nike and Apple to address labor concerns in their supply chains.