NFPA Journal - November/December 2012 - (Page 10)

>>in a flash the collateral risk associated with what critics describe as the global garment industry’s “race to the bottom,” the ongoing search for manufacturing locations that offer the cheapest labor while presenting factory owners with the fewest regulatory hurdles. That description is being widely applied to the Ali Enterprises factory in Karachi, which reportedly produced denim products for American and European labels— part of Pakistan’s textiles industry that accounts for nearly $14 billion annually, or the vast majority of the country’s exports. Reports estimate as many as 1,000 workers were in the multi-story building when the fire began, but that only one exit was available—the rest had been locked. Most of the building’s windows were barred. Some people were killed or injured trying to jump to safety, but most of the casualties were workers who, suddenly confronted by smoke and flame, had nowhere to go. Conditions were similar in the shoe factory fire; a relative of one of the workers killed in the blaze told the Associated Press that there was no way out of the building once the fire began. Early reports included conflicting accounts of the cause of the fire, including the possibility of an electrical short, but no official cause had been provided. CNN has reported that both a police investigation as well as a government inquiry into the fire have been completed and that the findings are expected to be made public soon. A new wrinkle to the inspection and enforcement problem Fundamental problems with inspection and enforcement—common denominators in most garment industry fires—were quickly brought to light in the Karachi fire, but the incident offered a new twist on the subject. In August, the Karachi factory had been inspected and given a favorable review by Social Accountability International (SAI), a U.S.-based nonprofit monitoring group that evaluates working conditions in factories worldwide. The New York Times reported that SAI had inspected the Karachi factory and found that it met international standards in nine areas necessary for what SAI describes as “decent workplaces.” Those areas include health and safety, ele- On September 11, the day before the Karachi fire, a blaze in this shoe factory in the Pakistani city of Lahore killed 23 workers. Faulty electrical wiring was given as a possible cause. ments of which include systems to “detect, avoid, and respond to risks” and “worker right to remove from imminent danger.” For meeting those standards, the Ali Enterprises factory was given SAI’s prestigious SA8000 certification. As the Times reported, though, SAI is heavily financed by industry and relies on affiliates around the world to conduct inspections, aspects that make the SAI designations almost meaningless, according to some critics. “The whole system is flawed,” Scott Nova, executive director of the Worker Rights Consortium, a U.S.-based monitoring group financed by American universities, told the Times. “This demonstrates, more clearly than ever, that corporate-funded monitoring systems like SAI cannot and will not protect workers.” SAI told the Times that it had suspended work in Pakistan with the affiliate that had conducted the inspection of the Ali Enterprises factory, and that it was undertaking “a broad review of its entire certification process.” The industrial and manufacturing fires in Karachi, a city of 20 million, are part of a much larger fire problem in the country. A recent study conducted by researchers at NED University of Engineering and Technology in Karachi looked at buildings around the city that had experienced fires, and found that “negligence, violation of building codes, unawareness of safety measures, carelessness, and lack of training were the major causes of fire incidents. An acute shortage of facilities and infrastructure for fire fighting was noted.” As a consequence, the researchers said, “fire hazard poses a serious threat to economic and social activities [in large cities throughout Pakistan]. Unfortunately, the scale of this threat is not fully recognized in Pakistan, despite the fact that recent fire incidences . . . have resulted in considerable economic and life losses.” Olga Caledonia, executive director for International Operations at NFPA, says the organization can assist developing countries through steps like memorandums of understanding, which promote NFPA codes and standards and provide translated versions of key documents. “This is an area where NFPA can really help on a local level, by providing governments with the tools to protect communities and by providing authorities having jurisdiction with specific documents to enforce regulations,” she said. NFPA maintains an indirect relationship with the Fire Protection Association of Pakistan through the Confederation of Fire Protection Associations–International, she said, but no direct relationships currently exist with the country. Until enforcement is seen as a worthwhile part of the safety equation, though, incidents like the Karachi fire will only become more common, Caledonia says. “Conditions like those in Karachi exist all over the world, and not just in the garment industry,” she says. “We can do everything possible to spread our safety message and make our codes available, but ultimately it’s up to governments to protect their people. Monitoring industry is an important part of that, but governments have to be willing to take those steps.” 10 NFPA JOURNAL NOVEMBER/DECEMBER 2012 Photograph: Corbis

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of NFPA Journal - November/December 2012

NFPA Journal - November/December 2012
Contents
First Word
In a Flash
Perspectives
Firewatch
Research
Heads Up
Structural Ops
In Compliance
Buzzwords
Outreach
Electrical Safety
Wildfire Watch
Past + Present
Easy Being Green?
Pressure Points
2011 Large-Loss Fires
2011 Firefighter Injuries
Section Spotlight
What’s Hot
Looking Back

NFPA Journal - November/December 2012