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http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2013_Savar_building_collapse
2013 Savar building collapse (RANA PLAZA)
On 24 April 2013, an eight-story commercial
building, Rana Plaza, collapsed in Savar, a sub-
district in the Greater Dhaka Area, the capital
of Bangladesh. The search for the dead ended on
13 May with the death toll of 1,129.Approximately
2,500 injured people were rescued from the
building alive.
It is considered to be the deadliest garment-
factory accident in history, as well as the deadliest
accidental structural failure in modern human
history.
The building contained clothing factories, a bank,
apartments, and several other shops. The shops
and the bank on the lower floors immediately
closed after cracks were discovered in the
building. Warnings to avoid using the building
after cracks appeared the day before had been
ignored. Garment workers were ordered to return
the following day and the building collapsed
during the morning rush-hour.
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http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Accord_on_Factory_and_Building_Safety_in_Bangladesh
Accord on Factory and Building Safety in Bangladesh
The Accord on Fire and Building Safety in
Bangladesh is a five-year legally binding agreement
between international labor organizations, non-
governmental organizations, and retailers engaged
in the textile industry to maintain minimum safety
standards in the Bangladesh textile industry:
The undersigned parties are committed to the goal
of a safe and sustainable Bangladeshi Ready-Made
Garment ("RMG") industry in which no worker needs
to fear fires, building collapses, or other accidents
that could be prevented with reasonable health and
safety measures.
The accord was signed in May 2013.
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http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Accord_on_Factory_and_Building_Safety_in_Bangladesh
Accord on Factory and Building Safety in Bangladesh
Terms of the Accord
In addition to schemes of building inspection and
enforcement of fire and safety standards the accord
requires that contracts by international retailers with
Bangladesh manufacturers provide for
compensation adequate to maintain safe buildings.
Retailers agree to continue to support the
Bangladesh textile industry despite possible higher
costs. It is estimated that the total cost may be $1
billion, about $500,000 per factory. Close
cooperation with the International Labour
Organization and the government of Bangladesh is
required. A steering committee which governs the
accord is established as are dispute resolution
procedures such as arbitration. The accord calls for
development of an Implementation Plan over 45
days.
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Table 3.2: Ministries, Organizations and
Systems Related to Safety Engineering(1)
Ministries Organizations Systems
Ministry of Power,
Energy and Mineral
Resources.
(1) Department of
Explosive.
(2) Bangladesh Energy
Regulatory Commission.
(3) Electric Adviser and
Chief Electric Inspector.
(4) Petrobangla/BAPEX.
(5) Inspectorate of mines?
(1) Safe storage &
handling of combustible
and explosive materials.
(2) Safe technologies for
production/generation,
transmission, distribution
and use in oil, gas, and
power sector.
(3) Safe technologies for
generation, transmission,
distribution and use in
power sector.
(4) Promotion of well
control training certificate
for safe exploration.
(5) Safe operation of
mines?
Ministry of Housing
and Public Works.
(1) Rajdhani Unnayan
Kartipakha
(RAUK).
(2) Civil Aviation
Authority of
Bangladesh (CAB)
(1) BNBC (no
organization to
supervise quality of
building construction).
(2) Safe building height
Ministry of
Communication.
(1) Bangladesh Road
Transport Authority
(BRTA).
(1) Issue of fitness
certificate for
automobiles
(1) Issue of license to
drivers.
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Ministries Organizations Systems
Ministry of Civil
Aviation and Tourism.
Civil Aviation
Authority of
Bangladesh (CAAB).
(1) Regulate fitness
certificate for Aircrafts.
(2) Regulate license to
aircraft pilots.
Ministry of Shipping. (1) Inland Water
Transport Authority.
(2) Department of
Shipping.
(1) Approve designs of
motor launches and
ships.
(2) Issue fitness
certificate for ships and
motor launches.
(2) Issue license to
captains and navigators
automobile drivers.
Ministry of
Environment and
Forests.
Department of
Environment (DoE).
Issue Environmental
clearance certificate for
green, orange, and red
category of industries
and enterprises.
Ministry of Home
Affairs
(1) Department of Civil
Defense and Fire
Brigade.
(2) Police, Traffic
Police.
(1) Promote fire safety
in buildings.
(1) Control fire and
other accidents.
(2) Regulate traffic &
operate rescue missions
at the time of road
accidents.
Ministry of Labor (1) Inspectorate of
Factories.
(1) Ensure safety in
factories.
Table 3.2: Ministries, Organizations and
Systems Related to Safety Engineering(2)
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Ministries Organizations Systems
Ministry of Industries (1) Bangladesh Standard
and Testing Institute.
(2) Chief Inspector of
Boilers.
(1) Issues standardization
certificates.
(2) Issue fitness certificate
for boilers.
(2) Issue license to boiler
operators.
Ministry of Commerce (1) Industrial
Associations.
(1) Create safety
awareness among
members.
Ministry of Finance (1) Insurance Companies. (1) Settle claims of
accidental losses.
Ministry of Health (1) Hospitals.
(2) Bangladesh Red Cross
Society.
(1) Provide emergency
medical services.
(2) Operate rescue and
relief operations during &
after major accidents and
disasters.
Ministry of Food Disaster
Management and Relief
(1) Disaster Management
Bureau (DMB).
(1) Manage rescue &
relief operations during &
after disasters.
Ministry of Defense Arms Services Division,
Army Engineering Core.
Operate rescue and relief
operations during & after
major accident.
Ministry of Science,
Information and
Communication
Technology
(1) Bangladesh Atomic
Energy Commission
(BAEC).
(1) Radiation control
measures.
Ministry of Law and
Parliamentary Affairs
Supreme Court, High
Court, Judge Courts,
Others Courts.
Conflict resolution among
parties.
Table 3.2: Ministries, Organizations and
Systems Related to Safety Engineering(3)
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Rangs Bhaban to be torn down from today
Rajuk swings into action after SC ruling; Rangs appeal for
time
Unb, Dhaka
Rajuk starts demolishing the upper floors of
Rangs Bhaban in the capital today as the
Supreme Court yesterday overruled the
High Court judgment that had declared valid
the construction beyond the sixth floor of
the 22-storey building.
A five-member Appellate Division bench
headed by Justice M Fazlul Karim issued
the order upon a government appeal
against the HC judgment delivered in May,
2000.
3 August, 2007
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5 August, 2007
Rajuk, Rangs differ on extent of demolition
Staff Correspondent
The task for demolishing the top 16 floors of
Rangs Bhaban at Bijoy Sarani in the capital went
on in full swing on the second day yesterday
although Rajdhani Unnayan Kartripakkha (Rajuk)
is yet to finalise the strategy and method for the
mammoth task.
Rajuk workers started drilling the floor of the
seventh floor of the building with only two drill
hammers after breaking the internal structure.
Meanwhile, fresh disputes arose yesterday
between Rajuk and the building authorities on
marking the 'upper area' for demolishing.
Rajuk said they would demolish all the floors
beyond 60 feet of the building while the building
authorities said the Supreme Court ordered
destruction of the upper 16 floors of the building.
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19 August, 2007
Faulty constructions go on as building
code not enforced
Tawfique Ali
Despite widespread anomalies in the
construction sector in the capital and elsewhere,
Bangladesh National Building Code (BNBC) has
been lying ineffective for months because of the
government's indifference to it, said sources.
The BNBC is a complete set of codes to ensure
safe construction, accountability of the
professionals and protection of urban
environment. It addresses all the safety
concerns like fire hazards, stability and strength
of a building and quality of construction.
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19 August, 2007
Faulty constructions go on as building
code not enforced
Tawfique Ali
According to the BNBC, the
government is supposed to designate
authorities and appoint required
number of ‘building officials’ to
enforce the code. Existing agencies
like Rajuk and Public Works
Department may be designated to
enforce it.
But the government has neither
appointed any building officials nor
delegated any agency officially to
bring the code into practice.
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19 August, 2007
Faulty constructions go on as building
code not enforced
Tawfique Ali
BNBC, a uniform code of building
construction, has been made mandatory for
any building construction work in the country
under The Building Construction Act of 1952
to ensure accountability in the management of
over all building construction.
The act provides for punishment with seven
years' imprisonment or a fine of Tk 50,000 or
both in case of violation of the BNBC and
Building Construction Rules of 2006.
In absence of the BNBC, it is almost
impossible to hold anybody responsible for a
disaster because of faulty construction of
buildings, said the Rajuk chief engineer.
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19 August, 2007
Faulty constructions go on as building
code not enforced
Tawfique Ali
Experts said several buildings have collapsed in the city in
recent years due to faulty design, non-engineering
construction and overloading. No professional architects
and engineers were involved in construction of those
buildings.
A group of architects, engineers, planners and other
professionals designed the BNBC in 1993. Initially, a
government circular was issued to follow the code in
construction. It became legally binding through a gazette
notification on November 15 last year (2006).
Law enforcement agencies have arrested five commercial
builders recently in the city on allegation of using poor
quality materials and anomalies in construction.
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3.6.3 BNUS and BUET-JIDPUS
The Bangladesh Network Office for
Urban Safety (BNUS) was established
in 2006 as collaborative center jointly
operated by Bangladesh University of
Engineering and Technology (BUET)
and Institute of Industrial Science,
University of Tokyo, Japan to work in
areas of mutual interest for the
advancement of urban safety utilizing
advance technologies.
BUET-JIDPUS: BUET- Japan Institute
of Disaster Prevention & Urban Safety
was established in 2009 to carryout
advance research on Urban Safety.