Collapse of Factory in Bangladesh

Al Jazeera reported that a cement factory in Mongla, Bangladesh collapsed on Thursday. The collapse caused the death of four people, with about 100 other people believed to still be trapped. This was not the first building collapse in Bangladesh. As the article explains, “Bangladesh has a poor record for building safety. A complex of shops and small factories collapsed in 2013 killing more than 1,130 people, most of them garment workers.” It goes on to say that “The collapse of Rana Plaza, built on swampy ground outside the capital, Dhaka, ranked among the world’s worst industrial accidents and sparked a global outcry for improved safety.”

This story sheds further light on a critical human right, namely, the right to safety and security. Individuals must be guaranteed that the work conditions (and the building conditions) are of the highest standards. Any less than stellar level of condition must be remedied immediately. Human beings have the right to know that where they work is safe.

This is an international relations issue as governments have signed onto human rights documents, and thus are obligated to adhere to full protections, as well as to hold non-governmental actors accountable for their business practices. Work conditions are of critical importance, and we must demand that businesses are running to the best possible standards. Now, we obviously don’t know what led to this collapse. It will thus be important to wait for more information with regards to the causes of the building. However, as we know, there are many around the world continuing to work in horrible conditions, whether in factories, as migrant workers with little rights, etc…

And thus, these sorts of accidents do bring to attention the need for transparency and adequate rights conditions for workers throughout the world.