New regulatory authority to be formed to oversee building code compliance: Salman

The government will establish a new regulatory authority to bring order to building infrastructure for preventing structural vulnerabilities and fire risks, Salman F Rahman, private industry and investment adviser to the prime minister, said today (17 February).

"A regulatory authority will be created according to the act. I will try to do it soon. Once that is done, we can do fire prevention works through this authority," he said while speaking as the chief guest in the inaugural ceremony of the 9th International Fire Safety and Security Expo at the Bangabandhu International Conference Centre (BICC) in Dhaka.

Previously, the government had published Bangladesh National Building Code 2020 in the form of a gazette.

Updated National Building Code comes into effect

The building code will be implemented by the Bangladesh Building Regulatory Authority (BBRA), comprising five members – a planner, an architect, an engineer, a judge or a lawyer, and a civil servant, each of whom would require 30-year work experience in the respective fields.

The members will be appointed by the government, with one of them as chairman. Each member will serve for three years.

At the event, Salman F Rahman expressed hopes that the current situation [concerning building fires] would improve if all design approvals and construction works were supervised by the BBRA.

"We have to take many measures before there is a fire. Measures should be taken to prevent fire. We have a lot of work to do here. I was chairman of a committee and inspected some small-medium commercial and industrial factories. The main cause of a fire is an electrical short circuit. We found that the quality of our electric cables used is not good. Arrangements are being made for it to be standardised. 

"Another is structural fault – which led to the Rana Plaza collapse. Structural planning was not passed there. We are working on these issues," he said.

The Electronics Safety and Security Association of Bangladesh (ESSAB) organised the expo, taking place from 17-19 February.

Salman further said the government and private sector will have to work jointly to attract foreign direct investment (FDI) and boost joint-venture fire safety and security industries to reduce import dependency, reports BSS.

"The market of fire safety and security has rapidly become larger as awareness and consciousness among people in building infrastructure has increased after some incidents," he said.

Addressing structural planning to reduce fire incidents, Salman F Rahman said, "Bangladesh's RMG industry is now the safest industry in the globe."

"We should ensure preventive measures so that such incidents could not happen in our building, infrastructure and industries," he added.

Also present at the event, Faruque Hassan, president, BGMEA, said ensuring fire safety and security is an unavoidable issue to enhance the work environment, amplify green industrialization and enhance factory efficiency.

In his address, ESSAB President Md Niaz Ali Chishty emphasised policy support to increase production and boost exports as well as expansion of the sector.

"Nowadays, fire safety and security has become a major challenge in expansion of the country's economy. An integrated policy support to ensure fire safety and security in factories will play a pivotal role to attract local and foreign investments, sustainable development and overcome LDC graduation challenges," he said.

He said the loss and damages derived from fire has significantly reduced in the RMG sector due to strengthening fire safety and security compliance.

"The government should emphasise on capacity building of the BSTI and other stakeholders providing NOC and certificate at import stage, and strengthening scrutiny to ensure product quality and standards and curb low-quality products in the country," he added. 

DG of fire service Brigadier General Md. Main Uddin, said, "Fire safety and security is the key component to ensure sustainability and make Bangladesh safer."

He thanked BGMEA and ESSAB to make their job easier as they are playing pivotal role in establishing green and LEED certified factories which have good fire safety arrangements.

Mahbubul Alam, President, FBCCI; Brigadier General Md. Main Uddin, BSP(Bar), NDC Director General, Fire Service and Civil Defence; Faruque Hassan, President, BGMEA; Md. Niaz Ali Chisty, President, ESSAB; SM Shahjahan, Senior Vice President, ESSAB; Zakir Uddin Ahmed, Secretary General, ESSAB were present at the event.