As the old adage goes, fire safety regulations are written in blood.  Perhaps it is human nature to react to a tragedy rather than proactively try to prevent one.  But from many historical tragedies come improved fire and workplace safety regulations. 

Some of the better-known tragedies that have led to improved fire safety regulations are the Great Fire of London 1666, the Great Chicago Fire of 1871, and the New York City Triangle Shirt Waist Factory Fire of 1911.

It may also be human nature to think these examples as ancient history, events that happened long ago and surely can’t happen in our modern societies.  Yet, whether in developed or developing nations we are still experiencing tragedies such as the 1972 Singapore Robinsons Department Store fire, the 2017 United Kingdom Grenfel Tower fire and the 2022 Cambodia Poipet Casino Hotel Fire.

This presentaion will focus on a fire safety model that resulted from recent tragedies in the Bangladesh ready-made garment (RMG) industry.  To many, Bangladesh may seem like a far-away place, a place most will never visit and most are not associated with, but the clothing products coming out of Bangladesh are purchased by many around the world. 

Out of tragedies in the RMG sector, an international coalition formed to introduce and implement a fire safety model that has made a significant difference in the workplace safety of the Bangladesh RMG sector.  In less than a decade, this model has improved the lives of nearly 2 million workers in the RMG sector and can be adopted by other nations to have similar effects.