Unprecedented factory fire of Tazreen Fashions in Bangladesh: revisiting Bangladeshi labour laws in light of their equivalents in Australia

Right to life is a core human right, but workers' lives seem to be dreadfully cheap in Bangladesh. This is so because the government appears to be complacent by offering a small amount of money to the families of victims of fires at garment factories and collapses of factory buildings. Previously, at least 1,000 workers have been killed in garment factories alone in Bangladesh from 1990 to 2012, ironically, all went unpunished. Recently, the devastating fire at Tazreen Fashions Ltd. which killed 112 in November 2012 and, just a few months apart, the horrifying collapse of Rana Plaza which housed five garment factories causing death of 1,129 workers have wounded the conscience of humankind all.over the world and have locally created public outcry for the exemplary punishment of the culprits to prevent further deaths at work. This article examines the Bangladeshi health and safety legislation to find criminal liabilities of the entity and its executives for the casualties of the unprecedented fire at Tazreen. It reveals that, though they all may be held liable under the legislation, the law needs to be amended to provide greater clarity of safety duties and increase penalties.