First Pakistan Building Inspections Indicate Deadly Fire Hazards Are Widespread

Commencement of the Inspection Program

The complex work of formally registering the Pakistan Accord as an entity able to operate in Pakistan is complete. This was an important hurdle, now cleared, which will allow vital safety inspections to commence.

Sobering Results from Pilot Safety Inspections

The urgent need for the Accord program in Pakistan is underscored by the results of pilot safety assessments already conducted by the Accord in seven Pakistani garment and textile factories. The purpose of the pilots was to establish a more detailed understanding of the level of safety risk in the country.

The results are sobering. The inspections were all conducted at factories that volunteered to be scrutinized, making it reasonable to assume that safety compliance in these facilities is better than one would find at the average workplace. Despite this, the inspectors found that every one of these facilities lacks proper fire exits. This creates a high risk that an uncontained fire on a lower floor of a facility would result in injury or death for workers situated on higher levels of the building.

Based on these results, the Accord’s engineers expect to find very few garment factories in the country with viable fire exit systems. This includes the factories that make university logo apparel, as there is no reason to expect superior infrastructure in those facilities.

The good news is that the inspection teams found factory owners willing and able to plan for and execute necessary remedial action. In two cases, risks to workers were so high that immediate actions had to be taken before the dangerous part of the factory could be used again.

The Accord’s pilot inspections make clear the urgent need for safety inspection and remediation across the garment sector. And they demonstrate why it is so important for university licensees to bring their factories into the Accord program.

Brand and Licensee Signatories of the Accord

There are now 78 brand signatories of the Pakistan Accord. This includes Gap, one of the largest buyers of garments in Pakistan, which has not previously participated in the Accord’s work. Gap signing on is an important milestone in the effort to secure greater participation by US brands and retailers.

At this time, most WRC-affiliated universities are moving forward with requiring licensees sourcing collegiate apparel from Pakistan to sign the Pakistan Accord. We appreciate universities’ commitment to protecting workers making collegiate goods. Additionally, licensing agent CLC has helped further amplify the WRC’s recommendation that universities adopt this requirement and is engaging extensively with licensees on compliance with school requirements and ensuring licensees’ supply chains are an accurate reflection of the licensees’ current suppliers.

As of today, five licensees have signed the Pakistan Accord: Colosseum Athletics, L2 Brands (which includes Ouray Sportswear), Vantage Apparel, CI Sport, and T-Shirt International. Three more licensees are in the process of signing.

While this is important progress, there are dozens of licensees that have yet to sign. In addition to CLC’s ongoing outreach to licensees on behalf of their partner institutions, the WRC will be contacting all relevant licensees directly to inquire as to their timeline for becoming signatories.

Below is the current list of licensees producing university apparel in Pakistan, with the licensees that have signed the agreement in bold.

Licensees Producing Collegiate Goods in Pakistan: