At least 112 people were killed in a fire in a multistory garment factory just outside Bangladesh's capital.
An additional 12 people who suffered injuries after jumping from the seven-story factory died later in the hospital.
Bangladesh has about 4,000 garment factories, many without proper safety measures, The Associated Press reported. There were no emergency exits. The country annually earns about $20 billion from exports of garments, mainly to the United States and Europe.
This is reminiscent of the Triangle Shirtwaist Co. fire in New York City in 1911, when 145 people, mainly women and girls, died. The company did not have good safety features in the building and supervisors had locked the workers inside. This led to a series of laws about worker safety.
Bangladesh's garment factories make clothes for brands in the United States. Ninety-eight percent of clothing sold in the U.S. is imported. Clothing manufacturing was moved overseas because of cheaper labor. But companies are now finding problems with quality control.
When Americans become more diligent about buying American-made products, manufacturing will pick up in the United States. People will be paying more for goods, but the working conditions will be better for employees.
