I joined Nirapon as CEO in early March and have recently returned home to London after a four-week visit to Bangladesh. My goal was to become fully immersed in all things Nirapon and learn more about this remarkable organization I am now privileged to lead.
Having worked for BRAC, the global development organization founded in Bangladesh, for nine years, I feel a deep personal connection to this vibrant and dynamic country. It was a joy to return—not only because of my affection for the people of Bangladesh but also because this new role allows me to support and strengthen a critical part of the country’s economy and society: the ready-made garment industry.
This sector has had a transformational impact, accounting for over 80% of Bangladesh’s export earnings and providing livelihoods for more than 4 million people. For many women, employment in this industry represents their first opportunity to earn an income. Research1,2 shows that this has fuelled significant economic empowerment, improved educational attainment, delayed marriage, and contributed to lower rates of early pregnancy.
It is this opportunity for women’s empowerment that drew me to Nirapon. During my time at BRAC, I met many garment workers and saw firsthand how this industry has transformed lives and livelihoods.
However, the industry’s history also includes tragedy. A series of catastrophic incidents in garment factories exposed the dangers of unsafe working conditions. None was more devastating than the Rana Plaza collapse in 2013, which claimed 1,134 lives and injured thousands more. This tragedy captured global attention and exposed the urgent need for fundamental safety reforms in Bangladesh’s factories.
In response, leading global apparel and fashion brands formed the Alliance for Bangladesh Worker Safety, which spent five impactful years driving critical structural, electrical, and fire safety improvements. In 2018, the Alliance transitioned its efforts to a new organization—Nirapon, which means “safe place” in Bangla—to sustain and build on this progress by helping factories create long-term safety management systems and instill a culture of safety.
With this history in mind, I returned to Bangladesh eager to meet our team and partners, understand where Nirapon stands today, and explore how we can strengthen our work for the future.
Marking a somber anniversary and renewing our commitment
While in Bangladesh, we joined our members to mark the 12th anniversary of the Rana Plaza collapse on April 24th. We honored those who lost their lives and reaffirmed our collective commitment to do everything in our power to prevent such a tragedy from happening again.
Today, Nirapon supports more than 350 factories—impacting over a million workers—as they develop sustainable safety management systems. I had the opportunity to visit several of these factories in Dhaka and Chattogram.
Continuous improvement: moving from compliance to a culture of safety
Factory safety has advanced significantly since Rana Plaza. During Safety Support Visits with the Nirapon team, I saw impressive investments made by factory owners and managers to improve building structures and ensure that fire and electrical systems meet safety standards.
However, in some factories, efforts are still largely centered around meeting audit requirements. Supporting these factories to gradually adopt more proactive approaches to risk assessment and ongoing improvement can help strengthen long-term safety outcomes.
I had the opportunity to speak with a number of women and men factory workers during my visits. An overriding takeaway from what they told me was the central importance of organizational and management culture to enable safer workplaces. The workers spoke of the importance of the opportunity to speak out when confronted with safety concerns or worries – and the Amader Kotha helpline plays a vital role in enabling their voices to be heard by management–to resolve dangerous working practices or fix faulty and dangerous equipment.
These conversations reinforced my belief in a holistic approach to safety—one that addresses management systems in their entirety, rather than tackling safety issues in isolation.
Nirapon, in collaboration with our members and partners—including BRAC, Amader Kotha, and LRQA—is working to transform factory safety practices through an innovative combination of safety training, a confidential worker helpline, and regular progress reviews. Our educational, partnership-driven approach is key to helping factory leadership and workers take ownership of safety, moving beyond checklists to meaningful, lasting change.
Shaping the future: policy engagement and industry collaboration
As the country prepares for elections, the government has launched several commissions to recommend policy reforms, including a labor reform commission that includes in its remit the strengthening of occupational health and safety standards in industry.
With its practical experience, Nirapon is uniquely positioned to contribute to these important policy discussions. While previously in Bangladesh, I had the opportunity to meet with Chief Advisor Yunus, the Chief Advisor (equivalent to Interim Prime Minister), alongside the Nirapon Board. This meeting—and others with government officials—confirmed that there is genuine interest in our insights and a shared desire to create safer workplaces across Bangladesh. By contributing our expertise and experience, we can help demonstrate the potential for Nirapon’s approach to be adapted beyond the garment sector, supporting improved safety standards in other industries as well.
The power of partnerships
At its core, Nirapon is built on partnerships—with our members, the factories we support, and our service provider partners who deliver critical elements of the Nirapon model. These relationships are the foundation of our mission to advance workplace safety.
Yet partnerships can go much further. Many other organizations—from NGOs and industry groups to government regulators—are also working to improve conditions in industry. By deepening collaboration and sharing knowledge and experience, we can create efficiencies, expand our reach, and deliver greater impact for workers across the country.
As I look ahead, my primary focus as CEO will be to direct our efforts where they will have the greatest impact for workers. I am confident that by working together—with our partners, members, and the broader ecosystem—we can achieve meaningful and lasting change.
Nirapon has already contributed significantly to improving factory safety, but our work is far from done. To sustain and expand this progress, we must work collaboratively—with government, industry, and other stakeholders—to advance a culture of safety across all workplaces in Bangladesh.
- https://www.researchgate.net/publication/362222158_The_Impact_of_Paid_Employment_on_Women’s_Empowerment_A_Case_Study_of_Female_Garment_Workers_in_Bangladesh
- https://www.nber.org/system/files/working_papers/w20383/w20383.pdf
Photo credit: Mahmud Hossain Opu
