Walmart: 32 Factories In Bangladesh Failed Initial Safety Inspections, Most Fixed Problems

In the aftermath of the factory collapse that killed more than 1,100 and a fire in November killed 112 people, retailers pledged to ramp up safety efforts with any factories that produce clothing for stores here in the U.S. As part of that increased attention to keeping the workers who make your clothing safe while they try to earn a living, Walmart says it identified safety problems at 32 Bangladesh factories it does business with.

Walmart tested more than 200 factories, a company spokesman tells Reuters.

“Of these, 32 had failures in their initial inspections, but all but two have since addressed those issues,” he explained.

The full inspection reports of 75 factories are on Walmart’s site now, with the rest of the 200 reports posting as they are completed.

Two of those failed safety inspections because there was no way to fix what damage has already been done, added the spokesman, and a third won’t be making Walmart products in the future because it failed the first inspection. Instead, the owners are building a new factory.

A fourth factory shut down to some of the rioting in Bangladesh unrelated to the inspection.

Wal-Mart finds safety issues at Bangladesh factories [Reuters]

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