FACTORY CONDITIONS BANGLADESH
DESIGN HURDLES
Part of the problem with the state of factories in Bangladesh is that little thought is put into their design. ‘Many architects think designing factories devalues their name,’ says Naz. Factories are built as shell and core, and no thought is ever given to services at the design stage, says Naz. In fact, electrical services and lighting are put in by architects, not engineers. ‘It’s normal in the UK to understand how architecture and engineering affect health and wellbeing, but, in that region, that’s not normal thinking.
‘It’s all about perceptions. People don’t actually realise how important building services engineers are. So I’m experiencing that age-old psychology again – where it’s always the structural safety and fire protection that are important.
‘I actually had to explain to them what building services was, because it’s just taken for granted.’
Bangladesh is situated in an earthquake and cyclone zone, and it has a lot of water – rivers and canals – so buildings need to have proper foundations.
‘Geological surveys need to be carried out before building a factory, but most of these never get done because engineers never get involved – they’re never even asked, says Naz.’
In many cases, 10- to 12-storey factories go up with inadequate foundations, and with no load analysis, says Naz. ‘So these factories get all this machinery, which is never accounted for.’
humidity reaches 80-90%. With limited air changes taking place inside the factories, the working conditions for employees can become extremely uncomfortable. Extract or ceiling fans provide minimal ventilation, but they must be kept on a low setting to avoid disturbing loose fibres. Even evaporative cooling has to be kept to a minimum because it causes needles to rust more quickly and, therefore, no longer function efficiently. To keep cool, workers drink a lot of water
and eat foods that are rich in potassium. During their one-hour lunch break, all of the lights are switched off, reducing the internal temperature by up to four degrees. Empirical studies have shown that high
heat generated by machinery, lighting and human bodies – coupled with inadequate ventilation – can cause short- and long-term illnesses that have an adverse affect on a worker’s life expectancy.1 In fact, factory staff will only be able to work
for a maximum of 10 years before they are forced to give up work for good. ‘The factory workers know that,’ says Naz. ‘They come to work in the factories knowing that, after 10 years, their body will completely shut down. ‘So, within that time, they have to save
enough money to buy land, to feed their families and ensure their children get a proper education, because they know, after 10 years, they will not be able to work again.’
50 CIBSE Journal March 2014
Physical symptoms caused by prolonged
factory work in high temperatures include headaches, weakness, dizziness, heart and lung issues, eye and joint pain, disturbed water and electrolyte balance, fatigue and threat of exhaustion. Some factories fail to provide even the most
basic of facilities – such as a toilet – for women. So despite having to keep hydrated in a hot working environment, women are unable to go to the toilet for up to 12 hours. ‘Holding their urine for such a long
time affects their gall bladders and their reproductive capabilities, so many women who come there to work may not be able to bear a child in the future – and it’s a real social statement not to have a child in a country like that,’ says Naz.
Adaptive comfort ‘In western countries, our comfort band might be between 20°C and 30°C, whereas people in hotter climates can tolerate temperatures between 32°C and 34°C,’ says Naz. When conducting her study in Dhaka,
Naz discovered that airflow eased conditions for workers. She found that when internal temperatures were between 28°C and 34°C, with a wind speed above 0.5m/sec, 55% of the people surveyed rated conditions as acceptable. But when temperatures reached 35°C
to 37°C, and the wind speed dropped below 0.5m/sec, 75% of people reported
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