Triangulating a Sustainable Safety Culture in the Readymade Garment Industry of Bangladesh

Many obstacles still exist toward improving safety standards, practices, and culture in the ready-made garment (RMG) industry in Bangladesh. Workers\u27 beliefs and habits, employers\u27 level of involvement, and gaps in the regulatory framework necessitate an examination of safety practices to build a foundation for safety culture in the workplace. The focus of this study was to contribute to regulatory reform aimed at creating a safe work environment by exploring the perceptions of workers, employers, and government regulators through the lens of the theory on reciprocal determinism. A total of 41 participants, categorized into three groups of workers, employers, and government regulators, consented to face-to-face interviews. The study provided individual and group perspectives of requirements for safe factories and development of safety culture. Interview data were inductively coded and subjected to a thematic analysis procedure. The results showed the groups collectively prioritized the need for training, collaboration, health, and safety, and they raised concern over civil unrest. The groups differed on the importance placed in areas such as protection of workers, profit, and legal enforcement. The study results can serve to contribute to effective government reform by developing self-efficacy of workers and improve collaboration between workers, employers, and government in the RMG industry of Bangladesh