Workplace safety is one of the most important issues in industries worldwide, and is endangered by industrial accidents. Different industrial disasters have resulted in several initiatives worldwide to protect human life and reduce material damage, both nationally and internationally. In Bangladesh, the ready-made garment (RMG) industry is one of the most important export-oriented business sectors, which is facing challenges to ensure workplace safety. The Rana Plaza collapse in Bangladesh is the consequence of such non-compliance. The accident resulted in different local and global initiatives to address the challenges. This article reviews progress and achievement of the initiatives to reduce vulnerability in the Bangladesh RMG industry within 3 years after the deadly accident. In the long run, the challenge is to maintain momentum already created for achieving sustainability in the RMG sector in Bangladesh and maintaining compliance even after the end of support from external partners.

Risk-Sensitive Land-Use Planning (RSLUP) is a critical process for integrating disaster-risk management (DRM) considerations into land-use planning, for which first it is necessary to understand the existing risk sensitivity. This study aims to develop a GIS-based multi-criteria zoning approach to mapping earthquake-risk sensitivity of land use at local level. The methodology comprises two main steps. Firstly, the spatial earthquake-risk sensitivity of land use is evaluated based on some risk themes related to development, land use, and emergency facilities. Secondly, earthquake-risk sensitivity is mapped by overlaying the spatial risk-theme maps, using weights determined through the Analytical Hierarchical Process (AHP). Overall, four earthquake-risk-sensitive zones were identified in the study area, ranging from high-risk-sensitive zones to low-risk-sensitive zones. This research contributes to the theory and practice of DRM by proposing a multi-criteria risk-sensitivity assessment and mapping methodology. The findings demonstrate that the risk-sensitivity map provides policymakers with a guide to identify “where” and “why” RSLUP interventions are necessary. This will serve as a decision-support system to formulate the “what” and “how” of the RSLUP at the local level, reflecting the risk sensitivity accordingly and thereby ensuring sustainability.