Better Work Jordan, partners discuss assessment of worker dormitories

The Better Work Jordan programme, the Jordan Garment, Accessories and Textiles Exporters’ Association (J-GATE), and garment factory representatives have examined an assessment of structural integrity of worker dormitories to help develop a building code ensuring worker safety and health.

Factories in Jordan provide migrant workers with accommodation, and the quality and safety of worker dormitories is a big part of these workers’ experiences in the country. Most of the dormitory buildings are old, and many of them are converted factory buildings that were never designed to be used as accommodation. By a recent count, there are around 200-300 dorm buildings that house 45,0000 migrant workers in the sector.

Migrant workers make up three-quarters of the workforce of 62,963 workers, and nearly 75 per cent of workers are women

The programme and its partners met at a recent seminar to discuss the assessment conducted by engineering consulting firm, Engicon, under the project, “Enhancing the Structural Integrity of Dormitory Buildings in Jordan’s Garment Sector”, currently in its second phase.

Better Work Jordan Programme Manager, Tareq Abu Qaoud, told the seminar that the MoL has formed a committee comprising the Ministry of Public Works and Housing (MoPWH), Ministry of Municipals Affairs (MoMA), the Greater Amman Municipality (GAM), and other governmental entities, to draft a building code for worker dormitories in line with national and international standards.

The building code is expected to be legally binding when constructing new dorms, Abu Qaoud said, as existing national legalisation do not cover worker dormitories. He urged corrective action and improvements at the existing dormitories in accordance with a specific time frame.

The project aims at raising awareness among factories about typical building safety requirements and identifying national requirements for dormitories as well as safety issues not covered by national codes, in line international good practices.

Standards and requirements

Engicon was tasked with preparing a typical defects identification report; providing guidance for assessment and repair of typical defects; setting a methodology for identification of other non-typical defects; and suggesting standards for rectification of defects in existing dormitory buildings and design of new dormitories.

The company has identified several problems in a sample of buildings surveyed, and came up with many recommendations for improving cleanliness, food and hygiene standards, safety and health as well as power, ventilation, and fire safety systems.

Executive Director of J-GATE, Sawsan Al Habahbeh, said the association held several meetings with governmental committee to discuss standards of the planned national code, emphasising the need for a roadmap for drafting and endorsing this code.

Christopher Ming, head of compliance at a programme-registered garment factory that adopted recommendations by Engicon, said the company has an annual maintenance system for worker dorm, as well as worker protection standards.

These standards, he added, cover systems for fire alarm and extinguishing, prevention of electrical hazards, and ventilation, as well as occupational safety and health (OSH).

Engicon said in its assessment that some general procedures related to COVID-19 raised the need for operational and design improvements at the dormitories, such as distancing, cleanness, and indoor air quality, as well as general OSH and immunity boosting procedures.

It added that building designs should take into consideration workers with disabilities.

The seminar highlighted the need for raising worker awareness, increasing efficiency of dorm inspections, and overcoming obstacle to funding maintenance and building of dormitories.

Workers have the right to decent working and living conditions, and the structural integrity of dormitories is crucial to the health and safety of workers as well as to productivity and advancing businesses.