"He who marches out of step hears another drum." ~ Ken Kesey
http://www.cnn.com/2013/05/02/world/asia/bangladesh-us-tshirt/index.html?hpt=hp_c2
I hear ya blue moon!I too have worked in many third world countries. Installing / moving machines from 50' belt printing lines, presses etc.I have witnessed first hand people lifting these machine with cranes to upper levels of "out of code" construction.I have worked in production of companies producing 3 million plus a month.Bangladesh has always had a garment industry!5 years ago not so much, as today which is exploding!Big companies have been moving their production, because, they are the "cheapest labor today".Tomorrow Sub-Sahara Africa or Haiti at 11cents per hour.Many whom own and operate these facilities know that they are only as good as their last "atta boy".In these high density cities that go vertical, with sub standard construction, which "kinda works" until the factoriesstart overloading buildings with Machinery, supplies in container quanity shipments (up to 80,000 lbs of ink per containerwith a footprint of 8' x40') or like my last MHM 16/18 with 8000 lbs on a 4' x 6' foot print. Or containers of garments stackedwith pallets, lined up like Christmas trees. These facilities that take on this new load of work are shifting from manual tables tomachinery. No big deal if load calculations on per square foot rules are observed. On main floor levels, no problem! Since someof these companies don't know how long their "good luck"" will last, OR they fail to properly plan for growth in this "new worldmarket". Remember these companies, had their product being produced in another country, not long ago, and these new companies know very well that their commitment with the work being sourced is competitive. Very few companies enter into long term contracts. A lot of the factory owners don't honestly know, and some just don't care. With out some type of "loyalty" in the garment industry (oxymoran) This cycle will repeat it self over and over again. I remember seeing where a die cuttingmachine fell through three stories on a building in one of these countries. Whose fault was it? The building owner, the shopowner, the poor press man, the salesman who sold the cutter, (who did not know the weight), the code enforcer, or the company outsourcing the job. You can bet the insurance company will blame them all, and say we are so sorry but......winston