Electrical Safety Standards for Industries

Speaker: Dr. A Hasib Chowdhury

Abstract: Construction, addition, alteration, movement, enlargement, replacement, repair, equipment, use
and occupancy, location, maintenance, removal, and demolition of all buildings and structures or any
appurtenance connected or attached to buildings or structures used in connection with an industry in
Bangladesh is regulated by laws, codes and standards. The Tazreen Fashion fire in November 2012 and
the Rana Plaza collapse of April 2013 took the lives of over 117 and 1100 individuals, respectively. Fire
department studies and a study carried out in the Department of Electrical and Electronic Engineering
(EEE), BUET (2005) show that around 70% of the fires in the RMG sector are initiated by electrical
causes such as short circuits, overloading, loose electrical connections, etc. These incidents and studies
show that the mere presence of laws and codes are not sufficient to ensure safety. Concerned persons
must know the relevant standards and follow them strictly. This talk will introduce the audience to the
legal requirements for electrical safety in industries. The talk will also familiarize the audience with
common electrical safety violations in industries and how to comply with the standards.
Biography: Dr. A Hasib Chowdhury received the B.Sc. (1992), M.Sc. (1995) and Ph.D. (2008) degrees
in electrical and electronics engineering from Bangladesh University of Engineering and Technology
(BUET), Dhaka, Bangladesh. He has been teaching at the Department of Electrical and Electronic
Engineering in BUET since October 1992. Currently he is working as an Associate Professor there. His
research interests include power system- optimization, reliability, stability, operation and control,
renewable energy, power quality, and advanced metering infrastructure and embedded system design.
Currently he is working on small grid reliability and interface with nuclear power plants.
Dr. Chowdhury served in the Technical Committee of the International Conference on Electrical and
Computer Engineering (ICECE). He regularly reviews for international and national journals. He worked
as the Deputy Team Leader in Electronic Voting Machine (EVM) Project of the Bangladesh Election
Commission. He worked in design, development and implementation of prepaid metering system for
electricity and gas utilities in Bangladesh. Currently he is working as a consultant to ILO on Electrical
Safety Assessment of Ready Made Garment factories in Bangladesh.