The recent garment factory fire in Bangladesh has prompted U.S. Senator Sherrod Brown, D-Ohio, and seven other Democratic senators to call for stronger efforts to promote worker safety in that country.

In a letter, the senators urged major U.S. and European retailers to seek legally-binding global accords to ensure worker safety instead of relying on voluntary or self-monitoring initiatives by factories. They urged businesses to sign the Accord on Fire Safety in Bangladesh, which requires inspections and upgrades to Bangladeshi factories. Many major U.S. retailers have declined to sign the accord, fearing it would open them to litigation.