The accord was worked out and endorsed by several large mainly European retailers in May after the Rana Plaza factory collapsed on April 24 killing at least 1,129 people.

Denmark said IC Companys (>> IC Companys A/S), DK Company (>> DK Company A/S), Bestseller, COOP Denmark, Danish Supermarket and PWT Group, with its Texman and Wagner brands, had agreed to join retailers such as Hennes & Mauritz (>> H & M Hennes & Mauritz AB), Inditex (>> Inditex SA), PVH Corp (>> PVH Corp) and Tesco Plc (>> Tesco PLC) in endorsing the accord.

PWT Group, which had been using a supplier in Rana Plaza for seven years, said the day after the collapse that, while it checked working conditions at the factory, it could not be held responsible for how it was built. It later said it planned to offer financial help to victims' families.

"It is encouraging that several Danish companies today have decided that they will sign the international agreement," Danish Trade Minister Pia Olsen Dyr said in a statement.

The Rana Plaza building collapse followed a fire at the Tazreen Fashion factory on the outskirts of Dhaka that killed 112 people in November 2012 and another incident at a factory in January in which seven people died, compounding concerns about worker safety and low wages in Bangladesh.

About 3.6 million people work in Bangladesh's garment industry, making it the world's second-largest apparel exporter.

North American retailers including Wal-Mart Stores Inc (>> Wal-Mart Stores, Inc.), Macy's Inc (>> Macy's, Inc.), Sears Holdings Corp (>> Sears Holdings Corp), JC Penney Co Inc (>> J.C. Penney Company, Inc.) and Gap Inc (>> The Gap Inc.) have declined to sign the fire and safety initiative.

PWT Group Marketing Director Brian Borsting said the firm didn't sign the accord sooner due to certain issues that needed clarifying, without elaborating.

(Editing by Mark Potter)

By Shida Chayesteh