Workers Everywhere Have The Right to a Safe and Fair Work Environment!

Apple has been under fire in the public eye for the health, safety, and environmental aspects that have affected their supplier's factories. APSB believe that some of the criticism is justified, and long over due. One supplier had two aluminium dust explosions that resulted in the death and injuries of scores of workers. 

Here is the story:

The Fair Labor Association (FLA) will audit several suppliers, including Foxconn in China, at Apple's request.

Safety at the factories has come under scrutiny after a series of fatal accidents and suicides in recent years. Apple chief executive Tim Cook said: "Workers everywhere have the right to a safe and fair work environment." He added: "Which is why we've asked the FLA to independently assess the performance of our largest suppliers.

"The inspections now under way are unprecedented in the electronics industry, both in scale and scope, and we appreciate the FLA agreeing to take the unusual step of identifying the factories in their reports." The FLA's president Auret van Heerden will lead the investigations which will see employees interviewed at Foxconn's large factories in Shenzhen and Chengdu.

Apple said results of the first assessments will be published in early March. Further inspections will take place at factories run by Quanta and Pegatron later this year. In total, the audit will cover suppliers responsible for 90% of Apple products.

Independent inspectors have been around the aluminium industry for well over twenty years. Even the APSB has been asked to tour plants and identify areas where the plant is not in compliance with the best industry safety practices.

This story hopefully will have a lasting positive affect on tens of thousands of workers around the globe. The APSB congratulates Apple on the decision to hire independent inspectors. But, it is the first step......


Please comment, has your facility been inspected by 3rd party inspectors?