Apple has released the results of an annual audit of working conditions at the 156 suppliers involved in the manufacture of its products.
The full list includes the controversial Foxconn, Chinese manufacturer of iPhone, iPad and Mac, as well as the likes of Samsung, Toshiba, Sony and Panasonic. As AppStorm notes, it's an unusual move from a company which had previously been known for keeping a tight lid on details of its suppliers.
Apple found that only 38 per cent of its suppliers keep to an agreed maximum of 60 hours worked per week, while a third were deemend negligent in their handling of hazardous substances. Five factories were found to be employing minors - which Apple said was due to paperwork not being checked correctly - and low salaries were also highlighted.
An explosion last May at a Foxconn plant in Chengdu, China, killed three people and injured another 15. There was another, at the Ri-Teng Computer Accessory's Shanghai plant, which injured 61.
MacRumors reports that Apple CEO Tim Cook told staff in an email: "We insist that our manufacturing partners follow Apple's strict code of conduct. These audits make sure that working conditions are safe and just, and if a manufacturer won't live up to our standards, we stop working with them.
"Finding and correcting problems is not enough. Our team has built an ambitious training programme to educate workers about Apple's code of conduct, workers' rights, and occupational health and safety. More than one million people know about these rights because they went to work at an Apple supplier."
The company has joined the Fair Labour Association, a nonprofit organisation committed to improving working conditions worldwide, with Cook saying the move was "a big step toward greater transparency and independent oversight of our supply chain."
Source: AppStorm