Apple Supplier Faces Harsh Working Conditions, Including Exposure To Toxic Gas [Report]

Another Apple supplier, Catcher technology, is accused of having workers undergo harsh labor conditions. The latest details come from a report by the nonprofit China Labor Watch (CLW) and Bloomberg.

Catcher Technology is an Apple supplier for MacBooks and iPhone 8 units.

CLW conducted an undercover investigation at the Suqian Catcher Factory in Jiangsu, China between October 2017 to January. The report said facility, which mostly works on Apple products, had major issues related to occupational health, safety, pollution and work schedules.

CLW had previously released a report in 2014 about issues at that same facility, including discriminatory hiring policies, lack of safety training, long work hours and low wages. The nonprofit said this year’s report shows previous issues are still present, as well as other violations.

Long Hours

Official regulations call for a five-day work week with eight hour shifts, but the nonprofit found workers spent ten hours a day six days a week standing making iPhone casings. The supplier also had a new scheduling system that didn't pay workers double time when they worked overtime, like the law requires.

Loud Noise, Safety Hazards

The report said loud noise at the factory threatened workers’ health and safety. The noise was about 80 decibels or more, which can cause possible damage after eight hours of exposure, according to IAC Acoustics.

The nonprofit said the supplier failed to provide workers with safety goggles to protect their eyes. CLW said its investigator suffered negative health effects after working at the plant for a month. The investigator was responsible for removing and assembling metal parts onto model trays, which would then be processed by a machine. During the process, chemical cutting fluids and metal particles often splashed into his eyes, CLW said. While working at the facility, the investigator developed symptoms of reduced vision, eye pain and irritation. He also had a persistent sensation that substances were in his eyes. The nonprofit said that “one month after leaving the factory, the investigator’s eyes remained bloodshot.” Other safety issues at Catcher include lack of emergency hallways or fire exits at workers’ dorms.

Chemicals, Poisonous Gas

The report said 90 workers were hospitalized after being poisoned by toxic gas last May, with at least five people admitted to the ICU. The nonprofit also said it found a “significant case of environmental pollution” at the facility where Apple parts were being manufactured. The nonprofit said the factory was “directly dispensing white, foamy wastewater into the public sewage system.” The organization collected samples and sent them for analysis, which found the water exceeded acceptable levels of Chemical Oxygen Demand (CODcr), Biochemical Oxygen Demand (BOD) and Suspended solids (SS).

Bloomberg also conducted interviews with workers, who spoke under anonymity.

“My hands turned bloodless white after a day of work,” one worker, who makes about $2 an hour said. “I only tell good things to my family and keep the sufferings like this for myself.”

The nonprofit also reported irritated and peeling skin on employees’ hands.

“After a few hours, the gloves swell, and get soft, like they’ve been corroded. The fingers would be exposed,” said one employee, according to Bloomberg.

Rubber gloves, which are used to protect skin from external fluids, are in short supply and many times don’t last an entire shift, employees told the news outlet. Some workers resorted to buying disposable plastic gloves that are meant for kitchen use in order to protect their hands.

International Business Times reached out to Apple for comment. However, the company told Bloomberg it had sent an audit team and had interviewed 150 people. Apple said it did not find evidence of violations of standards. Catchers also said it found nothing that suggested it had broken its client’s code of conduct.

The recent report comes months after it was revealed that another Apple supplier, Foxconn, allegedly employed teenaged Chinese students to assemble the iPhone X for up to 11 hours a day.