The Guardian interview on worker safety in Apple factories

I talked with The Guardian's Samual Gibbs to discuss worker safety in Chinese plants making Apple products as part the following article:

Apple urged to stop using harmful chemicals in its factories

Labour and eco groups call for chemical safety in manufacturing at Apple factories in China, and say Samsung, Dell and HP should change too

Pressure groups China Labor Watch and Green America say Apple should stop using harmful chemicals including the solvents n-hexane and benzene in its manufacturing.

But they said that they were not calling for a customer boycott of the products, and that any reports suggesting that were “misinterpretation”.

The groups will call on Wednesday for Apple to “stop needlessly exposing workers in Chinese manufacturing facilities to toxic chemicals now causing severe illnesses” arguing that using those chemicals rather than alternatives saves it a “shockingly small amount of money”.

“Together with Green America, we demand that Apple takes responsibility and removes chemicals like the solvents n-hexane and the carcinogen benzene, which is known to cause leukaemia providing its workers with a legal standard of welfare,” Kevin Slaten, programme co-ordinator at China Labor Watch, told the Guardian.

Nerve damage, paralysis and cancer

The solvent n-hexane is used to clean electronic displays, including Apple’s iPhone. It is used rather than conventional solvents such as isopropanol or other alcohols because it evaporates around three times faster: that means washed screens are dry more quickly, so workers can clean more of them in a given period. But exposure can cause nerve damage and even paralysis. N-hexane has been blamed for a number of poisoning episodes at iPhone manufacturing plants in China.

Benzene is used as a cleaning and coating agent for electronic components. But it is also a carcinogen which can cause reproductive abnormalities and leukemia.
Apple’s Supplier Responsibility Report does not specifically mention either n-hexane or benzene, but does state that “suppliers shall identify, evaluate, and control worker exposure to hazardous chemical, biological, and physical agents.”

Apple states that “suppliers must eliminate chemical hazards where possible” and where that is not possible that suppliers should provide physical systems to prevent exposure, or “administrative controls such as safe work procedures” when physical systems are not possible.

An Apple spokesperson told the Guardian that it requires all its suppliers to meet or exceed the safety standards for the handling of hazardous chemicals set by the US Occupational Safety and Health Administration (Osha), which is 500 parts per million (ppm) for n-hexane in general industry or 1.8g per cubic metre, and 1ppm for benzene.

‘Bad Apple’

Green America and China Labor Watch will hold a “Bad Apple” press conference at 1730GMT in New York on Wednesday to outline what they say are Apple’s failings in electronics manufacturing safety and what can be done about it, as well as how individuals can get involved in “nudging” Apple into adopting safer chemical procedures in its factories.

“We are targeting Apple because it has given itself a tremendous amount of responsibility but actions speak louder than words, and it has the potential to drive change because of the sheer size of its manufacturing base in China,” said Slaten.

But Slaten said that Apple was not alone in needing to stop its use of such chemicals, citing other major rivals.

“[Apple] is not alone in these labor conditions breaches, however; Samsung, HP, Dell and others all need to reform too.”

“When workers come to these factories they deal with harmful chemicals every day and they need to be educated about them. Unfortunately training in most factories is not adequate with some receiving as little as 10 minutes pre-job rather than the 24 hours legal requirement,” Slaten explained.

An Apple spokesman provided the Guardian with the following statement:

“Over the past decade, Apple has led the industry in removing toxics like lead and mercury, brominated flame retardants and PVC from our products, which is good for workers as well as consumers. When it comes to handling chemicals and toxic substances, we require that our suppliers around the world meet or exceed respected US safety standards such as Osha, the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health, and the American Conference of Governmental Industrial Hygienists. Last year, we conducted nearly 200 factory inspections which focused on hazardous chemicals, to make sure those facilities meet our strict standards. We also provide suppliers with training in hazardous chemical management, industrial hygiene and personal protection equipment as part of the Apple Supplier EHS Academy in Suzhou, China.”