1 killed, 4 injured in chlorine gas leak at Apple supplier Catcher
A chlorine gas leak at a Catcher Technology plant in eastern China killed one person and injured four, the Apple supplier confirmed on Friday.
The incident occurred during "routine work" at a liquid-waste treatment workshop in Suzhou, Catcher spokesman James Wu said, according to The Wall Street Journal. Catcher builds unibody metal cases for Apple's MacBook lineup, and also supplies components to other companies such as Dell and HTC.
Of the employees that are injured, three are said to be in serious condition, while one has reportedly been transferred out of intensive care. The factory where the incident occurred was previously given a worst-possible "black" rating by the Suzhou Municipal Environmental Protection Bureau.
The incident comes after Apple initiated a strong crackdown on its overseas supply chain, following criticism asserting that Apple's devices are assembled by workers who earn low pay and operate in unsafe working conditions.
Earlier this year, Apple became the first technology company to request independent audits of its overseas supply chain from the Fair Labor Association. Initial inspections from the FLA found a number of violations at Foxconn, Apple's assembly partner.
Apple's unibody manufacturing process was detailed in this 2008 video.
This week's incident at a Catcher plant isn't the first time an employee has died on the job at a Chinese plant of one of Apple's partners. Two workers were killed at a Foxconn iPad assembly plant in 2011, while a handful of employee suicides at Foxconn's facilities also gained international attention.
This March, Apple Chief Executive Tim Cook himself visited a Foxconn iPhone plant in Zhengzhou, China, to see first-hand the facility. That visit came after a series of reports on Apple and Foxconn stirred up debates about labor rights in China.
For years, Apple has also conducted its own internal audits of its overseas supply chain. The latest report, issued in January, found no intentional underage labor in 229 audits, a marked improvement from the 49 underage workers Apple discovered in its audits released in 2011.
The incident occurred during "routine work" at a liquid-waste treatment workshop in Suzhou, Catcher spokesman James Wu said, according to The Wall Street Journal. Catcher builds unibody metal cases for Apple's MacBook lineup, and also supplies components to other companies such as Dell and HTC.
Of the employees that are injured, three are said to be in serious condition, while one has reportedly been transferred out of intensive care. The factory where the incident occurred was previously given a worst-possible "black" rating by the Suzhou Municipal Environmental Protection Bureau.
The incident comes after Apple initiated a strong crackdown on its overseas supply chain, following criticism asserting that Apple's devices are assembled by workers who earn low pay and operate in unsafe working conditions.
Earlier this year, Apple became the first technology company to request independent audits of its overseas supply chain from the Fair Labor Association. Initial inspections from the FLA found a number of violations at Foxconn, Apple's assembly partner.
Apple's unibody manufacturing process was detailed in this 2008 video.
This week's incident at a Catcher plant isn't the first time an employee has died on the job at a Chinese plant of one of Apple's partners. Two workers were killed at a Foxconn iPad assembly plant in 2011, while a handful of employee suicides at Foxconn's facilities also gained international attention.
This March, Apple Chief Executive Tim Cook himself visited a Foxconn iPhone plant in Zhengzhou, China, to see first-hand the facility. That visit came after a series of reports on Apple and Foxconn stirred up debates about labor rights in China.
For years, Apple has also conducted its own internal audits of its overseas supply chain. The latest report, issued in January, found no intentional underage labor in 229 audits, a marked improvement from the 49 underage workers Apple discovered in its audits released in 2011.
Comments
"How dare Apple let this happen. This is entirely their fault."
Quote:
Originally Posted by Tallest Skil
"How dare Apple let this happen. This is entirely their fault."
Come on, Skil, didn't you know?
Apple is supposed to be everywhere at all times, aware of every possible situation at each of their suppliers' operations, and able to predict every possible eventuality.
(And leap over tall buildings in a single bound.)
Have some dignity and change this phrase: "a handful of suicides"
Handfuls are for trivial things like food and change, not people's lives -- no matter how much you don't seem to value them because it makes your favorite company look bad.
Hopefully, conditions were already being worked on in that plant. I do feel that Apple has been doing more than due diligence as they are having a widespread influence on those who work for them in these factories. You can argue that Apple is not directly responsible, but it's in everyone's best interest to take each individual's life seriously in the chain of those who create these great products and Apple has great power to make positive change in this regard.
No one should die at a factory job for a device of convenience.
And, of course, if they did that, all the whiners would be complaining about how they micromanage things and won't let their suppliers have any autonomy.
What is Apple's proportion of responsibility here? Dell and HP sold several times more notebooks than Apple.
Quote:
Originally Posted by aaronsullivan
Have some dignity and change this phrase: "a handful of suicides"
Handfuls are for trivial things like food and change, not people's lives -- no matter how much you don't seem to value them because it makes your favorite company look bad.
Good point. How many suicides can you fit in a hand anyway?
Quote:
Originally Posted by aaronsullivan
Have some dignity and change this phrase: "a handful of suicides"
Handfuls are for trivial things like food and change, not people's lives -- no matter how much you don't seem to value them because it makes your favorite company look bad.
...
Actually you are just making that up about it being "only for trivial things."
You sound way oversensitive to me, but possibly you are one of those that "doesn't like to be judged" as well?
Damn, I wish we could still use smiley's here!
If ever there was a post that deserved a :rolleyes: yours it it.
Oh please, get off your humanist hobby horse. Without that "device of convenience" literally thousands would be starving or worse for lack of employment. While you are absolutely correct about taking each individual's life seriously there is the Mr. Spock philosophy of "the needs of the many outway the needs of the few... or one." Workers all over the world die on the job every day for one reason to another. I just try to make sure I'm not one of them.
C'mon AI, only one person got killed! More than 100.000 people get killed annually in China in factory accidents. That makes 274 deaths/day. You are so concerned about Chinese work conditions - why don't you have every day another 273 articles about factory deaths in China. And how about factory deaths in Cambodia, Vietnam, Myanmar, Ivory Cost, Nigeria, Paraguay, Costa Rica, and maybe also USA. Why are you only concerned about China? Are other countries less equal?
And how about using child slavery in cocoa production especially in Ivory Cost, you AI chocolate asses? You have children killed to get your daily overdose of chocolate -shame on you!
At statement like that implies it was Apples fault because they are one of the clients. In a good 90% of these stories there is no proof that it was on an Apple line or even in the building that houses the Apple line. Or that the issue was work related rather than some guy that just happened to wok on an Apple line and loves his job jumped off the building because his girlfriend dumped him.
In this case it was a waste facility not a production line. And yet AI is trolling for hits by putting Applein the headline and downplaying the other clients.
Apparently 100% even though it had nothing to do with the production lines
It's also Apple's fault Praxis exploded. At least 200 Klingons were killed, maybe more. The Klingon High Command would not release numbers.
Given the scale of these operations, I think accidents are inevitable even with rigerous safety standards. Suggesting Apple could have prevented this is like suggesting the government can eliminate car accidents.
Quote:
Originally Posted by AppleInsider
The factory where the incident occurred was previously given a worst-possible "black" rating by the Suzhou Municipal Environmental Protection Bureau.
Why does Apple choose these sorts of companies to do business with?
Oh yeah, I forgot. Because they can save a few bucks and make higher profits. Same old same old.
Originally Posted by erann
You are so concerned about Chinese work conditions - why don't you have every day another 273 articles about factory deaths in China. And how about factory deaths in Cambodia, Vietnam, Myanmar, Ivory Cost, Nigeria, Paraguay, Costa Rica, and maybe also USA. Why are you only concerned about China?
Because this is an Apple website.
Quote:
Originally Posted by JerrySwitched26
Why does Apple choose these sorts of companies to do business with?
Oh yeah, I forgot. Because they can save a few bucks and make higher profits. Same old same old.
How friggin easy it must be to make such a statement when you're not running Apple and not responsible for its profitability, market position, and shareholder expectations.
Quote:
Originally Posted by Tallest Skil
Because this is an Apple website.
OK, then please show me dependable written evidence that Apple Inc. is responsible for this specific accident and how Apple was involved.
So do all the other hardware companies. Are you trying to hold Apple to a higher standard than the others, or is your observation directed at all of them?
Quote:
Originally Posted by Tallest Skil
"How dare Apple let this happen. This is entirely their fault."
Someone dies, and instead of saying that you somewhat feel bad for what happened, you play the victim card.
Actually, shame on all posters. No one said anything against Apple for this, but your behavior is much debatable.
Originally Posted by erann
OK, then please show me dependable written evidence that Apple Inc. is responsible for this specific accident and how Apple was involved.
Top of the page. Title of the thread.
Originally Posted by ClemyNX
Someone dies, and instead of saying that you somewhat feel bad for what happened, you play the victim card.
No, I play the "mock the anti-Apple brigade who will spin this as Apple's responsibility" card.