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February 14, 2011, 10:39 PM EST
By Tim Culpan
Feb. 14 (Bloomberg) -- Apple Inc., whose supplier Foxconn Technology Group was hit by a series of employee suicides last year, said a quick response by the Taiwanese assembler helped prevent further deaths.
Apple commissioned a review by a team of suicide-prevention experts after the worker deaths, and in August presented its findings to senior executives from both companies, including Foxconn founder and Chairman Terry Gou, according to Apple’s annual Supplier Responsibility report.
“The team commended Foxconn for taking quick action,” Apple wrote. “Foxconn had worked openly with many outside experts and government officials in reacting to the crisis. Most important, the investigation found that Foxconn’s response had definitely saved lives.”
Foxconn, which makes Apple’s iPad and also supplies Hewlett-Packard Co., Sony Corp., and Dell Inc., installed nets to deter people from jumping, opened a 24-hour counseling hotline and hired psychologists after at least 10 China workers committed suicide. Apple Chief Executive Officer Steve Jobs on June 2 denied Foxconn was a sweatshop, saying his company was “all over” the supplier to deal with the deaths.
Foxconn, whose flagship Hon Hai Precision Industry Co. is based in Taipei, is the world’s largest contract manufacturer of electronics, with more than 1 million workers.
Apple said it audited 127 of its suppliers’ facilities last year to check compliance with its supplier code of conduct, which includes labor and human rights, health and safety, ethics and environmental impact.
--Editors: Anand Krishnamoorthy, Terje Langeland
To contact the reporter on this story: Tim Culpan in Taipei at tculpan1@bloomberg.net
To contact the editor responsible for this story: Young-Sam Cho at ycho2@bloomberg.net
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Feb. 14 (Bloomberg) -- Apple Inc., whose supplier Foxconn Technology Group was hit by a series of employee suicides last year, said a quick response by the Taiwanese assembler helped prevent further deaths.
Apple commissioned a review by a team of suicide-prevention experts after the worker deaths, and in August presented its findings to senior executives from both companies, including Foxconn founder and Chairman Terry Gou, according to Apple’s annual Supplier Responsibility report.
“The team commended Foxconn for taking quick action,” Apple wrote. “Foxconn had worked openly with many outside experts and government officials in reacting to the crisis. Most important, the investigation found that Foxconn’s response had definitely saved lives.”
Foxconn, which makes Apple’s iPad and also supplies Hewlett-Packard Co., Sony Corp., and Dell Inc., installed nets to deter people from jumping, opened a 24-hour counseling hotline and hired psychologists after at least 10 China workers committed suicide. Apple Chief Executive Officer Steve Jobs on June 2 denied Foxconn was a sweatshop, saying his company was “all over” the supplier to deal with the deaths.
Foxconn, whose flagship Hon Hai Precision Industry Co. is based in Taipei, is the world’s largest contract manufacturer of electronics, with more than 1 million workers.
Apple said it audited 127 of its suppliers’ facilities last year to check compliance with its supplier code of conduct, which includes labor and human rights, health and safety, ethics and environmental impact.
--Editors: Anand Krishnamoorthy, Terje Langeland
To contact the reporter on this story: Tim Culpan in Taipei at tculpan1@bloomberg.net
To contact the editor responsible for this story: Young-Sam Cho at ycho2@bloomberg.net
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