Blast at Apple gear factory hurts 61
Workers hospitalised after Shanghai plant explosion
An explosion at an Apple supplier's factory injured 61 workers and put 23 of them in hospital.
The blast shook a Ri Teng Computer Accessory plant in Songjiang in Shanghai at 3pm on 17 December, according to a filing with the Taiwan stock exchange by Ri Teng parent Pegatron.
"While the cause of the explosion is under investigation, employees who suffered injury on the site have been kept at the hospital for observation," the company's statement said.
Pegatron added that automation equipment had also been damaged by the incident, but "minimal impact is expected for production and business operation".
The chief financial officer for Pegatron, Charles Lin, told news wire Reuters today that the explosion had not caused a fire.
A spokeswoman for Apple told The Register that the company was "working closely with Pegatron to understand the cause of this accident".
"Our hearts go out to the people who were hurt in Songjiang," added Carolyn Wu.
The fruity firm gets many of the components for its iPhones and iPads from Chinese suppliers, many of which are never named publicly by secretive Apple. However, a string of accidents and incidents at Apple parts-makers in the country, particularly at Foxconn, have brought the unsung workers to public attention.
Accidents at Foxconn factories, as well as a string of suicides by workers, have been widely reported, revealing the labour behind the hugely successful Apple product lines.
All the attention has even drawn the eye of the Chinese government, which questioned the safety of Apple suppliers' factories in the country in terms of the pollution they cause in a report from the Institute of Public and Environmental Affairs.
Apple has repeatedly insisted that it is committed to social responsibility throughout its supply chain. ®
COMMENTS
@Jedit: They DON'T work for Apple!
They work for Pegasus! Whose factories ALSO make stuff for the likes of Dell and Nokia.
Yet, for some bizarre reason, it's only Apple who are "to blame" for the problems of a completely different company that happens to be a parts supplier. Last time I checked, Apple didn't _own_ these companies, so it's just journalistic hype we're seeing here. Apple don't own China either, so their influence on Chinese working conditions is limited.
Would you blame GM for problems at their parts supplier SL Corps' factories in Beijing or Shanghai?
Reg;
What other major companies obtain parts from this company?
I may be very much mistaken but...
Ri Teng is owned by Pegatron is owned by Asus. Pegatron is the OEM supplier and Asus is the retail brand. Peg-asus, see?
"Sounds like you're more bothered about the mighty Apple's reputation than the well being of the injured workers"
No; I don't like Apple nor buy their products. I was more bothered by the fact that I could be funding such places by purchase of non-Apple stock and I wanted to know what other brands dealt with the company (as they invariably do).
And I was also concerned about the poor journalism and omission of facts.
But it sounds like you're more concerned with slamming Apple from some perceived moral high ground than anything else...
