With so many American jobs being lost to other countries, there are a lot of bitter feelings towards companies that do not keep jobs in the US. In addition to the initial loss of work on American soil, there is insult added to injury when stories of sweatshop working conditions among contractors with major US companies like Apple surface in the headlines.
It was nearly six years ago that a newspaper profiled the terrible working conditions surrounding subcontractor factories assembling products for Apple. Workers were living and working in such squalid condition that they were incurring serious injuries and even dying on the job. Injuries and deaths were occurring at an alarming rate and newspapers were reporting the lack of action on the part of Apple.
While Apple is a huge, well-known corporation, it is likely not the only one turning a blind eye to unhealthy work environments even in our own country or state. With a shaky economy, employers are looking to cut costs and some of those cuts may to the safety and health standards of their workplace. Cutting costs may mean skimping on safety measures and treating workers unfairly just to earn a profit.
This is not an uncommon situation and you don’t have to travel to China to see it happen. Many work-related injuries are caused by employer neglect including failure to employ adequate staff, failure to train staff, and failure to provide updated protective equipment. Even small cuts to safety measures in a workplace can lead to serious accidents and even fatalities on the job.