Health and Safety Practices Plan (Part Two), Product Safety and Security Risks - Research Paper Example

132). The Apple Company strongly believes and upholds each worker’s health and safety. The company requires its suppliers create a safe working conditions and at the same time upholding the standards in its Code. Risks assessment techniques The company’s has health and safety programs that start with standard audits, and include occupational health and safety training which is carried out throughout its supplier base. Audits have resulted in various noncompliance findings, such as workers not wearing appropriate personal protective equipment, lack of first-aid supplies and fire detection equipment, or inadequate exit paths for emergency evacuations.

In the last ten years, Apple has grown to become one of the biggest and most successful companies in the world. Apple and other American industries have achieved a dozen of achievements nearly unmatched in modern history. Workers involved in the assembling of iPhones, iPads and other devices are said to labor in harsh and difficult conditions, which is according to employees inside most of its plants, advocates of these workers and documents published by companies themselves. Security risk More serious violations in the past have also included the exposure to chemicals as a result of poor ventilation, and where workers perform activities at dangerous heights in the absence guardrails or safety harnesses.

The apple production uses n-hexane to clean mobile phones screen. The employees find the smell very irritating which makes the eye aches. In case of a prolonged inhalation one may feel weak, in addition, the chemical causes tingling and numbness in the hands and feet. The first poisoning case was discovered in July 2009 and triggered a strike at that time. Afterwards, Wintek sent two doctors to give employees physical exams. According to an employee, the only test the doctors did was to tap their knees with hammers.

While recognizing that this is a, method of diagnosis, workers felt the examination was not professional. None of the workers were diagnosed as poisoned during the health examination. Deeply worried about their health, workers went to hospitals for further exams. Around 100 of them were told that their nerves were damaged. After the health examination, the employee had to be advised how he/she would attend the duties to prevent further damage of the nerves. Explaining why workers had to rest at home instead of receiving treatment at the hospital, the management said there was not enough bed space in the hospital.

Wintek, which Apple’s n-hexane supplier, promised that workers who were discharged from hospital could rest at home for 3 months. The victims were entitled to a compensation, which included the basic wage, nutrition allowance and meal subsidy. Since the workers' strike, propane and isopropanol are being used in place of n-hexane, and the ventilation system has been improved. However, workers believe the new cleanser is also toxic. Some time the company discovers worker health and safety issues not covered by its regular audits.

The company digs deeper to understand the cause of the problem and, in some cases, hire experts to conduct specialized assessments. The results of these assessments have led to the development of new standards for its suppliers to follow. Safety measures In the year 2010, Apple sought the services of Foxconn to initiate an employee assistance program (EAP) at one of its