The Working and Living Conditions of Apple Company - Article Example

Apple is one of the largest, richest, and most successful companies in the world. While all of the business and manufacturing that Apple does comes at a steep price, there is one aspect of their business that they have yet to put a price on human life. In all of its unmatched innovative glory, Apple and their suppliers have overlooked a huge part of the reason that they are successful, which are the workers who assemble, clean, and make sure that each and every iPhone and iPad is in perfect condition.

Without these hardworking and loyal employees, Apple would not have the outgo, and therefore its renowned success, that it has today. The working and living conditions of Apple’s employees are horrific and deplorable, and there is a significant lack of regard for employee safety. Most employees work long hours, often exceeding sixty hours and up to seven days each week; their pay is insulting, with one employee working a full day only to receive twenty-two dollars; they stand so long that their legs begin to swell, making it difficult to stand and walk; they are exposed to hazardous chemicals; and they live in cramped dorms, including one three-bedroom unit that housed twenty employees.

Some of the greater violations include employing underage workers, involuntary labor, and conditions that have led to numerous disabilities and even deaths. Despite the fact that employees have complained about these conditions, their complaints seem to go unheard. Apple suppliers, and thus Apple, has a lengthy history of disregarding laws and regulations that exist for the purpose of the workers. The explosion last May was far from the first disaster at one of their facilities, and, unfortunately, it probably will not be the last.

For many years, in an attempt to save money and produce items as quickly as possible, issues of safety have been ignored. Apple and its suppliers have claimed to have taken the events of negligence seriously, but, years later, the same issues persist. Apple has even created a list of codes that must be followed; while some suppliers have abided by them and made improvements, many others have completely ignored them. People are still suffering in their attempts to bring others the technology that they crave.

With each year that passes, Apple audits a large number of companies that do not take employee safety seriously. They have tried to make it known that if their suppliers are not going to follow the codes, then Apple is going to cease doing business with them. However, as companies tend to falsify information about the condition of their plants and workers, it becomes difficult for Apple to determine the companies who care about their workers and the companies who care more for the almighty dollar.

Some businesses are audited year after year, and while they claim to be making improvements for their workers, employees still continue to get hurt as they remain to be exposed to dangerous chemicals and put into the path of a destructing building. At the end of the day, just as consumers care more for their products than those who make them, so do the companies that help to create these products.