Manufacturing in China

Manufacturing in China

China is known for its up and coming industries. They manufacture a big portion of America's electronics, clothing and toys in their factories. The Chinese are able to produce these products at lower costs; therefore, some American companies outsource to them. It is true that a high number of these products are not as high quality as those coming out of America would be. Consequently, to make these products so cheap, the workers' safety is what is really being jeopardized. There should be laws put in place to protect the employees of outsourced American goods. They need to have on-site safety managers make sure the work environment is safe for all workers.

Apple, a company which we have all heard of, with trendy expensive I-products and computers, has been in the news a lot recently. They did just come out with a new I-Pad, but one of their factories in China where they build these I-Pads had an explosion. Two people were killed and about a dozen or so were injured and hospitalized. The explosion was just the tip of the iceberg; the employees have a long list of complaints including working excessive overtime, some seven days a week while living in dorms that are crowded. Some workers on the factory line must stand all day and their legs swell up so much that they can hardly walk. Apple factories have also been known to employ underage workers. They have also been known to unlawfully dispose of hazardous waste and even records. The workers' health and well-being seem to be the last concern on the suppliers list. This vividly reminds me of the way animals are treated in factory farms, penned up and just used. Around two years ago 137 workers were injured working at the Apple factory because they were ordered to use a poisonous chemical to clean the I-Phone screen.

The worst part is Apple knows what is going on and is taking advantage of the situation. "If Apple was warned, and didn't act, that's reprehensible," said Nicholas Ashford, a former chairman of the National Advisory Committee on Occupational Safety and Health, a group that advises the United States Labor Department. "But what is morally repugnant in one country is accepted business practices in another, and companies take advantage of that" ('In China Human Costs and Built into the I-Pad'). In America we have the Fair Labor Act which protects our workers. It makes sure workers have a proper minimum wage, guaranteed overtime pay, and the work conditions are up to par with an ever changing set of codes. The law also requires liability insurance in case things go wrong and disability compensation. ("U.S. Department of Labor -- History -- Fair Labor Standards Act of 1938.") There are also very strict child labor and record-keeping laws.

By requiring Chinese manufacturing management to agree to certain portions of the Fair Labor Standards before a contract to manufacture goods and services, we could make sure that these workers got the kind of treatment they deserve. We would be able to move toward a safer and worker friendly environment. This protection, in turn, will nurture the happiness, fulfillment and production of the average Chinese factory worker. As Americans are reading what is done to these workers, we find it horrible and disgusting that people would treat their fellow humans this way. The truth is that most of China's population is poor, and get excited when factories come into their towns because they know there will be enough jobs and they may be able to feed their families. It's truly a harsh reality that poverty puts them through this sort of torture.

There are four laws that we would absolutely need to institute that would have the ability to change these workers' lives for the better. First of all they would need to comply with our safety codes. This would mean workers wouldn't be getting sick for having to use poisons daily without the proper attire. Proper attire would help reduce the number of explosions. Workers would never have to stand so long their legs become swollen because not having shifts and breaks can be considered a safety issue. In America employees stand on anti-fatigue mats and receive a break every 2-4 hours. This also should come into play with their dorms; one can't have as many people in one space like they do in China because it becomes a safety hazard. If there was a fire while everyone was in there, it would be impossible to evacuate everyone unscathed. This law would also include disposing of hazardous waste correctly which helps the environment and people that live near the dump sites. ("The Fair Labor Standards Act (U.S." ) Secondly, there needs to be a child labor law. It is understandable that children need to help make money in poor areas to help out their families, but they cannot be put in a dangerous work area and forced to work as adults do. In America if children are 16 and below 18 they can work at certain places but not past 10pm and only about 20 hours a week. Thirdly there should be a guaranteed overtime pay. Knowing that these people work so much and so hard in these factories, seven days a week at times, they deserve the correct compensation for it. Truthfully, if a business is now being forced to compensate extra for overtime, they are not going to work everyone so hard because their only goal is to make money and they don't want to spend extra money on workers overtime pay. They would more than likely get new workers. This in itself would be able to give more people jobs and boost the work morale by giving them a day off. Lastly, there needs to be a strict, record keeping policy. This will do a few things: help make sure they are doing everything to code as well as helping the company on the business side so they see exactly who does what, when and what they are paying for it.

Of course we would need to make sure the factories in China are implementing the entire system correctly by placing our own safety managers and systems in place. We use safety managers in America; it is their job to inspect a facility daily to make sure the conditions are up to codes. It would be their job to oversee the facility from time to time and make sure the daily procedures are not breaking any of the laws. ("Safety Regulations and Factories") Because of