Apple sent inspectors to one of its contractor factories in China after the death of an underage worker, it said on Friday, vowing to ensure “high standards” were kept to.
Supplier Pegatron confirmed that the 15-year-old was among four workers “who died of illness in the second half of the year” in the Shanghai plant, which has about 100,000 employees.
According to New York-based China Labor Watch, Shi Zhaokun died of pneumonia on October 9 at a Shanghai hospital.
He made Apple products at the factory, which demanded employees work for 12 hours each day, the group claimed.
An Apple spokeswoman in China said the California-based firm sent independent officials from China and the US to conduct an investigation at the factory which found “no evidence” of a link between the deaths and working conditions.
“We have a team working with Pegatron at their facility to ensure that conditions meet our high standards,” the spokeswoman added.