Apart from child labor, another form of human rights violation that is prevalent in the supply chain of technology industry is the lack of a safer working environment (Bishop, 2012). Notably, most of the suppliers of technology companies in third world countries fail to provide their workers with safety equipment such as gloves and masks, thus exposing them to different hazardous compounds. In reference to the Institute for Human Rights and Business (2011), the ICT sector is challenged in the sense that its manufacturing and production processes in its supply chain have high chances of creating a hazardous working environment for its employees. For example, due to lack of safety equipment, workers could be exposed to minerals that have a negative impact on their health. This is affirmed by Kelly (2016) who observes that workers in cobalt mines in the Democratic Republic of Congo have no safety equipment and are constantly exposed to health hazards from cobalt mineral. Apart from expose to hazardous substances, the Institute for Human Rights and Business (2011) observe that some suppliers in the ICT sector often mistreat their employees through long working hours, harassment and torture both physically and mentally. For example, Apple, Inc. (2016) observe that one of the challenges in its supply chain is embedded in the fact that some of the suppliers have long working schedules that undermine the rights of their employees to rest. Note that long working hours undermines the workers’ ability to concentrate and as such, it increases their chances of getting injured at the workplace. This violation has adverse effects on their rights as human beings and could have a lifetime effect on their lives.
Importantly, one of the critical issues that emerges from the analysis of child labor and lack of safer working environment as human rights violation reveal that most firm in the supply chain focus more on keeping the cost of operations low as a way to enhance their competitiveness and profits on the globe market. Furthermore, it is important to observe that the initial stages of productions and manufacturing of different components of technology products is one of the main stages that has serious violation of human rights. For example, whereas companies such as Apple, Inc. are implementing measures to eradicate human rights abuses in their supply chain, such violations are still persistent at the foundation stages of the supply chain.
除了童工之外，技术行业供应链中普遍存在的另一种形式的侵犯人权行为是缺乏更安全的工作环境（Bishop，2012）。值得注意的是，第三世界的大多数技术公司供应商未能向其工人提供手套和口罩等安全设备，从而使他们接触到不同的有害化合物。关于人权与商业研究所（2011年），信息和通信技术部门面临的挑战是，其供应链中的制造和生产过程极有可能为其员工创造危险的工作环境。例如，由于缺乏安全设备，工人可能接触到对其健康有负面影响的矿物质。Kelly（2016）证实了这一点，他指出，刚果民主共和国钴矿山的工人没有安全设备，并且经常暴露在钴矿物的健康危害下。除接触有害物质外，人权与商业研究所（2011年）观察到，信息和通信技术部门的一些供应商经常通过长时间工作、身体和精神上的骚扰和酷刑虐待其雇员。例如，苹果公司（2016年）观察到，其供应链中的一个挑战在于，一些供应商的工作时间过长，这损害了其员工的休息权利。请注意，长时间工作会削弱工人的注意力集中能力，因此会增加他们在工作场所受伤的几率。这种侵犯行为对他们作为人的权利产生不利影响，并可能对他们的生活产生终身影响。重要的是，对童工和缺乏更安全的工作环境作为侵犯人权行为的分析所产生的一个关键问题表明，供应链中的大多数公司更注重保持低运营成本，以此提高其在全球市场上的竞争力和利润。此外，必须指出，生产和制造技术产品不同组成部分的初始阶段是严重侵犯人权的主要阶段之一。例如，尽管苹果公司等公司正在实施消除供应链中侵犯人权的措施，但此类违规行为仍然存在于供应链的基础阶段。
In order to address child labor problems, multinational corporations in the technology sector need to implement zero tolerance policies that prohibit child labor by enacting agreements with their suppliers that such violations will be met with consequences such as termination of their contracts. In reference to Nolan (2015), the zero tolerance to child labor in the supply chain of multinational corporations is capable of eradicating child labor since any association of such corporation with child labor often contributes to negative global publicity and as such, undermines their ability to make profits and grow as a business. Apart from this, multinational corporations can force their suppliers who are found abusing the rights of children through child labor to return such children to their homes and cater for their needs such as education, shelter, clothing and food until such children reach the legal working age.
为了解决童工问题，技术部门的跨国公司需要实施禁止童工的零容忍政策，与供应商签订协议，规定此类违规行为将导致终止合同等后果。参考Nolan（2015），跨国公司供应链中对童工的零容忍能够根除童工，因为此类公司与童工的任何关联通常会造成负面的全球宣传，并因此削弱其盈利和作为企业成长的能力。除此之外，跨国公司可以迫使被发现通过童工滥用儿童权利的供应商将这些儿童送回家中，并满足他们的教育、住房、衣物和食物等需求，直到这些儿童达到法定工作年龄。
Similarly, with regard to creating a safe working environment for workers in their supply chain, multinational corporations need to formulate and implement policies in their supply chain that define what a safe working environment is, as well as how it can be improved over time. Importantly, rather than just dictating in policies on the importance of a safe working environment, these corporations can work with their suppliers to create such an environment. For instance, these corporations can help supply safety equipment such as aprons, eyewear and gloves. In addition these corporations in collaboration with their suppliers can work on implementing working terms that are favorable to their employees. For instance, Apple, Inc. has formulated policies for its suppliers with regard to the working hours of their employees, whereby workers of their suppliers cannot work for more than 55 hours a week (Apple, Inc., 2016). The enactment of such policies should be coupled with regular impromptu visits to their suppliers’ manufacturing and production plants to ensure that they are being enforced. For example, Salcito et al. (2013) observe that through regular assessment of the working environment of suppliers, multinational corporations can be able to not only ensure no human rights violations exist but also such assessment provide a platform for standardization of the work environment safety standards in their supply chain.
同样，关于为供应链中的工人创造安全的工作环境，跨国公司需要在其供应链中制定和实施政策，确定什么是安全的工作环境，以及如何随着时间的推移加以改善。重要的是，这些公司可以与其供应商合作创造这样一个环境，而不仅仅是在政策中规定安全工作环境的重要性。例如，这些公司可以帮助提供安全设备，如围裙、眼镜和手套。此外，这些公司与其供应商合作，可以实施有利于其员工的工作条款。例如，苹果公司就其员工的工作时间为其供应商制定了政策，规定其供应商的员工每周工作时间不得超过55小时（苹果公司，2016年）。在制定此类政策的同时，还应定期对供应商的制造和生产工厂进行临时访问，以确保这些政策得到执行。例如，Salcito等人（2013年）观察到，通过定期评估供应商的工作环境，跨国公司不仅能够确保不存在侵犯人权的行为，而且这种评估为其供应链中的工作环境安全标准的标准化提供了一个平台。