From Silicon Valley to Samsung: Challenges for workers in electronics manufacturing

During the ‘80s, the electronics industry in Silicon Valley poisoned the workers, community, and environment surrounding the factories. Multi-stakeholder partnerships and collective action led to new regulations in the US and an exodus of factories to Asia with none. In the last two decades we have seen history repeat itself in those communities, despite innovations in automation and green chemistry. Understanding why workers continue to get sick and identifying exactly where those hazards are and how to eliminate them is an ongoing challenge. In A Workers' Guide to Health and Safety, Hesperian applies its popular health education approach to the electronics industry, deconstructing scientific data on chemicals, radiation, and other work hazards and incorporating workers' knowledge and experience into simple and actionable information. To develop this material, Hesperian worked with partners around the world, including: Korea (SHARPS), China (SACOM, AMRC), Mexico (CEREAL, CFO), Philippines (IOSHAD, WAC), and the US (ICRT). Our investigation demonstrates that there is a clear need to continue developing low-tech, practical tools to help electronics workers understand the substances and processes that harm their health, take action to protect themselves and their communities, and organize to change conditions. Initial results also provide direction for further research on green chemistry and its implementation in the electronic industry. Consumers are becoming aware of the hazards of the industry that produces the devices we rely on, and there is an urgent need for workers and consumers to work together to create a less harmful electronics industry.