Samsung Puts Four Young Workers At Risk of Blindness

Four workers of Samsung’s supplier are now at risk of vision loss due to exposure to high-density methanol.

An ongoing attempt by Samsung Electronics Co., Ltd. to outsource risk to an army of smaller contractors has proven dangerous as four workers are now at risk of losing vision due to exposure to gasified methanol while on the job.

The four workers, all temporary employees in their twenties at a Samsung supplier, suffered irreversible vision impairment after using high-density gasified methanol as coolant while edging aluminum clad circuits for smartphones, according to Solidarity For Workers’ Health, a Seoul-based advocacy group.  The employer did not provide even basic protective gear such as gloves.

Due to legal considerations, the advocate did not disclose the name of the employer, which is a subcontractor of one of Samsung’s army of outsourcers.  Nor did the Ministry of Employment and Labor, which on Feb. 5 said it…