BEIJING — China on Wednesday called on Foxconn and other Taiwanese companies to ensure work safety after a deadly explosion last week at a plant operated by the tech giant where Apple's iPad2 was being assembled.
"We hope Foxconn and other Taiwanese firms can learn lessons from this, carry out safety responsibilities, step up internal oversight, stamp out potential safety risks in a timely manner and ensure safe production," said Fan Liqing, spokeswoman for China's Taiwan Affairs Office.
Three workers died and 15 others were hurt in Friday's blast at the plant of a Foxconn subsidiary in Chengdu city in southwest China.
An initial investigation showed that the accident may have been caused by an explosion of combustible dust in the polishing workshop.
Foxconn -- the world's largest maker of computer components, which produces items for Apple, Sony and Nokia -- has shut down all its workshops that polish electronic parts and products in China.
The company has pledged to "make an all-out effort" to treat the injured employees and soothe family members, and remove hidden safety risks "in accordance with relevant requirements", Fan told reporters at a news briefing.
The blast is the latest incident to hit the embattled Foxconn, after at least 13 of its employees died in apparent suicides last year, which activists blamed on tough working conditions.
Foxconn employs about one million workers in China, about half of them based in its main facility in the southern city of Shenzhen.
The company has been expanding its workforce in other parts of China as it seeks to scale back the size of its Shenzhen plant.
It opened the two-billion-dollar Chengdu plant in October last year, according to previous state media reports.
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