…Women working at two Samsung factories in Vietnam…experience…frequent fainting, dizziness, miscarriages, standing for eight-to-twelve hours, and alternating day/night shift work…documented in a report…by the Hanoi-based Research Center for Gender, Family and Environment in Development (CGFED) and IPEN….

Because Samsung is notoriously secretive, it offers a rare glimpse into life on the Samsung factory floor.

Key Findings:

• All workers reported extreme fatigue, fainting and dizziness at work.
• Workers reported that miscarriages are extremely common—even expected.
• Workers must stand throughout their 8-to-12-hour shifts….
• Pregnant workers usually stand for the entire shift to avoid having the company deduct money from their wages for taking breaks.
• More than half of the interviewed women have children, but they are separated from them.
• Workers reported problems with eyesight, nose bleeds, and stomach aches, as well as bone, joint, and leg pain.
• Workers’ lives are controlled inside and outside of work. Breaks are short and limited, and workers must request special passes to use the restroom. Workers are restricted from speaking about work because of fear of reprisals.
• …Despite the fact that workers are stationed in open factory settings where other workers use a variety of substances, they did not consider assembly line work a chemical risk.

The study…is a rare opportunity for consumers and policy makers to learn about the harsh working conditions that the female workers…must endure.