In the New York Times last week, Keith Bradsher and Charles Duhigg reported on workplace improvements taking place at Apple's Foxconn-owned factories in China.

From chairs for workers to padded ceilings in low stairwells, Apple has begun to upgrade the working conditions for hundreds of thousands of workers.

We've mentioned a number of times on ManufactureThis that the Fair Labor Association found no less than 50 'serious and pressing non-compliances' with China’s labor laws in Foxconn factories.

While Apple has started what seems to be a long process of improvement, the Times article stresses that, to date, there are still major safety and labor issues at the Foxconn factories.

Regardless, Apple's focus on making these improvements has put pressure on other electronics manufacturers.

'This is on the front burner for everyone now,' said Gary Niekerk, a director of corporate social responsibility at Intel, which manufactures semiconductors in China. No one inside Intel 'wants to end up in a factory that treats people badly, that ends up on the front page.'

Read more here.