Apple is front and center today saying the death of a 15-year-old worker at one of its subcontractors was not the result of conditions at the Pegatron factory in Shanghai.

The teenager died of pneumonia, according to news reports. He was employed after using someone else’s ID to get the job.

It’s very sad that this happened. But the truly uncomfortable fact is that the worker was 15.

Apple’s response, as usual, was stiff and unconvincing: “Apple has a long-standing commitment to providing a safe and healthy workplace for every worker in our supply chain, and we have a team working with Pegatron at their facility to ensure that conditions meet our high standards.”

Underage workers continue to gain employment in Chinese factories. Why does this continue to happen there? Is it a failure of management? Is it cultural? And how many others will die before the system is fixed?