Creative Commons/Richie Fingers

Apple Computer announced Monday that labor rights inspectors will conduct "special voluntary audits" of working conditions at the factories of suppliers that assemble the company's iPhones, iPads, and computers.

The inspectors are from the Fair Labor Association, a nonprofit labor rights organization, which, according to its website, is dedicated to "to ending sweatshop conditions in factories worldwide."

Apple's announcement comes nearly three weeks after The New York Times published a report detailing the harsh conditions inside the factories of some of the company's largest Chinese suppliers, including Foxconn, which assembles Apple's iPhone and iPads.

The Fair Labor Association inspectors began working at a Foxconn facility in Shenzhen, China on Monday, according to a statement from Apple.

"Apple’s suppliers have pledged full cooperation with the FLA, offering unrestricted access to their operations," the company said in the statement.

The results of the first FLA inspections will be posted on Apple's website in early March, according to the statement.