DaimlerChrysler's South African operations are among the accused

New York-based Ed Fagan has threatened lawsuits against 13 companies with involvement in South Africa, accusing them of routinely exposing staff to unsafe working conditions.

The companies include South African mining giants Anglo American and De Beers, as well as multinationals such as ExxonMobil, Dow Chemical and DaimlerChrysler.

These firms were on the receiving end of a previous lawsuit, which demanded billions of dollars of compensation for those harmed by South Africa's apartheid regime.

Working together

The apartheid lawsuit is currently grinding through the courts; the South African Government moved to block it in New York in July.

Mr Fagan has set his sights on South Africa

But in this case, Mr Fagan has said he will work with the South African authorities.

If the government agrees to side with his complaint, he says, he will drop the lawsuits and begin negotiating with the companies.

The government has yet to respond.

Mr Fagan, who has launched a series of high-profile class-action lawsuits against companies around the world, has been particularly active in South Africa.