By Judson MacLaury
"The social battles which men have fought ... mark eras in social
conditions .... Among these social contests may be classed the efforts of
humane men to correct so-called factory evils."¹
During the era of industrialization in America, between the Civil War
and World War I, dangerous and unhealthy working conditions and frequent
serious accidents with resulting economic and social losses prompted calls for
government to take action. The initial pressure for government remedies came
primarily from labor groups. Investigations by state labor bureaus of dangers
to workers' safety and health helped fuel a successful drive by labor for state
factory acts in the industrial North, beginning with the Massachusetts Factory
Act of 1877. The system of factory inspection that evolved produced significant
improvements in the workplace. After 1900, middle- and upper-class Progressives
added their support to the movement for government regulation of workers'
safety and health. These reformers sought to overcome shortcomings that had
developed in factory legislation and enforcement. They also introduced the twin
innovations of workers' compensation and administrative rule making by
industrial commissions. Complementing these new public initiatives, many
corporations established voluntary safety programs. In addition, industrial
health received special scientific and public attention in the Progressive
period and was the subject of several government and private
investigations.
Sections:
- State Investigations
- Factory Inspection
Legislation
- Inspection, Enforcement,
Compliance
- Critique of State Action
- Progressive Era
Investigations
- Progressive Ideas
- The New York Factory Investigating
Commission
Footnotes
Mr. MacLaury is U.S. Dept. of Labor Historian.
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