History of Work Safety

It’s a fact that Industrial workplace will always carry a certain level of risk. However, many jobs throughout American history have had deaths attributable to both employer and employee negligence and unsafe work practices. Advances in technology and changes in workplace procedures have led to an overall decline in the number of employees who are injured or killed at work.

Prior to the 1880s, there was little interest in work safety. Many of the improvements in work safety resulted not from the integration of safer work procedures but rather because of advances in technology that lead to safer innovations, such as the movement from more dangerous ladders to safer elevators, according to the Economic History Association.

The United States was more dangerous than other countries during the second industrial revolution because America had natural resources, immigrants and space, which made high profits more possible and encouraged labor-saving practices, according to the Economic History Association.

Also, the court systems were less likely to hold companies liable for injuries, which removed the consequences of unsafe work conditions.

Workers sometimes had responsibility for their injuries between 1890 and 1904. For instance, in the mining industry, miners were paid per ton and many miners were willing to take risks in order to maximize their productivity. However, supervisors were also responsible because it was cheaper to have fewer supervisors for more spread-out miners, according to the Economic History Association. Railroads were more dangerous in the United States between 1889 and 1901 because railroads were poorly built and had bad signal systems.

Employers sometimes had to lure workers into jobs that were considered too dangerous, so workers in some of the most dangerous jobs were paid more. Some workers bought accident insurance so that they could receive yearly compensation if they became too injured to work, according to the Economic History Association. These practices became less necessary in 1910 when federal regulations and unions began to improve safety conditions.

Developments

Developed countries have experienced a large decrease in the number of injuries, primarily because of the majority of workers in these countries moving from more dangerous work such as farming and manufacturing to safer work such as retail and services, according to the Economic History Association. Dangerous jobs have become increasingly safer because of safety precautions, personal protective equipment, Safety gear and safety equipment.

The United States, Australia and other western countries saw a significant decline in worker deaths. According to National Safety Council, from 1933 to 1997, worker deaths went from 37 worker deaths per 100,000 to four worker deaths per 100,000 in the US.
 

Safety Boots And Work Boots--a Long History To Tell

Safety boots have a long history. Before the steel toed shoe, workers in Europe often wore wooden Boots, called sabots, to work because they offered some protection against falling objects. Safety Boots or steel toe boots are hard wearing Boots or boots that have a protective plate in the toe to stop the wearer being hurt from heavy objects falling on them Often these toe plates are combined with a plate in the sole to protect the foot from sharp objects on the ground which could pierce the sole and foot

Safety Boots or steel toe boots are hard wearing Boots or boots that have a protective plate in the toe to stop the wearer being hurt from heavy objects falling on them. Often these toe plates are combined with a plate in the sole to protect the foot from sharp objects on the ground which could pierce the sole and foot. Shoe requirements depend on the specific type of job the worker does (mining, timber, electricity) and the potential hazards. The place that the workers spend most of their time is also important. For instance, someone standing for eight hours a day is more interested in comfort than someone who may crawl around machinery for most of the shift.

Traditionally the toe plates and sometimes the sole plates too are made of steel. They can also be made of a composite or a plastic like TPU (Thermoplastic polyurethane). Safety engineers have discovered that there is more to a good safety shoe than a steel toe. Studies of worker compensation claims have shown that a large percentage of them are shoe related even though the workers are wearing safety Boots.These safety Boots are very important in industrial occupations, particularly in the construction industry, and often job roles have legislation attached to them insisting that these safety Boots are worn. Not wearing safety Boots can infringe health and safety legislation, or can invalidate insurance.

Safety boots are now available in a variety of styles, including clogs and trainers or sneakers. Some are smart, formal Boots, possibly for workers in a supervisory capacity who have to wear safety Boots by law. In some sub cultures the wearing of steel toed safety Boots has become something of a fashion statement, for instance with punks and skin heads who can often be see sporting brands of safety shoe like Dr. Martens and Grinders.

In the USA, safety Boots have symbols displayed on the exterior which describe the level of protection the shoe gives. For example a green triangle signifies a class 1 steel toe with a reinforced sole. A yellow triangle shows it is a class 2 toe cap with a reinforced sole. A white square means the safety shoe protects the wearer from electrical currents, and a yellow square offers anti static protection. A red square is the opposite of these and can conduct electricity, whereas a picture of a fir tree shows the safety shoe will protect the wearer from chainsaws.

Other protection that workers can get is Kevlar lining to dissipate blows and protect from punctures. Another important protection is a flexible steel bottom plate in the shoe that protects workers who step on sharp objects.
In Canada a safety shoe follows a code system to describe the protection it offers. The first code indicates whether or not the safety shoe has a steel toe cap. If it is ?0? then there is none, and ?1? means there is one and it resists a higher level of impact that ?2?, which indicates there is a plate there but it is less protective than a shoe displaying ?1?. The second part of the code lets the wearer know if there is a protective sole or not. ?0? means there is none, and ?P? means soles are protected. The third character lets you know if the safety shoe has protection against collisions and shocks, with ?M? meaning it does, and ?0? meaning not. The next letter describes electrical protection. ?E? Boots are resistant to electrical shocks, and ?S? means you are protected against static electricity. ?C? Boots actually conduct electricity which in some occupations is a positive feature. The last code found on safety Boots are for those which protect feet from chainsaws. If they do, you will see an ?X?, and if not you will see a ?0?.
Safety Boots are hard wearing Safety boots or boots that have a protective plate in the toe to stop the wearer being hurt from heavy objects falling on them available.