The History of Worker Protection

In 1877, the state of Massachusetts passed the first law to address safety and health. This legislation covered important aspects of factory safety, such as machine guarding, elevator protection, and factory fire exits. Massachusetts set a groundbreaking precedent, and by 1890, eight other states had also instituted factory inspections, thirteen states had passed legislation requiring machine guarding, and twenty-one had adopted some provision for health hazards.

Within fifteen years, the United States Bureau of Labor began publishing very graphic studies about fatalities and illnesses relevant to workers in factories and other "dusty trades." These studies caused such a public outcry that it forced companies to create safer alternatives and procedures. One such example of this was a study done by John Andrews and published by the Bureau of Labor in 1910. This study observed workers from the white phosphorous match industry, who often developed phosphorus necrosis, a disease that caused disfigurement of the jaw and sometimes death. As a result, the U.S. government levied heavy taxes on these industries, nearly causing them to collapse. In response, the white phosphorous match industry developed an alternative procedure and eliminated the hazard.

By the 1930s, all forty-eight states had adopted legislation to require job-related safety measures. In 1934, the Bureau of Labor created the first federal agency focused on the safety and health of workers.

The late 1960s saw tremendous changes in the United States. It was a time of civil unrest, crises, war, the assassination of important figures, and a new foray into space. The 1960s also saw a time of economic expansion. With this expansion came a rise in worker-related deaths and injuries.

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