Page 11 - Petrosphere - Loss Control Management (LCM) Training Manual V 1.0

10 Module 1: History and Philosophy of Loss Control Loss Control Management (LCM)

was prone for breaking and even fires, and the lack of safety protocol. But it was dangerous particularly
for reasons of economics: owners were under no regulations and did not have a financial reason to
protect their workers and laborers who are untrained and unskilled.

The greatest upsurge in industrial growth occurred around 1880 with the rapid increase of steel
production. Skilled tradesmen were no longer needed – factory owners wanted a cheap labor and
operating the machines didn’t require much skill. For this reason, they would often hire women and
children, who worked half the wages of men.

In the 1900’s, the worker’s plights includes

the long hours (12-16 hours) that exposed them on
potential accidents, irregular breaks, and labor
intensive work made the factory lifestyle difficult.
With a long line of people willing to work, employers
could set wages as low as they wanted because
people are willing to work as long as they get paid.

Even children were used throughout the factories as
workers. It was said that the rules were strict that
even going to the toilet could only happen with
permission from the bosses. Children were perhaps
the biggest victims of the factory booms as they were seen as great options within the workplace. The
combination of cheap labor, easily replaceable if accidents occurred and they were small enough to crawl
under machines to tie up broken threads.

Simply, the working conditions during the Industrial Revolution were terrible. Diseases was a
constant threat and workers often found themselves working in an unsafe conditions. Safety hazards are
everywhere. Machines didn’t have any safety covers or fences and children as young as five years old
were operating them. Iron workers worked in temperatures of 130 degrees and higher every day.

Should someone get injured on the job and be unable to work, they would be abandoned, wages
would be stopped immediately and no medical attendance would be given to them. Injured workers
usually lost their jobs and did not get any compensation. The hardest part is that, accidents on the job
happened regularly. With a rapid rise in the work accidents, including mining fatalities, and unknown
effects of chemical working, pressure was placed on the Government to take action against companies
who did not protect their employees effectively. During these days, public sympathy rises and labor

unions are formed.

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