History of Occupational Health and Safety
History of Occupational Health and Safety
Occupational Health and Safety (OHS) has been a topic of concern since the Triangle Shirtwaist Factory Fire of 1911. The Triangle Shirtwaist Factory Fire occurred on March 25, 1911 in New York City (Stein, 1962, Von Drehle, 2003). 1911 employers’ attitude toward employees was that of harshness. The employers would lock the employees inside the building to ensure that they would work and not wonder off. Employers locked doors. The fire occurred on the ninth and tenth floor of the building. Because the doors were locked, 146 garment workers, mostly women, were killed (Goff, personal communication, September 14, 2010). The fire was an event that helped to spearhead the necessity for a governmental intervention
The owners of the companies were taken to court and tried for manslaughter, however, they would be acquitted in 1914, (Stein, 1962, Von Drehle, 2003). “The first successful workmen’s’ compensation act in the US was passed in Wisconsin in 1911” (2010) this would create a common theme with other states following suit thereafter. Canada would also establish a workmen’s’ compensation act in 1914, it rendered employers responsible for on the job injuries and deaths (2010). This would create a shift in power employers who didn’t have to be accountable for problems that occurred in the work place, (Woodward, personal communication, September 23, 2010). Governmental interventions like this would become OHS and eventually the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA), (Fleming, p. 1).
OSHA was established as a result of the Occupational Health and Safety Act of 1970. The 1960’s was an unstable time in American history (Fleming, p. 1). Occupational injuries were increasing in number and severity. There were 14,000 workers dying each year because of on the job injuries. This lead to a public outcry; which prompted the signing of the Act on December 29, 1970 by President Richard Nixon, (Fleming, p. 24).
Occupational Health and Safety (OHS) has been a topic of concern since the Triangle Shirtwaist Factory Fire of 1911. The Triangle Shirtwaist Factory Fire occurred on March 25, 1911 in New York City (Stein, 1962, Von Drehle, 2003). 1911 employers’ attitude toward employees was that of harshness. The employers would lock the employees inside the building to ensure that they would work and not wonder off. Employers locked doors. The fire occurred on the ninth and tenth floor of the building. Because the doors were locked, 146 garment workers, mostly women, were killed (Goff, personal communication, September 14, 2010). The fire was an event that helped to spearhead the necessity for a governmental intervention
The owners of the companies were taken to court and tried for manslaughter, however, they would be acquitted in 1914, (Stein, 1962, Von Drehle, 2003). “The first successful workmen’s’ compensation act in the US was passed in Wisconsin in 1911” (2010) this would create a common theme with other states following suit thereafter. Canada would also establish a workmen’s’ compensation act in 1914, it rendered employers responsible for on the job injuries and deaths (2010). This would create a shift in power employers who didn’t have to be accountable for problems that occurred in the work place, (Woodward, personal communication, September 23, 2010). Governmental interventions like this would become OHS and eventually the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA), (Fleming, p. 1).
OSHA was established as a result of the Occupational Health and Safety Act of 1970. The 1960’s was an unstable time in American history (Fleming, p. 1). Occupational injuries were increasing in number and severity. There were 14,000 workers dying each year because of on the job injuries. This lead to a public outcry; which prompted the signing of the Act on December 29, 1970 by President Richard Nixon, (Fleming, p. 24).
References: Injury and Illness Prevention (2010). Retrieved from http://www.ci.la.ca.us/boss/Safety/ programs/injuriesandillness.htm A Brief History of Healthcare Management (2010). Retrieved from http://www.healthmanagementcareers.org/haddock_ch01.pdf Health Care Administrator (2010). Retrieved from http://www.mshealthcareers.com/careers/healthcareadmin.htm Historical Treatsies of Workmans’ Compensation (2010). Retrieved from http://www.iaiabc.org/i4a/pages/index.cfm?pageid=3299 History of Healthcare Administration (2010) Fleming, S., (2001). OSHA at 30: Three Decades of Progress in Occupational Safety and Health. Job Safety and Health Quarterly Vol Stein, S.L, (1962)The Triangle Fire (1962) Von Drehle, D., (2003) Triangle: The Fire That Changed America