Early Papermakers

 

Gilbert employees at the turn of the century

 

Heavy machinery run by barefoot workers amid exposed belts with no safety guards, yikes!  When we think of safety, we usually think of OSHA, the Occupational Safety and Health Administration which regulates workplace safety and health.  But although OSHA wasn"t formed until 1970, safety measures were already brewing in the early 20th century. 

 

In May 1911 Wisconsin became the first state to establish a workmen's compensation system. Nine other states passed compensation laws that year, three in 1912, and eight more in 1913. By 1921, 46 jurisdictions had workmen's compensation laws in force.

 

Additionally, the Wisconsin Safe Place Statute of 1911 required employers to furnish employment and a place of employment, in which workers' lives, limbs, health and comfort would, within reasonable limits, be protected. Two years later, in 1913, Congress created the Department of Labor and one of its main purposes was "to improve working conditions."

As most things go, safety was on an evolutionary track and the wheels of change turn slowly.  But these legislation efforts were some of the first steps in ending the days when sensationalistic newspaper reporting of horrendous workplace accidents was a daily occurrence.