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Operatives were also subject to particular health risks depending on the sector of the industry in which they worked. The cardroom was a very dusty environment which meant that the workers were vulnerable to chest diseases. Byssinosois was a particular problem. In the spinning room operatives worked in an environment of high temperatures and high humidity. In addition, the mineral oil introduced in late nineteenth century to lubricate the spinning mules was responsible for a scrotal cancer, which became known as mule spinners' cancer. The creation of an artificial humidity through steaming was a feature of many weaving sheds, again creating a working environment which made workers vulnerable to chest complaints. The practice of shuttle kissing - weavers prepared the shuttle by sucking the thread - was also a means by which diseases could be transmitted. In the last twenty or thirty years of the 19th century an attempt was made to clean up towns and cities, pull down slum housing, replace and rebuild drains and sewers, which produced a reduction in typhus. Less contaminated water supplies also meant a reduction on cholera, typhoid and dysentery. The 1866 Sanitary Act set out regulations for sewage disposal and provision of water supply and made overcrowding of housing illegal. An increase in infant hygiene was largely brought about by the invention and use of rubber teats for baby's bottles, waterproof sheets and pants for nappies, in the last years of the century and did more than almost anything else to reduce the heartbreakingly high number of infant deaths. Improvements in diet, working and living conditions were reflected in children's health and growth. Cholera and typhoid became diseases of the past, although tuberculosis remained a killer until well into the 20th century. After Gladstone's Education Act of 1870 children had to attend school full time until they were at least nine and through the 1891 Factory and Workshop Act the minimum employment age was raised to eleven. This put an end to tiny tots being forced to crawl under dangerous fast moving machinery to clean it. A number of health and safety acts were passed full of safety recommendations for guarding fast moving machinery and improving working conditions and practices. All machinery had to be stopped for maintenance work and cleaning. In 1901 the Factory and Workshop Act brought in major new legislation which covered '...health and safety; employment and education of children; fire escapes; meal times; overtime, night work, wages...' and a host of other issues covering health and safety regulations in mills and factories. Nigel Rudyard View the Health and Safety collection to find out more > |
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