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Occupational Safety and Health Act (United States): Difference between revisions
Occupational Safety and Health Act (United States) (view source)
Revision as of 07:26, 4 February 2025
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==History of federal workplace safety legislation== | ==History of federal workplace safety legislation== | ||
Few workplace health and safety protections were available through the federal government before the passage of OSHA.<ref>{{cite journal |last1=Howard |first1=John |title=OSHA Standards-Setting: Past Glory, Present Reality and Future Hope |journal=Employee Rights and Employment Policy Journal |date=2010 |volume=14 |page=238}}</ref> The American system of mass production encouraged the use of machinery, while the statutory regime did nothing to protect workplace safety. For most employers, it was cheaper to replace a dead or injured worker than it was to introduce safety measures.<ref>Hounshell, David. ''From the American System to Mass Production, 1800-1932: The Development of Manufacturing Technology in the United States.'' Baltimore: Johns Hopkins University Press, 1984. {{ISBN|0-8018-3158-X}}</ref><ref>Rosenberg, Nathan. ''Technology and American Economic Growth.'' Paperback ed. New York: Harper and Row, 1972. {{ISBN|0-87332-104-9}}</ref><ref name="Aldrich">Aldrich, Mark. ''Safety First: Technology, Labor and Business in the Building of Work Safety, 1870-1939.'' Baltimore: Johns Hopkins University Press, 1997. {{ISBN|0-8018-5405-9}}</ref> [[Tort law]] provided little recourse for relief for the survivors of dead workers or for injured employees.<ref name="Fishback">Fishback, Price and Shawn Kantor. ''A Prelude to the Welfare State: The Origins of Workers' Compensation.'' New ed. Chicago: University of Chicago Press, 2000. {{ISBN|0-226-24984-0}}</ref> After the | Few workplace health and safety protections were available through the federal government before the passage of OSHA.<ref>{{cite journal |last1=Howard |first1=John |title=OSHA Standards-Setting: Past Glory, Present Reality and Future Hope |journal=Employee Rights and Employment Policy Journal |date=2010 |volume=14 |page=238}}</ref> The American system of mass production encouraged the use of machinery, while the statutory regime did nothing to protect workplace safety. For most employers, it was cheaper to replace a dead or injured worker than it was to introduce safety measures.<ref>Hounshell, David. ''From the American System to Mass Production, 1800-1932: The Development of Manufacturing Technology in the United States.'' Baltimore: Johns Hopkins University Press, 1984. {{ISBN|0-8018-3158-X}}</ref><ref>Rosenberg, Nathan. ''Technology and American Economic Growth.'' Paperback ed. New York: Harper and Row, 1972. {{ISBN|0-87332-104-9}}</ref><ref name="Aldrich">Aldrich, Mark. ''Safety First: Technology, Labor and Business in the Building of Work Safety, 1870-1939.'' Baltimore: Johns Hopkins University Press, 1997. {{ISBN|0-8018-5405-9}}</ref> [[Tort law]] provided little recourse for relief for the survivors of dead workers or for injured employees.<ref name="Fishback">Fishback, Price and Shawn Kantor. ''A Prelude to the Welfare State: The Origins of Workers' Compensation.'' New ed. Chicago: University of Chicago Press, 2000. {{ISBN|0-226-24984-0}}</ref> After the Civil War, some improvements were made through the establishment of state railroad and factory commissions, the adoption of new technology (such as the [[railway air brake]]), and more widespread availability of [[life insurance]]. But the overall impact of these improvements was minimal.<ref name="Aldrich" /> | ||
The first federal safety legislation was enacted in the [[Progressivism in the United States|Progressive period]]. In 1893, Congress passed the [[Safety Appliance Act]], the first federal statute to require safety equipment in the workplace (the law applied only to railroad equipment, however).<ref name="Aldrich" /> In 1910, in response to a series of highly publicized and deadly mine explosions and collapses, Congress established the [[United States Bureau of Mines]] to conduct research into mine safety (although the Bureau had no authority to regulate mine safety).<ref>Graebner, William. ''Coal Mining Safety in the Progressive Period.'' Lexington: University of Kentucky Press, 1976. {{ISBN|0-8131-1339-3}}</ref> Backed by [[trade union]]s, many states also enacted [[workers' compensation]] laws which discouraged employers from permitting unsafe workplaces.<ref name="Fishback" /> These laws, as well as the growing power of labor unions and public anger toward poor workplace safety, led to significant reductions in worker accidents for a time.<ref name="Aldrich" /> | The first federal safety legislation was enacted in the [[Progressivism in the United States|Progressive period]]. In 1893, Congress passed the [[Safety Appliance Act]], the first federal statute to require safety equipment in the workplace (the law applied only to railroad equipment, however).<ref name="Aldrich" /> In 1910, in response to a series of highly publicized and deadly mine explosions and collapses, Congress established the [[United States Bureau of Mines]] to conduct research into mine safety (although the Bureau had no authority to regulate mine safety).<ref>Graebner, William. ''Coal Mining Safety in the Progressive Period.'' Lexington: University of Kentucky Press, 1976. {{ISBN|0-8131-1339-3}}</ref> Backed by [[trade union]]s, many states also enacted [[workers' compensation]] laws which discouraged employers from permitting unsafe workplaces.<ref name="Fishback" /> These laws, as well as the growing power of labor unions and public anger toward poor workplace safety, led to significant reductions in worker accidents for a time.<ref name="Aldrich" /> | ||