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What were the conditions that factory workers had to work in back then

User Qing Xu
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Answer:

As a result of industrialization, ordinary working people found increased opportunities for employment in the new mills and factories, but these were often under strict working conditions with long hours of labor dominated by a pace set by machines. The nature of work changed from a craft production model to a factory-centric model.

In the textile industry, factories set hours of work and the machinery within them shaped the pace of work. Factories brought workers together within one building and increased the division of labor, narrowing the number and scope of tasks and including children and women within a common production process. Maltreatment, industrial accidents, and ill health from overwork and contagious diseases were common in the enclosed conditions of cotton mills. Children were particularly vulnerable.

Work discipline was forcefully instilled upon the workforce by the factory owners, and the working conditions were dangerous and even deadly. Early industrial factories and mines created numerous health risks, and injury compensation for the workers did not exist. Machinery accidents could lead to burns, arm and leg injuries, amputation of fingers and limbs, and death. However, diseases were the most common health issues that had long-term effects.

Mining has always been especially dangerous, and at the beginning of the 19th century, methods of coal extraction exposed men, women, and children to very risky conditions. In 1841, about 216,000 people were employed in the mines. Women and children worked underground for 11-12 hours a day. The public became aware of conditions in the country’s collieries in 1838 after an accident at Huskar Colliery in Silkstone. The disaster came to the attention of Queen Victoria who ordered an inquiry.

User Matthew MacGregor
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Answer:

Factory working conditions in the past were often harsh and dangerous. Workers, including women and children, often had to work long hours in hot, poorly ventilated factories with little to no breaks. Workplace injuries and deaths were common, and safety regulations were often nonexistent. Wages were low, and workers had little to no job security. The lack of adequate restrooms and restroom breaks was also a significant problem. Additionally, the unhealthy working conditions contributed to the spread of diseases like tuberculosis and other respiratory illnesses. Over time, labor unions and government regulations have helped improve working conditions for factory workers.

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User Sameer Chaudhari
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