History of Occupational Safety and Health

In 1907, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania became the epicenter of the country’s first significant survey of industrial life. The Russell Sage Foundation sponsored the work of approximately 70 investigators including young lawyer Crystal Eastman, artist Joseph Stella, and photographer Lewis Hine. They researched, interviewed, and depicted the industrial and social conditions of Pittsburgh. The largest undertaking of … Read more

Maryland legislature was the first to adopt a compensation law in 1902 that guaranteed benefits to injured workers in several hazardous industries. The law covered miners, steam and street railway workers, and workers and contractors on municipal public works projects. However, because the legislation gave the insurance commissioner judicial powers and deprived injured workers of … Read more

The Workmen’s Compensation Act of 1897 was a significant step in establishing employers’ liability, specifically, the principle of strict employer liability regardless of fault. The law established that an employee was entitled to compensation for any accident, not his fault, even if the employer was not negligent. It replaced the Employers’ Liability Act 1880, which … Read more

Ada Mayo Stewart was born on December 2, 1870, in Braintree, Massachusetts, to William Henry Stewart (1831 – 1913) and Roline Mayo (1839 – 1883). Stewart graduated from Vermont Academy in Saxton’s River, Vermont, in 1889 and attended the Waltham School of Nursing in Waltham, Massachusetts. Waltham specialized in private nursing as well as in … Read more

Who is Betty Moulder? I have no idea. And, apparently, neither does anyone who has ever referenced Betty Moulder. I tried to research Betty Moulder for this article, but I hit a stumbling block. I could not find any information about Betty Moulder.  So instead I’ve decided to write about what I discovered to be … Read more

The American workplace was incredibly unsafe in the 19th century. For example, over 1,000 workers died building the Erie Canal. Railroads were also very dangerous places for many workers. Long after European railroads had developed newer technologies that killed fewer workers, American railroad operators resisted changes that would save lives, especially around connecting cars. There … Read more

In 1872, aged 32, Philippa Flowerday was hired by the J. & J. Coleman Company in Norwich, England, and became the first industrial nurse. She worked at the Carrow Works factory with a doctor from 9 a.m. to 11 a.m. She then spent the remainder of the day visiting and caring for ill employees and … Read more

Travelers Insurance Company sold North America’s first accident insurance policy in 1864 to James Bolter of Hartford, Connecticut. The policy covered the time Bolter spent walking from the post office to his home on Buckingham Street. In 1864, Hartford businessman James Batterson met a local banker, James Bolter, in the post office. Bolter had heard … Read more

Pennsylvania’s first mine safety law was passed by the state legislature in April 1869. Mining coal came at an enormous human cost. Before 1870, the records are spotty, but gas explosions seem to have been common. A gigantic roof fall covering fifty acres killed fourteen men in a Carbondale, Pennsylvania mine in 1846, and haulage … Read more