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Work is central to a person’s life today, and it has become a defining part of a person, where you work is equal to who you are.
This process begins with the industrial revolution. As soon as the first factories appeared, the population refused to cultivate the land and wanted to work in enterprises. This is how the citizens of Great Britain, America and European countries moved from the provinces to big cities. From the 1750s, the race started in the work industry. Jobs were in high demand, leading to cheap labor, child labor, and an uncontrolled, highly hazardous workplace environment. Naturally, the protest on labor safety did not delay. Workers’ unions in different countries demanded better and, most importantly, protected working conditions. Initially, the demand was to reduce working hours from 14 hours to 10 hours. The term occupational safety emerged and movements were formed to demand better conditions. The most famous of them is the 10-hour movement (Ten Hours Movement) established in Great Britain, which as a result of great efforts reduced working hours and changed the working conditions of children and women in factories.
Along with capitalism, labor security also developed, and there has been a long, interesting journey from the industrial revolution to the present day. In order to know where we are going, it is necessary to remember where we came from.
The invention of the steam engine was revolutionary. If for centuries the farmer had to do manual labor in agriculture, since the end of the 18th century, machinery has been able to replace human power and improve the field accordingly. The productivity and economic status of a person as an entrepreneur has increased.
However, behind economic success hides inhuman labor. A number of people’s lives were lost by buildings erected a couple of centuries ago and destroyed factories. Not so long ago, the hard physical labor of children was left in the past. Some children started working at the age of 4, and their working day lasted even 12 hours. This issue is not foreign to our country either; According to 2016 data, childhood ended prematurely for 24,000 children in Georgia.
From the 1700s to the present day, the number of people who died at work is quite high. It is difficult for statistics to record the cases that caused long-term occupational diseases due to the influence of harmful substances and ultimately ended with fatal results. It is a fact that during the Industrial Revolution, the vitality of employees was significantly lower. At the average age of 25, acute health problems became the cause of death of people working in factories. Therefore, in the years 1842-1878, working time was gradually reduced to 56 hours in various European countries, however – only for children and women. In 1880, we find a precedent when the employer pays compensation to the victim’s family members due to injuries received at the workplace. Labor safety reforms gradually affected all areas, including agriculture, where workers were harmed by toxic chemicals and heavy machinery malfunctions. Gradually, the working age, which was already regulated by law, was increased, and the first inspectors, who supervised labor safety, also appeared. This process covers quite a long period of time – it took more than a century to improve the field.
The first Occupational Safety and Health Act to regulate any type of workplace hazard, whether caused by noise or chemicals, was enacted after World War II. Between the enactment of the law and the 2000s, there was a 73% reduction in workplace deaths in the UK and a 70% reduction in injuries.
A great contribution to positive changes will be made by the professional connections formed in parallel on different continents. The demand for 8-hour work has been tried many times and in many countries by the working class, but the most notable of them was the Chicago strike on May 1, 1886. The International Workers’ Solidarity Day, which has been officially celebrated since May 1, 1890, originates from this. Georgia also joined the general celebration from the end of the 90s.
If we compare the current situation with the past experience, the difference is obvious and progress is felt in the job market. But there are still issues that need to be addressed. Proof of this is the annual statistics of production cases all over the world. Despite the stricter rules and conditions, we still find facts about dangerous working environments. Employees are still risking their lives and getting injured at the workplace is still a daily occurrence.
While work occupies a major part of our lives, every employee has the right to work in a peaceful and safe environment. Today, we stand on the edge of a technological revolution, and yet work and career define our lives. Even after 200 years, the work culture does not slow down. The number of factories increased, the production area expanded, and many new profile companies were created. Competition is still high, both among employees and employers. However, those companies are leading, where labor safety is the first priority.