Sick Building Syndrome In The 1970's

When using certain types of office equipment there are some things which could become a problem in terms of health and safety. For example an office will have a lot of computers. When there are a lot of computers it is extremely important that wires are tucked away and not lying around on the floor. Loose wires on the floor make people in the building very vulnerable to trip over and to cause an injury.

Factory workers in eighteenth and nineteenth century England typically worked extremely long hours with a meager amount of time for breaks (Spielvogel 571). This is a direct violation of article 24 in the United Nations’ Declaration of Human Rights which states that “everyone has the right to rest and leisure, including reasonable limitation of working hours” (UN, Art. 24). Discussing these violations are important due to how the quality of life of these workers decreased during these years. Factory workers “spent all the light of day at work and came home with little energy, space, or light” to do anything (Effects of the Industrial Revolution). Undoubtedly, this environment led to

Everyday millions of people drive or walk to work in the morning and then return to their home in 8-10 hours or come home every week or two with a good sized paycheck. Usually this luxury is taken for granted, because the money that is earned is always enough to supply our everyday need and the work day is finished before the next night. Working conditions were not always this good. These good working routines gradually came into action growing from the Industrial Revolution. The Industrial Revolution brought about many factories and along with the factories came more workers who had few safety regulations to protect them.

From 1950 to the late 1960s it was a fact that women and the workplace met in few places, for only a brief time and very rarely in the general public eye. If seen in

Farley et al. notes that safe space must be free from any form of harassment. This should be indicated in the company’s code of professional conduct in a corporate scenario (1626). Rockstrom and others emphasize on provision of safe space such that the vulnerable in the society have a sense of belonging. For instance, the disabled should be able to maneuver throughout any office space to access a region of interest. This should be integrated in the initial or subsequent office designs to ensure the vulnerable are accommodated.

When women started working in factories, they faced hardships in working conditions. There were dangerous fumes and explosive dangers. There was always the risk of accidental explosions. It was even harder for mothers because there were not any child care policies offered by many companies. Women soon began making unions, such as the National Women’s Trade Union League, where women met and found ways to help raise women wage and have better work

Women who worked in skilled level positions such as practicing physicians were non-existent in the 19th century. This lack of female presence in those higher levels served as the catalyst of what was arguably one of the most reprehensible misdiagnosis for women in modern times. Without an objective balance in the male dominated field, irrational theories were readily accepted as fact. While there were an abundance of nurses, woman were not encouraged to take their interest in this crucial field to a professional level.

Before the appointment of the lady inspectors, health and safety regulations were slowly being implemented across the United Kingdom. Technological advancements brought forth by industrialisation throughout the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries meant that the workplace was changing, and as such new challenges for workers were created. In the new working environments, dangerous and unhealthy conditions were rife. Accidents were extremely common in the new working environments and for example, in Manchester Infirmary in 1832, one quarter of all in-patients admitted came from factory related accidents. Long working hours led to exhaustion, and frequently led to injury or death as important jobs, such as the opening of ventilation flats in the

The early 1900’s marked an important time for the United States. Many major world events occurred such as World War II and the Great Depression. Many historians agree that the beginning of this decade was indeed a dark time full off violence, struggle, and hopelessness. However, many countries faced problems of their own. The United States faced many issues, but one stands out among the rest and is an issue that is still faced in today’s world. That issue is the one of women in the workplace.

Every morning the boss would give the girls their work load for the day. He would throw them in troughs that were dug into the tables. Paper patterns were strewn messily along the walls. If there was a mess up on a pattern or it is damaged, then the cloth is discarded. Piles similar to those would be spread out along the floor. They were a tripping hazard and a fire hazard, as the material is flammable. The workers were also fined for the damaged piece and sometimes, the entire yard of fabric. The work hours were long, generally from seven in the morning until six at night. Usually people would come in to work on the weekends also. If people stayed past dark, they had to use gaslight to light the rooms. This was also considered another fire hazard.

Children weren’t the only ones affected by long hours of work in unsafe conditions. Women were also expected to work six days a week, away from their families, unable to care for their children (Foner, 562). Increased awareness of public and women’s health issues in the early 20th century showed that unsafe working conditions and long hours impacted women directly, including pregnant women and mothers (Foner,

Ill health and accidents are quite common at work because this happened in 2011/12, 1.1 million people who were working were suffering from illnesses, and some people believed that the illnesses were caused from or made worse from their current work or their past work.

The introduction of factories and assembly lines created more jobs and this intrigued and influenced Americans to move near local factories to begin working. The creation of jobs in textile factories lowered the unemployment rate of the nation, but also gave migrant workers a way of making a living as they could work for cheaper and this outraged the community searching for jobs in the South. With the amount of people desperate for jobs, factory employers could set wages as low as they wanted, knowing that they could always find workers to agree to their terms. With the introduction of high-efficiency assembly lines and factories came the dangerous working conditions that employees had to face while working in factories. Many factories had machines that spat out smoke and this created health risks for many workers as they were covered in black soot at the end of each workday. Even children had to work in these rough factories and many of them developed deformities due to the lack of exercise and sunlight. Another health-related issue of machinery in factories was the amount of machines that had no safety precautions, putting American workers at risk every time they used the machines. Along with these harsh and dangerous work conditions, employees were only allowed two breaks per day; one for lunch and one for dinner. These conditions led to labor unions and protests

According to Alexander (1998), in her interview with sex workers, many have identified musculoskeletal injuries as a significant occupational hazard, alongside with stress involved injuries to the wrists, arms and shoulders due to hand jobs, jaw pain because of performing fellatio, knee pains due to working in a crouching position for long periods of time, foot problems related to long hours of standing and walk, and back problems related to working on inadequate beds or tables.

In striking resemblance to the aforementioned issues, women experience ridicule and other problems in the work place. As lending evidence, “According to the National Association of Women in Construction, less than 10 percent of women are in [the] industry” (Godwin, 2010, ¶ 9). Since I have worked in a few construction fields over my lifetime, I can personally attest to the mentality of numerous male workers in the business, regarding women infiltrating the ranks. Most often, men believe that women are inferior in the strength, endurance and mental abilities, which all are presumably necessary to be even moderately effective in the trade. Comparatively speaking, as much as nursing is customarily seen as a female position, due to its caring nature, construction is expected to be a man’s job, because of the assumed prerequisite of toughness.