Working Conditions For Factory Labor

In Katherine Paterson's novel Lyddie, the main character is a factory worker at the mills in Lowell, Massachusetts who makes cloth using powder looms. Mill workers typically worked a 13 hour day with two 25 minute breaks for breakfast and lunch. Working conditions within the mills were harsh. The air quality was poor, windows were never opened, there were flying shuttles that you can get hurt from, and to do your job you have to suck a tube that everyone else sucks aswell so, it had a lot of germs. Also it isn’t worth your precious time to be near a creeper.(Mr.Marsden the overseer) It is very unsafe during the speed up and very tiring. Some workers like union member Diana Goss are trying to bring about change by circulating a petition that

“During the stifling summer months, temperatures throughout the plant would reach more than 120 degrees. Lack of sleep, the heat, and low visibility made working the furnace literally a "living hell" and only the poorest of workers, desperate for employment, would work it.

Not only were the workers not treated well, the building was also very unsanitary and unsafe. They worked on top of each other in cramped spaces where there were just lines and lines of sewing machines. The exit doors were locked in order to stop the workers from leaving to go to the bathroom. Only the foreman had the keys to unlock the doors.There were four elevators that had access to the factory floors but only one of them were in working condition. In order to get to the working elevator, the workers had to go down a long narrow hallway. This elevator was only able to hold 12 people at a time. Factory floors had no sprinkler system and the entire building only had one fire escape that was not big enough for all of the people in

Textile factories are not safe for working class families. Working condition in the factories were not safe or healthy for the children working. A doctor named Dr.Ward says “. . . We could not remain ten minutes in the factories without gasping for breath.” He also says “ There were forty-seven injured . . .” (House of Lords Committee interview Dr.Ward). Joseph Herbergam was once working in the factories as a kid. Herbergam says “ My leg muscles do not function properly . . .”. He also talks about how he may die in a year because all the fumes he inhaled as a child. (Testimony of Joseph Herbergam to the Sadler committee). Dr.ward is a doctor so he is aware of what is harmful to breath in. It was unhealthy for many reasons but one reason

Children who worked in factories were commonly exposed to large and dangerous machines (large/thick needles, constantly spinning threads, etc.) 6. Young children were considered “clean slates” for factory work

During the nineteenth century, there were no laws that consisted of requirements for the workplace, so factory owners generally had the worst workspace that there could be for the workers. The owners do

Even in the summer it was a dangerous place to work. In the summer it would get very hot. In the factories, the boilers would create steam and fly up into the air, making the visibility right in front of person. Sometimes though a bull would jump off the conveyor belt and

Do you think that English textile factories were bad for the health of working class families. Use evidence from at least two of the documents to support your claim.

“Shuddering moans, groans, creaks and rattles,” (62) that’s how loud the atmosphere is in the textile mill in Lowell, Massachusetts. The air is very murky, so it is very hard to breathe. This is the scene described in Katherine Paterson’s novel, Lyddie. The main character is Lyddie. She goes to work in the textile mills for better pay in hope that one day, she’ll finally pay off the debts of her farm and bring her family together. But, it might seem too good to be true. Which in reality is the truth. The working conditions in the mill are very challenging and difficult. Just like all the other factory workers, Lyddie is fatigued every day after working for 13 hours without taking a single break. She can’t even drink water or take a fresh

The Industrial Revolution persuaded many people to urbanize or move to the cities. However, many of those people were forced to pack into tenements and work in dangerous, mindless, and unvarying factories. People who worked in factories, worked long hours in unsafe atmospheres and did not get paid well or fairly. They also suffered from lifelong illnesses. In Document 13, an excerpt from Joseph Hebergam’s testimony to the Sadler Committee is shown. In his testimony, Hebergam states, “I have damaged lungs. My leg muscles do not function properly and will not support the weight of my bones…[the doctor] told me that [my

These big machines in the factories can and are very dangerous. In a document from an industrial worker, Joseph Hebergam who also testified before the Sadler Committee in 1832, says, “ ‘... nature of your illness? I have damaged lungs. My leg muscle do not function … causes of your illness? … caused by dust in the factories and from overwork … brother’s death … ? He was cut by a machine and died of infection.’”. This statement from the document shows a negative impact in the Industrial Revolution because it shows that workers get sick and die from working around these dangerous

Most machines had no safety devices, meaning that one mistake could result in a lost limb, and in worse cases a lost life. Sometimes, workers would even fall asleep in the middle of working next to an unsafe machine. Children were basically taken advantage of in the factories since their small hands and bodies could fit where the adults’ could not. Their job was often to change spools in the humid textile mills or to repair broken machines or threads. The children were young and uneducated and were not aware of the hazards all around them, such as the huge machines. They faced whippings when making a mistake or disobeying. Lint and dust filled the air, weakening the workers’ lungs and eyesight. In conclusion, the environmental factors and machines inside the factories harmed the working-class, resulting in too many illnesses or lost

textile mills had changed their methods of resistance to deteriorating working conditions. What new method were

The working conditions of the new arrivals were hardly any better, as employees of factories were often overworked, underpaid, and penned up in dangerous conditions. Perhaps the horrors of these conditions can be highlighted by the devastating 1911 fire at the Triangle Shirtwaist Factory in New York City. Tragically, over one hundred young women lost their lives in the fire, as there was no way to get out, and the doors were locked, trapping the women inside. Safety was not the only problem, as workers initially were not given the right to organize into unions, essentially doomed to the repetitive motions of factory operation. This meant that they had no way to protest against child labor, wage slavery, and unhealthily long working hours. Eventually, with their growing clout and ever-present industrial dependence on their labor, workers organized and demanded reform along all aspects of hazardous working conditions.

Taking after a flare-up of fever among the kids working in their cotton processes, the general population of Manchester, England, started requesting better working conditions in the manufacturing plants. Open weight in the long run