2: Working conditions in factories, mines and foundariesa Flashcards
foundries
type of workshop/factory casting metal
higher injury rate than other manufacturing organisations
factory impersonality
automated sense of working
no independence
factory hours
long - for men, usually 6 day week of 14 hours
factory conditions
unsafe conditions (regulated 1844)
efficient work practices a priority (fines for lateness or slow working)
relentless machine noise
high injury rate due to no enforcement of safety
what invention made mines safer
1815 Davy Lamp
mines - risks
flooding, gas explosions and collapsing shafts
mines - why were risks taken?
increased goal demand
by 1850, miners were digging down 300m
between 1770 and 1850, production went from 6 million to 55 million tons.
mines working day
long hours - 12 hours for 6 days a week
not permanently employed either, only “bound” for periods of time (usually 1 year). didn’t guarantee a fixed wage or hours
separate spheres..
did not apply to wc women
as wages were low (usually 12-15 shillings a week) it meant families struggled so women had to work
wc women worked as..
part of all areas of industrial economy
from domestic service to mining
women in mining
most common role was a “hurrier”
wore a chain around shoulders and hauled coal underground
caused lasting physical injuries
female pay
paid on average half the wage of men
often did work that their male counterparts refused
female hours
started to be reduced in 1833
but by 1878 women could still be working a 56 hour week
child workers - percentage
by 1821, 49% of the working population were under 20
why were children used
their size was useful
in textile work they could be ‘scavengers’ and fit under machines to pick up any cotton on the floor
injuries were common. Case study
1859, a scavenger in Wigan called Martha Appleton (13)
severed her fingers after her hand was trapped in a machine
she lost her job as she couldn’t perform it effectively
children in the mines
worked as trappers, opening the shafts for the coal carts to pass through. and hurriers.
by 1842, 1/3 of the mining workforce were children
1842 mining act
caused by a Royal Commission investigation about morality - women allegedly working naked due to heat
women and children (boys under 10)
prohibited from working underground
1850 changed to boys under 12 and introduced inspections
