Improvements in Workplace Safety — United States, 1900–1999
Workplace Safety — Continued At the beginning of this century, workers in the United States faced remarkably
high health and safety risks on the job. Through efforts by individual workers, unions,
employers, government agencies, scientists such as Dr. Alice Hamilton (see box, page
462), and others, considerable progress has been made in improving these conditions.
Despite these successes, much work remains, with the goal for all workers being a
productive and safe working life and a retirement free from long-term consequences
of occupational disease and injury. Using the limited data available, this report documents
large declines in fatal occupational injuries during the 1900s, highlights the
mining industry as an example of improvements in worker safety, and discusses new
challenges in occupational safety and health.