Evolution of Safety - Industrial Safety

The large scale expansion started taking shape along with the beginning of nineteenth century but safety could not turn into the concern of industries. With expansion of industrial activities, the sizes of industries multiplied and thus did the number of workers in individual industries. The productivity of workers raised at tremendous rate and also the product quality was visibly controlled and improved. Though, all these developments did not produce any concern to human values, safety and general well start of factory workers. Through the beginning of twentieth century lack of safety concern and consciousness start to speak upon the health of the industry. Adverse health effects start to run rampant in work places. The number of serious industrial accidents began to rise.

After that it was that a few enlightened and progressive factory managers started feeling the necessity of abating the causes of rising number of accidents, serious injuries to workers and poor health conditions in work places. The early thrust started along with taking care of cuts and bruises and broken bones of factory workers. The accountability was largely entrusted upon personnel managers, maintenance foremen or plant engineers. Such types of persons tried to evolve methods of safe working by providing guards on machines, shields on implements or by making workers to make use of gloves and wear glasses during some specific activity. Soon these persons were replaced by safety engineers or supervisors and safety managers. Such requirement was felt greatly by two industry giants, viz, steel industry and rail road establishment. Yet the personnel made accountable to prevent accidents were not specifically trained for the job but were selected from available force based upon their wide experience in a specific industry.