Blood On The Mountain Analysis

The film, Blood on the Mountain goes into the detail and hardships of the employees of various coal mines throughout West Virginia. It is made incredibly clear in this film that the coal miners lead a fairly unhealthy and abnormally short life, due to the line of work that they are in. There are multiple reasons as to why these workers are so unhealthy; however, the central reason is their job, and more so the environment of their job and the salary they earn. This concept was also noted by Friedrich Engels, all the way back in 1845. I will argue that it is still relevant in today's date that it is simply not possible for the workers to be healthy and live a fulfilling life due to the toxic environment in which they work, the pressure of maintaining …show more content…
These lower paying jobs are quite dangerous due to the risk of injury, and to potential illness, sickness comes along with the job (Whelan 2018a). Low paying jobs are not typically known safe, accident-free environment. These jobs involved many risks regarding both non-fatal and fatal accidents. And thus, these workers cannot live a full and healthy life due to the constant risks they are facing while at work. Also, these environments lack rules and regulations in order for it to be considered safe. In the film Blood on the Mountain, a health inspector details how he was abruptly sent away, to not report the dangers within the workplace (Evans, Freeman, & Wallace, 2016). It may not seem as though there are not as many workplace accidents, due to the statistics put out by The Association of Workers' Compensation Boards of Canada, yet this is not completely accurate (Whelan 2018b). There are numerous reasons for a decline in accidents, and not all are due to a safer workplace. The decline is mainly due to the exportation of these businesses to other countries and downplaying the accidents of the workers. (Whelan 2018b). It is clear that these companies understand the danger that they are putting their workers in, and yet, still continue, simply due to their craving for money. In a society where the economy is created from these dangerous jobs (Khazan 2015, p.12), the money these companies are …show more content…
And the bare necessities are not enough for someone to live a full and healthy life. These people may be able to afford food but cannot healthy food. While as someone of a higher class could afford organic, low-fat foods or a variety of fruits and vegetables, instead they will buy inexpensive, fat filled, unhealthy foods, because this is all they can afford (Engels 1999, p.284). And with such an unhealthy diet, it is absurd to expect someone to remain healthy. Moreover, exercise is incredibly important to maintain a healthy state, but when you are barely scraping by, paying for a gym membership is unrealistic. Exercise is not something people of the lower class typically engage in. (Clarke 2012, p. 97).There are more important things these workers need to pay for, such as housing, food or water, that they can just barely afford. Also, housing is an issue when it comes to the health of the lower-class workers. When all they can afford is a place that is crowded with both healthy and sick people, in terribly ventilated areas, with poor water systems, this will invite in a plethora of unwanted health risks. (Engels 1999, p.281-284). These workers not only are obligated to deal with a toxic environment at work, but also must come home to an equally toxic environment, which will only perpetuate the ill health of these