Working Conditions During The Industrial Revolution

The Industrial Revolution, beginning roughly in the 1780s with Britain and ending with Germany in the 1850s, successfully moved many families and individuals from rural to urban areas due to the job opportunities available. The first industrial revolution changed nearly every aspect of life in Britain initially, like social groups being defined by their place in the economy. The beginning of the Industrial Revolution resulted in unethical and unsanitary work and living conditions, but by the 1870s, regulations and laws were passed to improve the quality of life for working class men. The Industrial Revoltuion yielded steam transportation in the form of trains and transformed the economy of France, Germany, and Great Britain, therefore, changing the life and working conditions of European working class men in …show more content…
Instead of working with daylight like farmers did, working class men usually worked before the sun came up and long after the sun went down. Twelve to fifteen hours was the average workday for these men. In the 1830s, a textile mill worker reported working “from 3:00 A.M. to 10:00 P.M.,” (Coffin 583). On top of long hours, mines, factories, and textile mills were hazardous; there was little to no training for employees, and many accidents occurred due to this. They often were overpacked with workers, and the only light in the building was when the sun shone through the windows. Men reported losing fingernails and hair in the machinery, and in worse cases: entire limbs. One man, in the Siddler Committee document, reported “ there were fresh hands every week; they could not keep their hands,” referring to men losing their hands from lack of training with heavy machinery. Men also became physically deformed in the shoulders, knees, and ankles due to the long work hours. In the winter months, colds were prominent in the work environment, disabling them physically and