St. Paul daily globe., 1885-06-28
LIFE AND LIMB.
Protection OF Employees i'm Mills an
Eactnr6eS.

Protection OF atEnpAOyes- i'm Mills and
Factories.
The need of more stringent laws to pro-
tect the lives of wOrkingmen in Minneapolis
is very apparent. Every day accidents in
might have been averted if ordinary safe
guards had been provided. Grasping pro-
prietors, who care very little for the welfare
of their employees, are not compelled to go
to any expense to protect the WOrkmen who
are employed about dangerous machinery,
and so long as they are thus free to do as
they please, the state of affairs will con-
tinue to exist in many of our manufactures.
In the upper stories of some of the highest
buildings of the city women and girls are
cooped up, with little possibility of escape
if fire should break out. In damp cellars
and easements, unfit for human habitation,
are to be found men, women and children
working day in and day out wasting their
lives away to crafty the selfshness of some
employer who will not provide them with
proper quarters. The Trades and Labor
assembly, it is understood, is taking steps
to secure the enactment by the city council
of ordinances which shall provide for a
factory and workshop inspection, with
proper penalties for violations thereof, also
a more thorough system of health inspec-
ton. Chicago and many of the larger cities
have laws which, although far from perfect,
are instrumental in preventing many of the
abuses which exist in Minneapolis.
The following are some of the rules which
govern factory and workshop inspection in
Chicago, and, imperfect as they are, the
beneficial results of their enforcement can
readily be seen:
To begin, the ordinances provide that no
building shall be erected any part of which
is defective in regard to ventilation, light,
sewerage, etc., nor shall anything be done
therein prejudicial to good health. Nor
shall anyone be allowed to rent any such
building. In every store, factory or work
shop where workmen and women are en-
ployed at least 500 cubic feet of air must be
allowed to each operative. The inspectors
are required to visit all places of employ
ment at least once month, and at the end
ofthe year the commissioner of health is
required to print a report showing the num-
ber of males and females employed; the
children under Is years; the sanitary con-
dition of people in service in factories,
stores, etc.; the number and kinds of
dangerous and unhealthy employments and
diseases of the several trades and occupa-
tions. No one is allowed to permit any
child under Is to be employed at night in
any place where machinery Is used, and not
more than eight hours day at any trade.
1t is also required that all shops and factor
les must place safeguards around dangerous
machinery which shall be deemed sufficient
by the inspectors to insure reasonable secur-
ity to employees. It is required that FIRE
escapes and exits be provided which shah
be directed by inspectors, as all buildings in
hich..wage-workers are employed.
The foregoing is only rough outline OF
some of the principal laws enacted for the
protection of life and limb in nearly all
large cities. While some of the sanitary pre-
cautions are already provided for in meas
ure by cur present health laws still the i'm
mediate necessity for factory inspection, at
least, is apparent.