- Glaze-dippers at a Detroit spark plug factory, about 1912. This workroom is highly exceptional for its light, air, space, and cleanliness. This was a time of much publicity and too little action concerning factory conditions. Crusading social workers and government inspectors such as Frances Perkins, Jane Addams, and Florence Kelley exposed a shocking lack of safety from fire, toxins, machinery, and contaminants. Wages were usually below subsistence, with conditions and pay the worst for women and children. Work hazards were a major cause of death and disability. A tiny handful of employers were proud their “ideal” factories.
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