Cavalcade of Risk; interesting workers compensation history

February 9th, 2011 by Julie Ferguson

Feeling risky? Catch up on your reading – Jaan Sidorov of The Disease Management Care Blog hosts this week’s risky roundup: The 124th Cavalcade of Risk
Work Comp history
Yesterday, we posted a feature on window washers as a dangerous profession, which included some vintage photos of workers pre-OSHA. Later, via Complex Care Blog, we were alerted to Peter Rousmaniere’s excellent article in Risk & Insurance, Into the Work Killing Ground, which turned the clock back even further. Peter offers a fascinating and chilling glimpse into what the working world was like at the start of the last century, before workers compensation laws had been enacted. He notes that, “The fatality rate at the time, if transposed to today’s population, would exceed 300,000 deaths a year. Our rate was twice as high as England’s.” He talks about one young attorney, Crystal Eastman, who began documenting injuries and fatalities just in the Pittsburgh area alone. Her report became a catalyst for the ensuing law. If, like me, you didn’t know about her contribution to workers’ comp, you can learn more about Crystal Eastman at Wikipedia.

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