From cotton mills to composites; has the world of work really changed?

The last two hundred years has witnessed a remarkable transformation in the world of work. In the early 19th century, the industrial revolution introduced the ability to mechanise processes previously performed by people. As a consequence, workplaces became larger and more complicated. Change was not limited to the physical nature of the workplace: workers were also required to work differently, and interact with work in different ways. Work became more organised, ordered and systematic. Many of these changes brought about the transformation of not only the workplace, but also the working population and the economic prosperity of some parts of the world. A typical example of such progress was seen in the processing of textiles. These changes led to a transition within the textile industry; cotton processing, once small scale, became mechanised and was now able to be carried out on a much larger scale, in multi floored, grand, brick built cotton mills. These workplaces employed many hundreds of workers, and were highly profitable. However, the prosperity of these mills was dependent on the availability of a productive workforce, who were skilled in the application of the required activities. Therefore, successful employers needed to think more creatively about their workers and their workplace in order to maintain production at their maximum levels. Quarry Bank Mill, near Manchester in the UK, is one example of such determination to provide better working conditions. Offering both housing and pastoral care for workers, this workplace was regarded as ahead of its time. On the banks of the River Bollin, which they used to power its water driven machinery, this mill processed raw cotton imported from distant locations from around the world. The first mill on this site was built by Samuel Greg and John Massey in 1784, and in 1790 the first apprentice house was built to accommodate child apprentices. The approach adopted was to care for the pastoral, educational and medical requirements of the workers and their families , and as a consequence a mill doctor was appointed. These approaches allowed Quarry Bank Mill to develop a community that offered not only decent living standards but also social support to their workers, with the concomi-tant benefit to the mill owners of a more healthy workforce than was afforded by the general population. Despite these physical changes to workplaces, well developed risk management processes to reduce health risks at work were not yet evident. …