• @funkless_eck@sh.itjust.works
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    210 months ago

    You in 1911: “I call bullshit that a factory would lock it’s fire exits, the workers at the Triangle Shirtwaist factory are to blame!”

    You in 1919: “I call bullshit that a distillery would not employ engineers to maintain its molasses storage at a reasonable temperature, the Boston Purity Distilling Company did nothing wrong!”

    You in 1936: “Theres no way the people who oversaw the building of the Hoover Dam would let their workers just suffocate to death underground due to lack of ventilation! They probably just forgot to breathe!”

    You in 1991: “I call bullshit that a factory would lock it’s fire exits, the workers at the Imperial Foods Chicken Factory workers are to blame!”

    You in 2005: “It is impossible that BP would simply ignore safety procedures and not repair broken safety equipment at their gas plant in Texas, those people probably set themselves on fire!”

    You in 2021: “There is no chance in hell that the Foundation Food Group of GA USA would not train employees, get permits, provide PPE, or install safety devices when working with liquid nitrogen, those workers probably were probably enjoying autoerotic asphyxiation on company time!”

    • @Zippy@lemmy.world
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      110 months ago

      You found 6 instances in the last 120 years and maybe 3 in your lifetime. While I would love there to be zero workplace fatalities, do you honestly think that will ever be possible? People will take shortcuts and sometimes they will simply make a mistake.

      • @funkless_eck@sh.itjust.works
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        110 months ago

        I actually just picked ones in America, post 1900, with more than 10 fatalities, that weren’t mining disasters. There are over 5000 workplace Fatalities a year in the US alone - a rate of 14/day.

        The point has not missed me. You implied it’s unlikely that an employer would abuse their employees, I provided a host of counterexamples.

        • @Zippy@lemmy.world
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          110 months ago

          300 million people in the US and that few fatalities? 14 a day is high or unexpected? There are over 100 fatalities a day in vehicle accidents alone. That is not including accidents at home or from other misadventure. By your stat which is fairly correct, you are closer to ten times more likely to die outside of work then a work place accident.

          People make mistakes. At home and at work. I can think of a handful of accidents in my area and everyone if then we’re the result of an employee ignoring a safety rule. The majority of work place accidents I personal have knowledge of were the result of some employee ignoring a safety rule. The larger the company, the more safety was enforced.

          • @funkless_eck@sh.itjust.works
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            110 months ago

            you mis-understand. My point isn’t that people don’t die, it’s that your point was that you don’t believe employer negligence kills (or even, in your actual op, inconveniences) people.

            • @Zippy@lemmy.world
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              110 months ago

              No business that wants to stay in business won’t let employees drink water for 6 hours while working them hard. And yes someone could carry out an illegal act and I am sure it has occurred but unless you had a gun to your head, who doesn’t just get a drink of water.

              • @funkless_eck@sh.itjust.works
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                110 months ago

                “no business that wants to stay in business locks it’s fire exits”

                and yet…

                I’m not saying every business does this, just I think it’s short-sighted off you to say that not a single one would either.

                I mean we all know our candy bars, and sneakers and engagement rings are made by tiny children at gunpoint for 25 cents a week, so it boggles the mind that you think the same companies that would commit corporate genocide would think twice about preventing domestic employees from being comfortable.