Where does Occupational Safety originally come from? How/where in the world or human history did it start?
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Probably the first rules for occupational safety came from earliest human cultures, the hunter-gatherers. The hunters didn't want the wild animals to kill the hunters, so they worked together to minimize the dangers and protect the hunters.
To trace the origins of occupational safety, we need to look back in history. While formal systems of occupational safety and health regulations developed much later, the concept of protecting workers' well-being has been a concern since ancient times.
One of the earliest instances of occupational safety measures can be found in the hunter-gatherer societies, which existed thousands of years ago. These societies devised strategies to minimize risks and protect members engaged in hunting and gathering activities. They likely developed practices such as communication and coordination to ensure the safety of the group and mitigate potential dangers posed by wild animals and dangerous terrain.
As civilizations began to evolve, so did the attention towards worker safety. For example, in ancient Rome, workers who built structures such as aqueducts and roads were provided with protective gear and other safety measures to reduce accidents and injuries. Additionally, regulations regarding the use of protective equipment, such as helmets, were implemented during military campaigns to protect soldiers.
In more recent history, the Industrial Revolution sparked a significant shift in the growth of industries and the emergence of hazardous working conditions. This prompted the need for more comprehensive approaches to worker safety. Various industrial disasters and rising concerns for worker well-being led to the formation of labor movements and advocacy for workplace safety regulations.
The modern field of occupational safety and health, as we know it today, began to take shape in the 19th and early 20th centuries. Governments and organizations started enacting workplace safety laws and establishing agencies responsible for enforcing these regulations, such as the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) in the United States.
Therefore, while the concept of occupational safety has roots in ancient times, its formalization and development into a structured discipline occurred over centuries as societies recognized the importance of protecting workers' lives and well-being.