Work Accidents and the Law (1910)
Pittsburgh, Allegheny County, Pennsylvania
Marker Inscription
The pioneering study of industrial conditions in Allegheny County by Crystal Eastman documented 526 workplace deaths in one year. A component of the land-mark Pittsburgh Survey, it led to industrial accident prevention programs and workers' compensation laws.
Erected by Pennsylvania Historical and Museum Commission
The Story
In 1910, reformer Crystal Eastman published a painstaking study of industrial conditions in Allegheny County, tallying 526 workplace deaths in a single year. Part of the sweeping Pittsburgh Survey, her work put hard numbers to the human cost of America's factories, mills, and mines at the height of the industrial age. The findings helped drive accident-prevention programs and the first workers' compensation laws.
Why it matters
Eastman's research helped transform how America thought about industrial injury — from private misfortune to public responsibility — laying groundwork for the modern safety net.
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Related people
- · Crystal Eastman
Related events
- · The Pittsburgh Survey
Themes & tags
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