The unwritten story of women's role in the birth of occupational health and safety legislation

Women's role in the formation of trade unions and development of collective bargaining, as well as in labor's historical struggle to improve day-to-da y working conditions, has been conspicuously underplayed, if not ignored. Y et, when one reviews the history of the reduction of working hours, prohibi tion of child labor, elimination of homework in tenement slums, reform of f actory legislation, and investigations into accidents precipitating early w orkers' compensation legislation, the literature is rich with women's inves tigative reports and studies on unhealthy and unsafe working conditions. Th is was the case from the late 19th century in North America up until the 19 50s and the Cold War. The women's movement and political activities requiri ng factory reforms then seemed to go underground, re-emerging in full force during the 1960s. Women's involvement in the environmental movement, espec ially in the United States, has been significant in politicizing occupation al health as well. Their efforts led to the 1970 passage of the U.S. Occupa tional Health and Safety Act.