Crushed by the Wheels of Industry: Health Hazards of the Victorian Industrial Worker

This talk by our Collections Curator, Kate Cadman, is one of our Tuesday Talks, an exciting series of talks focusing on stories that aren't currently told in museum displays. 

While some criticise modern health and safety regulations for being overly cautious, this talk will consider the consequences when such protections were virtually non-existent.

Perilous conditions—ranging from dangerous machinery to toxic fumes—were a reality for workers in the many industries of the Ironbridge Gorge during the Victorian era. This talk explores the catalogue of work-related injury, disease and death recorded in the nineteenth century, and the human cost paid by many in the name of industrial progress.