Factory laws and legislation, Ireland, History, 19th century, Labor laws and legislation, 20th century 

Irish Legal History Society 

Working conditions in Irish industry prior to 1914 were frequently harsh and dangerous, particularly for women and children. The large textile, shipbuilding and engineering works in the North were typical products of the industrial revolution, but the smaller factories and workshops located in other parts of the island also exposed workers to unfair terms and conditions of employment. The Factory Acts sought to improve working conditions throughout the United Kingdom. In this book, the authors examine the development of this early health and safety legislation and its system of public inspection and assess its effectiveness in ameliorating the position of workers in factories and workshops throughout Ireland. Particular reference is made to the regulation of health, safety and the fair payment of wages to women and children working in the linen industry, the prevention of accidents to the men employed in shipbuilding and on the docks, and the inspection of working conditions in the industrial processing of agricultural products. The role played in Ireland by lady inspectors, some of the earliest women servants of the state, is examined, and case studies of attempts to enforce the Factory Acts in the magistrates' courts provide a fascinating insight into a hitherto neglected aspect of the administration of justice in 19th-century Ireland. In their closing chapter the authors trace the development of the law governing the right to compensation for death and injury at work.  

Content:

Preface -- List of illustrations -- Abbreviations -- 1 Laying the foundations: 1802-40 (starting p. 1) -- The state of Irish industry in 1800 (starting p. 1) -- The Health and Morals of Apprentices Act 1802 (starting p. 3) -- The Factory Act 1833 (starting p. 8) -- The impact of the 1833 act in Ireland (starting p. 18) -- 2 Broadening the ambit of inspection: 1840-75 (starting p. 29) -- Introduction (starting p. 29) -- The Factory Act 1844 (starting p. 31) -- The 1844 act in Ireland (starting p. 39) -- Extending the scope of the Acts (starting p. 42) -- The impact of extension in Ireland (starting p. 55) -- 3 Consolidation and refinement: 1875-1914 (starting p. 60) -- The review of factory and workshop law in 1875-76 (starting p. 60) -- The factory and workshop acts, 1878-1914 (starting p. 67) -- The factory inspectorate, 1878-1914 (starting p. 77) -- The factory inspectorate in Ireland, 1878-1914 (starting p. 83) -- 4 The special role of the lady inspectors, 1893-1914 (starting p. 96) -- The administrative 'adventure' (starting p. 96) -- The role of the lady inspectors (starting p. 102) -- The lady inspectors in Ireland (starting p. 106) -- Two particular concerns (starting p. 113) -- Envoi (starting p. 121) -- 5 The safety of linen workers (starting p. 123) -- The development of the law prior to 1878 (starting p. 123) -- The development of the law, 1878-1914 (starting p. 131) -- The general operation of the safety provisions in Ireland (starting p. 133) -- Accidents in scutch mills (starting p. 142) -- Accidents caused by flying shuttles (starting p. 152) -- 6 The health of linen workers (starting p. 158) -- The general development of the law (starting p. 158) -- Alleviating the danger to health caused by excessive dust (starting p. 165) -- Reducing exposure to excessive humidity (starting p. 175) -- 7 The fair payment of wages (starting p. 191) -- Introduction (starting p. 191) -- Truck (starting p. 193) -- The 'particulars' clause (starting p. 207) -- Fines and deductions (starting p. 212) -- The issues reviewed (starting p. 220) -- 8 The regulation of men's employment (starting p. 227) -- Shipbuilding (starting p. 227) -- Dock labour (starting p. 236) -- Steam boiler operatives (starting p. 242) -- 9 Miscellaneous small trades and industries (starting p. 255) -- Bakehouses (starting p. 255) -- Creameries (starting p. 264) -- Aerated water works (starting p. 272) -- Lucifer match works (starting p. 277) -- Convent laundries (starting p. 284) -- 10 The prosecution of offences (starting p. 298) -- Introduction (starting p. 298) -- Inaugurating the new regulatory system (starting p. 299) -- The process of formalisation, 1844-1878 (starting p. 301) -- Prosecutions in Ireland under the 1844 act (starting p. 305) -- Magisterial shortcomings, 1878-1914 (starting p. 311) -- Three case studies (starting p. 322) -- 11 Civil proceedings (starting p. 336) -- Introduction (starting p. 336) -- The early history of employers' liability (starting p. 336) -- The attempt to find a common law solution (starting p. 342) -- Workmen's compensation (starting p. 358) -- The workman's compensation acts in Ireland (starting p. 368) -- 12 Epilogue (starting p. 377) -- App.: Biographical notes (starting p. 385) -- Bibliography (starting p. 391) -- Index (starting p. 417) -- The Irish Legal History Society (starting p. 439). 

Includes bibliographical references (p. 391-415) and index.
Item donated by Graham Price.
Categorized by organization (Irish Legal History Society (ILHS)), then author/editor, then year.