The shift from working at home to working in factories in the early 18th century brought with it a new system of working. Long working hours, fines and low wages were rife in the workplace.
| Act | What it said… | Impact |
|---|---|---|
| Coalmining Act 1842 | No child under the age of ten to work. No woman to work underground. | Lack of inspectors made the act difficult to enforce. Also women who had worked all their lives down the mine found it difficult to find alternative work. |
| Prohibition of Single Shaft Mines Act 1862 | All mines should have at least 2 access shafts. | The Hartley Colliery disaster killed 204 men. The accident was caused when the cast iron beam of the steam engine split in two, sending tons of debris down the pit shaft. There was no way these men could survive, until they could move all the debris from the shaft, which they tried. But by the time they got down there, they had all suffocated. |
| Regulation of Coal Mines Act 1872 | Pit managers had to have professional qualifications. | Pit managers had to undergo training and exams to successfully manage a pit. All who passed received a certificate. |
| The Coal Mines Act 1911 | 8 hour day. No boy aged under 14 could be employed below ground Boys under 16 could not be employed above ground at night, although they could be employed underground. The Act brought in strict regulations to provide for the general welfare of pit ponies working in the mines. The Act required all mine owners to establish rescue stations, provide teams of trained rescuers, and to keep and maintain rescue apparatus. | By 1900 the country was still being shocked by serious mining disasters. This act was the main statute regulating mining health and safety in the period up to 1945. |
By 1914 coal mining was still a hard and dangerous but slowly improvements were being made through legislation and improvements in the mines themselves: