A high incidence of death and injury was one of the by-products of industrialisation. Although employers could profit handsomely from a person’s labour, the risks to life and limb posed by dangerous practices remained with every man, woman and child worker. Despite the inequality in bargaining power, employees were considered to have accepted whatever conditions their employer provided.

An employer was not required to pay any compensation or sickness pay if a worker was injured, or worse. Self-provision was the way for a worker to guard against penury if an accident stopped them being the family breadwinner. In reality, most workers did not earn enough to put something aside for a rainy day.