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Labour Day resources
The creation of protective legislation for workers and compensation for injured workers are important parts of B.C.’s labour history.
To complement your coverage of Labour Day, we’ve put together some historical facts about workers’ compensation and a list of occupations in B.C. from 1850 through to today.
Facts about the history of workers compensation
- State-planned workers compensation in the West began in 1884 in Prussia, part of modern-day Germany.
- Until the mid-1800s English law awarded compensation for a worker’s death based on the value of the item that caused the death. If a worker was crushed by a barrel worth 10 pounds sterling, his dependents received 10 pounds sterling.
- In the early 1900s, B.C.’s coal mines were considered the most dangerous in the world, with a death rate of three to four times that of others in the British Empire.
- One of the first accident-prevention and first-aid regulations for workers in B.C. came in 1918 when all businesses with more than 10 workers were required to keep a first aid kit on site.
- B.C.’s 1917 Workmen’s Compensation Act predates the Old Age Pension Act, the Unemployment Insurance Act, and the Medical Care Act.
Resources
- B.C. Occupations 1850 to today – A list of typical occupations and new roles that have arisen as B.C.’s economy has changed and new industries have emerged over the decades.
For more information on this or other topics, please contact:
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Megan Johnston |
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