The completion of the Canadian Pacific Railway (CPR) was a major event in Canadian History. Although it connected the east and west coast of early Canada, it was also a very dangerous and arduous project for its workers. Chinese immigrants were discriminated and were given the hardest jobs during the construction of the railway. The manner in which they were treated was unacceptable and inhumane. Therefore, comparing the regulations used during the creation of the CPR to Canada’s present safety standards will conclude if Canada has substantially improved its work safety since the railway's completion. The completion of the Canadian Pacific Railway played a major part in Canadian history; it had connected both coasts with a ribbon of steel. During the construction of the CPR, through the rugged landscapes of Canada, Chinese laborers were given some of the most challenging and dangerous of jobs (“Building The Canadian Pacific Railway” 1). They built through hills, filled ravines, and opened tunnels with explosives. Racial "accidents", careless dynamite blasts and sudden landslides caused many deaths among the workers. Exposure to cold winters, poor nutrition, and inadequate medical care, also led to additional casualties. At least 600 workers gave their lives to …show more content…
Safety standards have been set up and designed to guarantee the safety of individuals while performing activities or processes within their work. Worker rights have also been developed to ensure that employees get paid equally, given the right to refuse a job they believe to be unsafe and the liberty of not being discriminated at the location of their work (“Safety at Work” 9). In contrast to the safety standards and the rights given to the workers in the past, Canada has significantly improved since the completion of the railway. It is now aimed for the equality and safety of its
During the construction of the Canadian Pacific Railway in 1881-1885, the discrimination against Chinese workers demonstrates social injustice.
McGuire, C. (2011, April). Workplace Safety 100 Years Ago. Safety Compliance Letter(2524), 1-6. Retrieved April 22, 2014, from http://search.ebscohost.com/login.aspx?direct=true&db=bth&AN=60166397&site=ehost-live&scope=site
The Transcontinental Railroad was comprised of nearly eighteen hundred miles of track, much of which was laid by Chinese and Irish immigrants (Immigration 1). Chinese immigrants had settled in California during the Gold Rush but were not allowed to become full citizens (Immigration 1). With the need for labor to work on the railroad, the Chinese were hired, although at a lower rate of pay than Americans and other immigrants (Immigration 1). The Central Pacific Railroad had employed over twelve thousand Chinese workers by 1868. They even set a record, laying ten miles of railroad track in twelve hours (Immigration 1). Over twenty-five thousand Chinese immigrants settled in the United States in 1868 and 1869 and eventually obtained citizenship (Cultural 2). The Union Pacific Railroad employed mainly Irish immigrants, many of whom had served in the Civil War. After the completion of the Transcontinental Railroad, many new immigrants settled in the western states and territories. Immigrants who came in through immigration stations, such as Ellis Island, used the Transcontinental Railroad to move to new western towns. The railroad advertised with the hope of attracting European, African, and Russian immigrants to populate small western towns along the
Firstly, by building the world’s first transcontinental railway, Sir John A. Macdonald contributed to the economy and efficiency of Canada. One of the major arguments of British C...
Canada became an emerging country after the Second World War. There was a need for Canada to identify themselves as a distinct nation from Britain and the United States. The Trans Canada Highway became a visible nationalistic figure that set apart Canada from other countries. The Trans Canada Highway was a significant structure built in 1949 through 1961 that emerged as a result of a newfound unity and nationalistic view in Canada. Although there were many different political, personal and economical standpoints on the building of the highway, the finalization of the construction of the highway brought a unique unity that could be appreciated by all Canadians.
During the 1800’s, America was going through a time of invention and discovery known as the Industrial Revolution. America was in its first century of being an independent nation and was beginning to make the transition from a “home producing” nation to a technological one. The biggest contribution to this major technological advancement was the establishment of the Transcontinental Railroad because it provided a faster way to transport goods, which ultimately boosted the economy and catapulted America to the Super Power it is today.
British Canadians felt that it was best to hire Chinese labourers to work on the continental railways due to working conditions, however, other British Canadians felt that it had been the low wages that Chinese individuals charged that created them enticing alternatives to higher paid non-Asians. Employment on the railways crammed a range of jobs in a rural and concrete environment. In 1885, the Canadian government, after being pressured from Canadian provinces, passed l...
... and left the city of Regina in ruins. The workers went back in failure with none of them better off. All these events caused the society in Canada to suffer and make it into the history books as ‘great’.
After America acquired the West, the need for efficient transportation heightened. Ideas circulated about a railroad that would spread across the continent from East to West. Republican congresses ruled for the federal funding of railroad construction, however, all actions were halted for a few years on account of a war. Following the American Civil War of 1861-1865, the race to build transcontinental railroad began in 1866. Lincoln approved Pacific Railway Act of 1862, granting two railroad companies the right to build the first American transcontinental railroad, (Clark 432).
Railroads being built in the 1860’s were being used for a variety of reasons including moving western cattle to the east for the use of beef, to send and receive goods, and to enable communication with the east as well as others. Since railroads were now becoming more relevant the transcontinental railroad was conceived, spreading from the Atlantic to the Pacific. Therefore, The Pacific Railway Acts of 1862 and 1864 were coming into play. These laws enabled the federal government to grant land and loans for railway systems. Due to railroads being built, it affected the west by causing economic and population growth, which lead to more goods and land being sold which encouraged many settlers to move west leading to businesses growing and becoming
...reatment of these workers by the railroad corporations such as working in highly dangerous conditions while receiving very minimal pay. In this sense culture and ethnicity played a different role from the two previous chapters in how the area confronted social change.
In the mines of Lavrion, located near Athens, the state banned the removal of metal supporting poles and excessive smoking of the oil lamps used for lighting—this is perhaps the first regulation in history concerning occupational health and safety.6 If a contractor disobeyed these rules, they would be severely punished, regardless if the majority of workers were slaves (in Athens, slaves were generally treated humane, being welcomed into their families with a ceremony and protected from mistreatment by the law).7 Although they are not always adhered to, modern safety rules descended from these roots exist: disregarding societal status, disability, race, or gender, many employers and governments have strict regulations to prevent injury in the workplace. Before and even during many eras of discrimination, slavery, and prejudice, there existed very few (but some very important) universal safety regulations that have inspired modern
One day Zhang, while in China, went to the market to barter for food, but that day in June 1881 was different. He saw something that made him stop in his tracks. Outside of Mr. John McGee’s finance office was a poster entitled, “Help needed! Canada, the land of riches, needs your Assistance in the Building of a Railway! $1.00 will be given a day (quite a deal) and a safe, free environment, too. Join Today! ”. He understood none of it, not a single word, so he went and asked Mr. McGee what the sign meant and requested him to translate it...
The Occupational Safety and Health Act’s mission is to assure the safety and health of America's workers by setting and enforcing standards; providing training, and education; and encouraging continual improvement in workplace safety and health (OSHA.org). OSHA covers an extremely wide array of workers, from construction workers to office workers. However when the act was first passed it was not heavily enforced and lacked inspectors. In 1970 because there were three times as many fish and game wardens than there were OSHA inspectors, people said that the trout and quail were more protected than Americas working men and women (Bennett, Alexander, & Hartman, 2003). Though today OSHA has approximately 2100 inspectors, plus complaint discrimination investigators, engineers, physicians, educators, standards writers, and other technical and support pers...
When someone expresses about safety and health risks in the organization or workplace, it dealing with the expectation of injury occurred and the impact on labourers due to the hazards found in the worked area. The probability is a measure by the regularity of accidents occurred in the work place. However, as the likelihood of accidents and the impact of accidents can be controlled, then the risk can be arranged until it will be minimized and acceptable (Governali, 2005). In addition, there are four basic categories words are often used in the administration of occupational safety and health hazard. The term can be classified into five major categories which are the physical, chemical, biological, ergonomic and psychosocial hazards (refer to Figure 1 in Appendix 1).