I was watching one of those history programs the other day and I was astounded at the legitimately archaic way they used to look at safety.
This program centered on the mining industry in the South and how several people lost their lives each year laboring in those mines.
If you had a family member laboring, twelve hours shift, deep in those shafts, you never knew if they were coming home at the end of the day. This was due to the huge pockets of toxic gases that hid deep in the shafts that could be opened up at any moment. Because several of these shafts ran hundreds of feet underground, there was no way to evacuate them quickly in the even of one of the pockets being breached. I consistently thought it was an seasoned wives tale that they used a parakeet in a cage, but, it turns out that they genuinely did. The parakeet’s respiratory system was so delicate that even the smallest about of toxic gas would be lethal… If the parakeet stopped “chirping” they knew it was time to get out. Thankfully, with the emergence of more current Heating & Air Conditioning and ventilation systems, several lives have been saved. Now, in current mining operations, huge ventilation and evacuation systems are in place to circulate fresh air throughout these underground shafts. Alarm systems are in place to increase or decrease this circulation to ensure the safety of those workers. I am sure that I would still never want to work at such a labor intensive job, but, I am gleeful that those who choose to are safer and don’t have to depend on a parakeet to know if they are safe anymore.