Just read that some old school foundries in Pittsburgh used to pour iron at 2800 degrees without modern safety gear

I found this in a local history book at the library, and it made me think about how we rely so much on gear now. Is all the new safety stuff really making us better workers, or just more careful?

2 comments

2 Comments

jade_hunt481d ago

Watched my grandpa work construction with just leather gloves and common sense. He'd handle hot tar roofs in summer heat that would send us running for cooling vests now. Sure, he had some close calls, but he also had a feel for the material you just don't get separated by three layers of protective gear. Makes you wonder if some safety steps remove the need to actually pay attention.

wright.rowan1d ago

That part about losing the "feel for the material" hits hard. See it with cashiers now, the register beeps and tells them every step. They don't learn to count back change or spot a fake bill by touch anymore. The system handles it, so the skill fades.