ONE railroad, first SIX months of 1930 and they’re bragging that ‘Only’ 43 employees were killed! Only 68 killed in the first six months of '29! Down 36%! Time for cake and donuts 
NYC killed on duty 1930 by Edmund, on Flickr
IF only you guys would have followed the rules, 4007 and 4008, you wouldn’t have been run over in the dark, icy conditions while working long hours! These are the fatalities, how many more have been permanently maimed?
Cheers, Ed
In those days your qualifications for a railroad job depended on your hands. 10 fingers? Total greenhorn! 9? You worked one summer rush. 6? You might be ok. 4? You’re just the man we need! Can you start today?
By the time they memorized the first 4006 rules, they probably didn’t have enough room in their brains for these two.
Yes. I remember when 'Elf ‘n’ Safety was unheard of.
Common Sense was the saying then.
David
AI Overview
While it’s impossible to pinpoint an exact number for all bridge construction deaths across history, hundreds, if not thousands, of workers have died during bridge construction projects, with some projects, like the Big Four Bridge, having a high fatality rate.
Here’s a more detailed look:
Construction is a dangerous industry, and bridge construction is a particularly hazardous sub-sector.
Specific Examples:
Factors contributing to fatalities:
Modern Safety Measures:
Today, there are many safety practices and regulations in place to reduce the risk of fatalities in construction, including the use of safety harnesses, protective barriers, and training programs.
In the past, before modern safety regulations, bridge construction was even more dangerous.
Just an aside. One of my uncles was a bridge builder.
On building Runcorn Bridge in Runcorn, U.K. one day a thunderstorm struck very quickly. Order came for everyone off the bridge.
Two men fell and died. News soon spread and my grandmother heard. Shortly after hearing the news a telegram arrived. Fearing the worst she let my grandfather read it. It was from my uncle saying he was alive and well.
He was a builder of the middle bridge.
David
AI Overview
During the construction of UK bridges, including the Forth Bridge and Severn Bridge, there were numerous fatalities, with researchers identifying at least 73 confirmed deaths for the Forth Bridge alone, and four men died during work on the Severn Bridge.
I wonder how everything went during work on the first through third bridges.
Rich
Not to mention the fifth and sixth bridges. 
Rich
Groan!!! They are old jokes.
David
As I mentioned on another thread, there were about 130,000 fatal industrial accidents in the US between Dec 1941 and about May 1944. People at that time were concerned, but a lot of that concern was pushed aside as a war was going on.
The big push from the federal side came from the passage of OSHA. This came about from the efforts of a woman who saw her son die in a thermal pool at Yellowstone.
On a RR related note, the work on the Milwaukee’s St Paul Pass and Snoqualmie tunnels was how few fatalities were incurred.
Still funny, but only if you have a sense of humor. 
Rich
