The Peril of Industrial Workspace
A laborer files a $5,000 lawsuit after a workplace injury highlights the dangerous conditions in a local lumber mill.
The story, cleaned up
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John Bather began an action in the superior court yesterday to recover $5,025 from the Stetson & Post Mill Company for bodily injuries sustained while handling lumber in its yard on January 7. Bather states he was ordered by superintendent A. P. Keene to work on a lumber pile six feet high. The space between the lumber and the edge of the wharf was only one foot wide, leaving no room to move heavy timber safely. Bather, an inexperienced worker, claims he and another man, Wall, could not use their full strength due to the cramped quarters. When they hesitated, Keene ordered them to 'go ahead and stop talking,' resulting in a heavy stick of lumber falling and severely injuring Bather. He is suing for medical expenses, lost wages, and physical suffering.
“When they hesitated, Keene told them to go ahead and stop talking, and the stick fell and hit him.”
This suit highlights the hazardous nature of early Seattle industry and the lack of worker protections before the era of OSHA and comprehensive labor law. It underscores the transition from a 'buyer beware' labor market to the recognition of employer liability for workplace safety.
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