Abstract
In the space of a decade between the late 1960s and 1970s, coal mines and cotton mills in the U.S. were publicly acknowledged to be dangerous places to work because of the dusts in the air. Respiratory diseases endemic in the two workforces became legally compensable, while major capital investments were made to improve ventilation and make the workplaces safe. This sudden perception of danger in the workplace was supported by the labor movement and activist social reformers, but opposed by major business interests. What accounts for the success of both social constructions of risk in winning official legitimation and in altering the flow of resources in these industries?
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© 1987 D. Reidel Publishing Company
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Bronstein, J.M. (1987). The Political Symbolism of Occupational Health Risks. In: Johnson, B.B., Covello, V.T. (eds) The Social and Cultural Construction of Risk. Technology, Risk, and Society, vol 3. Springer, Dordrecht. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-94-009-3395-8_8
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