―― A Lasting Glow ――
Legacy
Dial-painters working in a factory (National Institute of Standards and Technology)
The Radium Girls’ case triggered countless improvements to workplace legislation:
“The courage of these women... led to... required safety precautions and protective gear for radium dial painters, as radium paint was still used on dials as late as the 1960s. Congress eventually passed a bill in 1949... [which] extended the time for workers to discover illness and file a claim.”
(New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection, 2019)
The first improvement was making radium poisoning compensable under the Occupational Diseases Act of 1936.
(List of Occupational Diseases Covered by Occupational Diseases Act of 1936)
“The coverage is for ‘injury to health or death by reason of a disease contracted or sustained in the course of the employment and proximately caused by the negligence of the employer.’”
("Occupational Disease Legislation in the United States, 1936.")
Eventually, all occupational diseases became compensable in 1949.
NEW JERSEY WORKERS COMPENSATION ACT OF 1949
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“‘Compensable occupational disease’ shall include all diseases arising out of and in the coarse of employment” (New Jersey State, Legislature)
This influenced the creation of the Occupational Safety and Health Act of 1970
“Each employer... shall furnish to each of his employees employment and a place of employment which are free from recognized hazards that are causing or are likely to cause death or serious physical harm to his employees”
(“OSH Act of 1970”)
These acts culminated in the Occupational Safety and Health Administration’s establishment in 1971
“OSHA was created because of public outcry against rising injury and death rates on the job. Through the years the agency has focused its resources where they can have the greatest impact in reducing injuries, illnesses, and deaths in the workplace.”
("OSHA's 30th Anniversary”, 2001)
“The dial-painters’ case ultimately led to the establishment of the Occupational Safety and Health Administration, which now works nationally in the United States to ensure safe working conditions. Businesses are required to inform employees if they work with dangerous chemicals...”
(Moore, Kate H)
Moore on the Radium Girls' Scientific Legacy
(LaSalle Public Library, 2022)