The dismal lifestyles of the majority of paupers who were not members of the favored special interest groups were the result of the government's social structure. The working conditions at the factories were deplorable, but they were better than the circumstances in the poorhouses, workhouses, and prisons to which the poor had been committed as a result of the government's economically restrictive policies by the same socialist parties that wanted more minimum wage laws.

Employers pay a compensatory differential (a higher compensation) to recruit workers in a hazardous or risky job.

Employers have a strong financial incentive to improve workplace safety, particularly in industrial industries where salaries frequently account for the bulk of overall expenses.

Furthermore, companies must cover the costs of missed work, retraining new staff, and government-mandated worker's compensation if an accident occurs on the job. Not to mention the possibility of legal action.

Investments in technology, from air-conditioned farm tractors to factory robots, have also made the American workplace safer. However, unions have frequently resisted such technology on the grounds that it "destroys employment."