In a previous post we explored protective workwear for shinglers from the early 1900s. Decades have passed and safety at work has been improved thanks to innovative protective equipment and specific laws and regulations.
Yet, safety at work remains an issue quite often bypassed by governments or private companies to save money. When tragedy strikes, the safety issue resurfaces in features, articles and investigations, only to disappear again, at least until the next accident.
To raise awareness, I've recently been developing a series of pieces inspired by the safety at work theme. The first two necklaces are dedicated to mining and incorporate minerals and miniatures (with thanks to Kutmusic for lending me some minerals for some of the pictures in this post).
Around ten days ago an explosion and fire in the power distribution unit in a mine in Soma, Turkey, caused the death of almost 300 people. The accident revealed that the mine only possessed one refuge chamber in which fourteen miners took shelter using oxygen masks in turns before the air was exhausted and they died. Refuge chambers are a key safety feature of mines as they can provide oxygen, food and water for up to 40 people for a month, plus first-aid kits and telephones.
We all know that the fashion industry is also plagued by poor safety measures at different levels and while it is unlikely that a piece of jewellery will change things, trying to raise at least awareness towards unsafe working conditions through a wearable piece may help us talking about health and safety issues more often and finally tackling them.
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