Men in Oxygenation Gear

Whether in mining, coke production, iron and steel making, or rolling mills, all aspects of metal making use extensive safety equipment. The metals industry of the late 19th and early 20th centuries was notorious for subpar safety protocols and dangerous working conditions. Injuries and fatal accidents were common, and protective gear was often non-existent. By the 1940s, when this image was taken, equivalents of modern safety gear were becoming more common. The men in this image are using oxygenation gear to build a “stopping” in a “smoke room” in a mine. A “stopping” is a kind of partition used to seal off a part of a mine with irrepressible gases.