Book excerpt: Working conditions in Irish industry prior to 1914 were frequently harsh and dangerous, particularly for women, young persons, and children. Successive Factory Acts, designed primarily for industrial conditions in Great Britain, sought to ameliorate the plight of these 'protected' workers in the face of considerable opposition. This book examines the development of this early health and safety legislation, the system of inspection by which it was enforced and the peculiar problems which the factory inspectors encountered in Ireland while seeking to ensure that minimum standards were observed notwithstanding local social and economic constraints. -- Publisher description.