ABSTRACT
Legislative control, however stringent, evidence-based and financially supported by the industry, required the understanding and cooperation of the workforce to be truly effective. The responses of labour to an increasingly regulated working environment are discussed in this final chapter and the metalliferous miners, in particular the Cornish, are central to the discussion. The bargain system unique to the sector had frustrated outside interference, promoted self-sufficiency and emphasized individual responsibility. Despite demonstrating an awareness of the health and safety risks that their labour entailed and an ability to combine and make their voices heard, the metalliferous miners, in contrast to the colliers who largely viewed the state as their protector, had made no demands on government or the industry for improvements. Instead they preferred to operate under what Larry Lankton termed the ‘old rules’, whereby the mine was accepted as a dangerous place, where accidents happened, and the miner relied solely on his skill and experience to ensure the security of his working environment.1
