Industrial accidents, such as this one at a MontrÄal construction site shown in the Canadian Illustrated News (August 20,1870) were very common in the nineteenth century. Not only construction workers but longshoremen, railway workers, and factory employees were also frequent victims of accidents. The absence of legislation in this area absolved employers of any responsibility in case of accident. Victims of accidents had to prove in civil court that the employer was at fault, until May 29, 1909, when an act was passed which removed the burden of proof from the employee in such proceedings. Needless to say, there were no workmen's compensation boards or other government agencies to compensate victims of industrial accidents in the nineteenth century.
