Administrative Information

Access Restrictions

Collection is open to research.

Use Restrictions

There are no restrictions.

Preferred Citation

Records, 1921-1944. Accession 22529, Virginia Dept. of Labor and Industry, The Library of Virginia, Richmond, Virginia.

Acquisition Information

Transferred from the Bureau of Labor in July, 1946.

Historical Information

The Dept. of Labor and Industry has its origins in the Bureau of Labor and Industrial Statistics, which was created by an act of the General Assembly, passed on March 3, 1898. The General Assembly saw a need for an agency to compile and circulate data on the industrial pursuits of the state as they related to the commercial, industrial, social, educational, and sanitary condition of the laboring classes and to the permanent prosperity of the productive industries of the state. The name of the Bureau was changed to the Bureau of Labor and Industry on February 13, 1924.

Several divisions were added to the bureau to deal with a variety of labor related issues. The Division of Mines and Quarries was created in 1912 (duties of this division transferred to the newly created Dept. of Mines, Minerals and Energy in 1985) and joined the Division of Factory Inspection as a unit with the Bureau. In 1922 The Division of Women and Children was created to enforce child labor laws, the 10 hour work day limit and regulate issues related to the employment of women. The Division of State Public Employment Service was created in 1926 to help connect people seeking jobs and employers seeking workers (this division was eliminated in 1960 with the creation of the Virginia Employment Commission).

The state government reorganization act of April 18, 1927 changed the name of the bureau to the Dept. of Labor and Industry and gave it the status of a regular administrative agency of the state. The governor appoints a commissioner, subject to confirmation by the General Assembly, who exercises supervision and control of the department. Several additional divisions were created in the department: Division of Apprenticeship Training (1938), Division of Factory, Institution and Mercantile Inspection (1951 - in 1967 this becomes the Division of Construction Safety Inspection and the Division of Industrial Safety), Advisory Council on Industrial Safety (1951), Safety Codes Commission (1962 - which later becomes the Safety and Health Codes Board), Division of OSHA Voluntary Compliance and Training (1977), Division of State Labor Law Administration (1978), Bureau of Occupational Health (1985 - transferred from Virginia Dept. of Health).

Past Commissioners of the Dept. of Labor and Industry include: Archer P. Montague, 1898-1899; James B. Doherty, 1900-1917; C.G. Kizer, 1917-1918; John Hirschberg, 1919-1920; John Hopkins Hall, Jr., 1921-1937; Thomas B. Morton, 1938-1941; John Hopkins Hall, Jr., 1942-1949; Edmond M. Boggs, 1949-1977; Robert F. Beard, 1977-1982; Azie Taylor Morton, 1982-1983; Eva S. Teig, 1983-1985; Carol A. Amato, 1985-1994; and Theron J. Bell, 1994- .

The Dept. of Labor and Industry's primary responsibility is the administering and enforcing of occupational safety and occupational health activities in both the public and private sectors. The mission of the Department is to make Virginia a better place to work by promoting safe and healthful workplaces, best employment practices, and job training opportunities. The Dept. provides Virginians with a broad variety of services to employers and workers that range from workplace safety, assistance to companies in establishing apprenticeships, to collecting unpaid wages for workers. Virginia. Dept. of Labor and Industry.

Scope and Content

This collection provides correspondence and monthly reports submitted by state inspectors to the agency management concerning health and safety findings discovered during inspections of mines and quarries within the state of Virginia.

Arrangement

Organized into two (2) series: Series I. Mine Inspector's Reports and Correspondence, 1921-1944; Series II. Quarry Inspection Reports, 1937-1944.