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Excerpt from Oral History Interview with Hill Baker, June 1977. Interview H-0109-2. Southern Oral History Program Collection (#4007) See Entire Interview >>

A relatively pleasant work environment at a furniture plant

Baker recalls the work environment at the furniture factory where he worked. It seems like it was relatively pleasant—heated in winter and cooled in summer, and not too noisy. Baker does remember, though, the occasional finger-severing accident.

Citing this Excerpt

Oral History Interview with Hill Baker, June 1977. Interview H-0109-2. Southern Oral History Program Collection (#4007) in the Southern Oral History Program Collection, Southern Historical Collection, Wilson Library, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill.

Full Text of the Excerpt

PATTY DILLEY:
Did you feel like your work at the plant was ever dangerous?
HILL BAKER:
Some parts were. Running a ripsaw was dangerous, get your hands or arms cut off or something like that. You just had to be careful with everything as you worked.
PATTY DILLEY:
Do you know of anybody that ever did get hurt by one of those machines?
HILL BAKER:
Oh, Lord, yes. I wouldn't know his name, but I remember some would get careless and get hurt, and maybe get their hands, fingers cut off.
PATTY DILLEY:
How was the working environment? Did it ever get real hot in the factories?
HILL BAKER:
You had an electric fan. In the wintertime we had steam heat.
PATTY DILLEY:
Do you remember it being real well ventilated? Were there lots of windows?
HILL BAKER:
Yes.
PATTY DILLEY:
Did they ever brick up any windows while you were there?
HILL BAKER:
Not too often.
PATTY DILLEY:
Why would they brick up the windows sometimes?
HILL BAKER:
Sometimes they'd throw a block or something and hit one of the windows where it was close to the window, the machinery. Something they threw would hit them. They didn't do it purpose, though. Not on purpose.
PATTY DILLEY:
Do you remember the plant being noisy?
HILL BAKER:
Not too much noise.