Een mens is geen machine – de Nederlandse Arbeidsinspectie 1890-2025 / A human is not a machine | The Dutch Labour Inspectorate, 1890-2025

In 2025, the Labour Inspectorate will celebrate its 135th anniversary. Timon de Groot describes how this institution attempted to create a fair, healthy, and safe working environment in the Netherlands, while facing obstacles. From employers blocking access to their factories, to unions demanding more action, and successive governments imposing different demands and expectations on the inspectorate's work. The Labor Inspectorate was established during a period of enormous industrial growth in the Netherlands. Workers were primarily viewed as cheap commodities, forced to work until they dropped, and simply dismissed when they could no longer perform. In this climate, the fledgling Labor Inspectorate, then with three inspectors, was tasked with ensuring that workplace conditions remained safe and humane. The Labor Inspectorate was often the first to identify drastic changes in the world of work and bring them to the attention of politicians. Old social problems such as child labor, bogus schemes, and the exploitation of migrant workers repeatedly resurfaced in new forms.