Which event led to increased work-related injuries that affected Occupational Therapy?

The Industrial Revolution significantly transformed work environments and practices, leading to an increase in work-related injuries. This period marked the shift from agrarian economies to industrialized ones, introducing machinery and factories that demanded new skills and labor. As industries expanded, workers were often subjected to hazardous conditions, long hours, and repetitive tasks that heightened the risk of injuries and health issues.

With rising rates of injury, the need for rehabilitation and treatment became apparent, giving birth to various fields of therapy, including occupational therapy. Occupational therapists began to focus on helping individuals recover from physical injuries, adapt to their work environments, and improve their functional capabilities in the presence of workplace challenges. This laid a foundation for the development of occupational therapy as a profession that addresses not only rehabilitation but also prevention and adaptation in the workplace.

The other options, while significant in their own right, do not directly relate to the increase of work-related injuries in the same way as the Industrial Revolution. The Age of Enlightenment primarily focused on the spread of ideas about reason and science, the Civil Rights Movement addressed social justice rather than occupational safety, and the establishment of mental health laws pertains more to mental health support than to physical workplace injuries.