Working in the mills was a dangerous and often hard job. In the mills there were a number of jobs to do including a small adult or child who had to go underneath the machine and retreve the loose pieces of cotton and thread. this was a risky job and you had to be quick or the huge swinging wooden shafts would catch you often damaging limbs or removing fingers.
People in some mills such as Cressbrook mill, Derbyshire were treated extremely badly. People like Sarah Goodling who fell asleep over her machine as she was poorly was beaten by an Overlooker. An Overlooker was someone who went round the machines checking everyone was working to full potential.
However not everyone in mills was treated badly Jane Austin tells us that she was treated quite well given adequate food, decent clothing and somewhere to sleep.