A letter from Steve Smyth of Norwood, London, responds to a Guardian article about poor working conditions in extreme heat, noting that many readers may not grasp the irony of the piece being published from a pub named after Samuel Plimsoll.
Plimsoll's forgotten legacy
Smyth points out that much of Plimsoll's work to make shipping less dangerous through the introduction of safe loading lines, known as the Plimsoll line, has been forgotten because the line resembles a piece of footwear. He emphasises that Plimsoll's work saved countless lives and that he is commemorated with a memorial on the Thames Embankment, funded by the National Union of Seamen.
A new Plimsoll mark for thermometers
Smyth suggests that perhaps a Plimsoll mark for thermometers is now needed, drawing a parallel to the original safety measure.
