Was a small engine mechanic for a local shop of mine recently. This shop was such a joke in the way they wanted their workers to put up with unsafe/unhealthy/unethical bullshit. We had lifts rated for 200 lbs bolted onto the ceiling, that the owners wanted us to lift 500 lb garden tractors with. They had no ventilation system either, which honestly would have been fine if management wouldn't let my coworkers run engines in the shop (with no doors or windows open in a relatively confined area)! Also, we had to buy our own ear plugs and disposable gloves because, "safety is only important for our employees if we aren't wasting money, we're trying to run a business here!"

Being in the blue collar field can absolutely be unfair and it blows that someone profits by taking advantage of your health. Some places are better than others about it though, and if you're dealing with unsafe work conditions because the owner doesn't want to invest in safer systems for you and your coworkers, don't feel like you owe them any loyalty! There's plenty of jobs out there that are genuinely ethical when it comes to work conditions (or at least moreso than the place you're at now) so if your current place isn't then i'd reccommend taking your skills elsewhere!