Why were factories extremely dangerous during the gilded age?

Well, the short answer to this is lack of safety regulations. During that period of time, workers are expected to work very long hours with little time to rest. The pay is poor while children also worked to make a living. Sadly, in some of these cases, children died or are injured from the machines they are operating. For example, the cotton gin. If a child's hand or finger got stuck in it, the hand or finger is gone.