The workers choosing not to wear uncomfortable protective gear is only because they have no idea about the health risk they are putting themselves in just to eliminate a bit of discomfort. The factory owners bending so conveniently to the worker's 'discomfort', is a direct reflection of how labour laws are totally disregarded. It's his responsibility to educate the workers on the health risks and make them wear the safety gear. If proper labour laws were implemented, and had he been held liable for the injuries and health problems the workers suffered, he would have forced them to wear the safety gear. It's not such an impossible conundrum