How did the factory fail to meet the needs of its workers in Lyddie?

The factory, like most factories during the time that this story takes place, failed to meet the physical and emotional needs of its workers.  

Let's start with physical needs.  The factory is a dangerous place to be, and it is hard on the body.  For example, the machines are so loud that deafness is actually a realistic possibility.  The factory did not provide any kind of ear protection.  The air quality was atrocious too.  Girls in the mills would frequently have lung problems.  Proper ventilation could have cut down on a lot of those problems.  Additionally, the girls were generally worked for such long hours with few breaks that they were operating on the borders of exhaustion.  People make dumb mistakes when they are working tired.  That's what happened to many of the girls.  It even happened to Lyddie, which is why she eventually injured her hand.  

The very fact that so many girls were willing to risk being blacklisted in order to get better working conditions means that the factories were not meeting the emotional needs of their workers.  If the workers were happy with their work or their pay, there wouldn't be a petition.  Happy workers don't petition for changes.