Why were factory conditions so bad at the start of the Industrial Revolution? Factory owners wanted to maximize profits. Laws were not in place to protect workers. There was too much work and too few workers. Workers were used to poor conditions.

Factory owners wanted to maximize profits.

Explanation:

As factories were being built, businesses were in need of workers. With a long line of people willing to work, employers could set wages as low as they wanted because people were willing to do work as long as they got paid - which means they wanted to maximize their profits regardless of their workers' welfare.

Owners, who were only concerned with making a profit, were satisfied because labor costed less.

No laws had been placed to protect the workers.