What were some of the costs of the laissez-faire approach to economics for American workers?

While the premise behind laissez-faire economical philosophy driving much of American capitalism is that by minimizing and limiting the regulatory power of the government over the economic activity of the society, the "invisible hand" of market and capitalism will lift everyone up ("all are in one boat, thus all are lifted by the wave" concept) from their current socio-economic levels. The proponents of the laissez-faire economic philosophy also argue(d) that it will be in the necessary self-interest of everyone to ensure that everyone's rights are respected, otherwise, there are bound to be costs to the businesses in one way or the other.
However, in reality, this has not happened, as the American version of capitalism does not provide the framework to stop unfortunate individuals from falling so far to the bottom that they never can recover - compare the American approach to severe economic crises to say, the approach(es) employed in Germany, for example.
Another example is the perverse effects of laissez-faire economic system in America, especially in the healthcare industry - where an ever-growing share of the sector is devoted simply on the bureaucratic processing of the claims and counter-claims by myriad players and middleman in the healthcare system, thus depriving the patient (the customer!) of true transparency in the costs of medical procedures and medications.

According to the doctrine of laissez-faire, governments should intervene as little as possible in the running of the economy. They should simply set the rules and the legal framework in which businesses operate and stand back and allow market forces to work freely.
The downside of this approach, especially in late 19th and early 20th century America, was that workers went unprotected from the excesses of industrial capitalism. Without proper regulation or government control, businesses could get away with driving down or ignoring safety standards, leading to numerous work-related deaths and injuries. Workers could be routinely exploited by their employers, who could keep wages as low as possible—especially during a recession—safe in the knowledge that there were countless others willing to take their place.
Laissez-faire was consistent with a thoroughgoing hostility toward labor unions. The prevailing economic doctrine held that unions interfered with the operation of the free market in labor and that their activities should therefore be curtailed. With lack of protection from either the government or labor unions, workers often experienced shocking pay and conditions. This led to growing demands for change which, in due course, sounded the death knell for laissez-faire.