Triangle Shirtwaist Fire

Great Essays
In the March of 1911, one hundred and forty five workers, the majority of which were women, perished in a textile fire due to the neglect of their employer to provide a safe working environment. (“Triangle Shirtwaist Fire”, 2009) This event became known to history as the Triangle Shirtwaist Factory Fire and was the catalyst for many progressive reforms in New York City such as the establishment of the Bureau of Fire Prevention, changing the Municipal Building Code and eventually the overhaul of the state’s labor code. (“Legislative Reform at State and Local Level”, n.d) Our inheritance from these reforms is that we as a society have placed the expectation upon employers to provide and ensure the health and safety of their employees in the workplace and that failing to do so has consequences. …show more content…
It would also be part of my responsibilities to make employees aware of any employee assistance programs they may need, what safety procedures they must adhere to while on the job. This awareness can be raised through various avenues like seminars, presentations, or distribution of written leaflets.

Health and safety issues should be among the top priorities of any personnel manager as as Dresang says these issues are a matter of “public policy adns of agency productivity.” (2009, p. 251) Employers that recognize the benefits and the valuable nature of providing programs and policies to safeguard their workers makes tends to make them attractive for potential employees and able to retain their already established talent. No one should feel in danger while they are at their job and their employer should protect that right and provide measures to protect their

Related Documents

  • Great Essays

    “Whatever the number, they had no chance of escape” (Argersinger, 73), as only a few remembered the fire escape that was inadequate anyways as it only consisted of “a lone ladder running down to a rear narrow court, which was smoke filled as the fire raged one narrow door giving access to the ladder.” (Argersinger, 73). Given those conditions, the few workers that could have remembered about the fire escape would probably still have died in the incident. Another fact to be taken into consideration is that the rooms where workers made the shirtwaists were crammed with tissue paper, lace, and muslin goods, all extremely inflammable materials.…

    • 2592 Words
    • 11 Pages
    Great Essays
  • Decent Essays

    What would you do if you saw someone being treated poorly if they were your friend? Would you do the same for someone who is an immigrant and being treated poorly on a daily basis? The article “The Triangle Shirtwaist Factory Fire” and the excerpt from “The Harvest Gypsies” about migrants, how they have affected us and how we have affected them over the years. The “The Triangle Shirtwaist Factory Fire” simply did a better job of going over the central idea of the effect of immigrants on America and its government to even modern day.…

    • 96 Words
    • 1 Pages
    Decent Essays
  • Improved Essays

    Kaleabe Abera Mr. Perez US History March 7, 2017 On Saturday, March 25, 1911, a fire erupted in a 10 story factory building. The top floors of the Triangle Shirtwaist Company building, in New York city, caught fire killing 146 of the 500 workers. The dead consisted of mainly of young women. The doors for the fire escape were locked and the firefighters ladders couldn’t reach to top floors.…

    • 776 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Improved Essays
  • Improved Essays

    In conclusion, the factory burning marks a major historical event in which the outcome was good and bad. The deaths were the priced paid in order to earn better standards for the future generation of workers. Blanck and Harris were key examples that showed how too much money can pollute the surrounding society. Overall, Von Drehle proves his points for arguing the change and gave readers an in depth perspective of what actually…

    • 819 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Improved Essays
  • Improved Essays

    At the funeral of the victims of the Triangle Shirt Waist factory fire, organizer of the women’s trade union league , Rose Schneiderman, gave a speech of how this wasn’t “the first time girls have been burned alive” and that if there was not a change in the way things were run this wouldn’t be the last an incident like this happened (Document 1). Numerous changes came when the people started to fight for the reform. One change came two years later and was discussed in a speech by Woodrow Wilson where he talks about making a Department of Labor; the purpose of the Department of Labor was to “foster, promote and develop welfare of the wage earners” and “improve working conditions and advancing opportunities” ( Document 6). By making the department of labor, it made employer and worker almost equal along with making the working conditions for laborers healthier and safer. Along with creating the Department of Labor, there were several laws and acts that were…

    • 562 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Improved Essays
  • Improved Essays

    Triangle Fire Analysis

    • 557 Words
    • 3 Pages

    The documentary, Triangle Fire, by Kristin Downey about labor rights in 1911 that took place in New York City. Shirtwaist factory works go on strike on October 4, 1909 for their labor rights. Working less hours, better pay, and safe work environment are just some of the main reasons the workers have gone on strike. In every factory, there would be one woman who would convince the others to go on strike and they would go because they all feel the same.…

    • 557 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Improved Essays
  • Great Essays

    “It was the deadliest workplace accident in New York City’s history. A dropped match on the 8th floor of the Triangle Shirtwaist Factory sparked a fire that killed over a hundred innocent people trapped inside. The private industry of the American factory would never be the same.”-PBS.org Many men and women who worked in the Triangle Shirtwaist Factory were immigrants who came to America seeking the “American Dream”. They wanted to make a life for themselves and their families, but many of them were unable to do so because of the horrible working conditions of the factory.…

    • 1440 Words
    • 6 Pages
    Great Essays
  • Improved Essays

    According to William Henning, Jr. Chairperson of the New York Committee for Occupational Safety and Health that only a day before the tragic catastrophe at Triangle, the New York State Court of Appeals had found workmen’s compensation laws were unconstitutional and would interfere with “due process” rights of employers (2011). After the Triangle fire and the outcry of the public to the lack of liability of employer the New York state Constitution was amended to include workers’ compensation laws in 1913. Another positive gain from the Triangle fire was the recognized need to organize. Peg Seminario Safety and Health Director for the national AFL-CIO said that since the passage of the OSHAct in 1970 great progress has been made in reducing…

    • 687 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Improved Essays
  • Improved Essays

    Triangle Fire

    • 1540 Words
    • 7 Pages

    The fiend fire could not be stopped. The doors that would free the six-hundred workers were locked shut, imprisoning the young girls in a man-made flaming hell. The manager attempted to use the fire hose to extinguish it, but the hose was rotted and its valve was rusted shut. Running from the incinerator, many stuffed themselves into the two freight elevators, operated by Gaspar Mortillaro and Joseph Zito who both returned to the inferno over and over, saving a hundred and fifty people. Still, many could not fit on the elevator, and thus, they tried to slide down the cable or jump down the shaft, meeting their deaths.…

    • 1540 Words
    • 7 Pages
    Improved Essays
  • Improved Essays

    Est1 Task 2

    • 515 Words
    • 3 Pages

    The Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) was created by Congress under the Occupational Safety and Health Act of 1970 to ensure workers were provided with safe and healthy working conditions. Congress found that personal injuries and illnesses were more frequent in work related situations, which caused a loss in production, a decrease in wages, elevated medical expenses, and substantial disability compensation payments. In order to prevent personal injuries or illnesses in the work place, standards were established under the Act, which were taught to employers and employees through trainings and outreach. These standards provided workplace health and safety regulations to limit/prevent an employee’s exposure to possible hazardous situations/environments. In particular, Part 1910 covers Occupational Safety and Health Standards, which can range from hand protection to requirements for fixed ladders.…

    • 515 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Improved Essays
  • Improved Essays

    Cyp 3.3 11.1

    • 1114 Words
    • 5 Pages

    These ensure the safety of Adults and children alike. They state that all employees have the responsibility to maintain health and safety by, †̃taking reasonable care for the health and safety of themselves and of any person who might be affected by their acts or omissions at…

    • 1114 Words
    • 5 Pages
    Improved Essays
  • Great Essays

    Failure Of Reconstruction

    • 1450 Words
    • 6 Pages

    This detrimental manner of thinking led to the Triangle Shirtwaist Fire in 1911. The factory caught on fire on the 8th floor of the 10-story building, and the employees were unable to escape due to a locked fire escape. This event caused businesses to acknowledge the poor working conditions, but the transition to better working conditions was slow. These poor conditions were emphasized when migration and immigration increased towards to end of the century. African American’s moved north to receive better treatment, however they were still discriminated against in the North.…

    • 1450 Words
    • 6 Pages
    Great Essays
  • Improved Essays

    Triangle Changed America

    • 954 Words
    • 4 Pages

    Without it, child labor would still be legal, workers would still be underpaid, working till their death in “claustrophobic tenement rooms” (Von Drehle, 2003, 38). To anyone interested in where labor reforms and labor laws started, this book would provide excellent background information on the tragic event that made the phenomenal change to nation. The Triangle fire was the triggering factor that opened people’s eyes and showed them what lay behind these high rise buildings, the ugliness that was hid from the rest of the world by fireproof walls, behind the process of these beautiful pieces of…

    • 954 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Improved Essays
  • Improved Essays

    Triangle Fire Analysis

    • 1056 Words
    • 5 Pages

    After watching the Triangle Fire documentary (PBS, American Experience, 2011), respond to the following questions. Most answers should be around 3-4 sentences long. Remember to submit your completed quiz to the Quiz 1 dropbox on BeachBoard. 1.…

    • 1056 Words
    • 5 Pages
    Improved Essays
  • Great Essays

    Importance Of Duty Of Care

    • 4284 Words
    • 18 Pages

    Employers have what is termed ‘ a Duty of Care ‘ to employees. This means Employers must ensure all reasonable steps are taken to ensure that the employees health, safety and well being are protected. In real terms employers are bound by health and safety and employment law, together with common law duty of care. For an employer to ensure the physical and mental well-being of it’s employees, it should not be seen simply as a legal obligation but more as sound business sense; for this consideration from an employer builds trust and so increases productivity, staff retention and employee engagement. The main considerations for an employer under Duty of Care are: *…

    • 4284 Words
    • 18 Pages
    Great Essays