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Contemporary issues with osha
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Contemporary issues with osha
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More handpicked essays just for you.
Contemporary issues with osha
Frances perkins research papers
Contemporary issues with osha
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On March 25, 1911, a fire started at the Triangle Shirtwaist Factory that claimed the lives of one hundred and forty-six workers. As a result of the fire, trials and debates occurred that contended the factory owners right to control their business against their duty to implement safe working conditions for their employees. Despite the trial resulting in no charges for the business owners the triangle fire is responsible for stricter safety codes and brought attention on the labor movement. In order to fully understand the changes that resulted because of the shirtwaist fire, you must first know what life was life prior to the fire.
Including women's rights, workers rights, workplace safety, fire codes and immigrant issues. Before the fire, there were little to no worker regulations, leading to worker injury and death. The only safety measures available to workers at the workplace were 27 buckets of water and an unreliable fire escape. Most of the doors were locked from the outside, making it almost impossible to escape in time of disaster. After the fire, it was almost impossible for the government not to institute laws to protect workers.
The fire affected the company workers mainly women both old and young that perished as a result of the fire hazard. At the time,
After the tragedy of the fire there was public outcry for reforms that would help to prevent this kind of travesty from happening again. Fallowing after the fire building codes were more strictly checked and maintained, employees were not allowed to lock their workers inside of the factories, and child labor laws would also eventually be established through the tragedy of the fire and other cases of yellow journalism. Overall, the late 1800s and the early 1900s was a time that saw many different social reforms and journalistic endeavors to help those less fortunate, but it was also a time plagued by poverty and misfortune for the working
Max and his business partner, Isaac Harris, owned the factory, which was located in the heart of New York City. On March 25, 1911, a fire broke out in the factory, killing 146 people, mostly young women. The fire was a turning point in American history, sparking widespread outrage and leading to major changes in workplace safety laws. However, Max and Isaac were widely criticized for their role in the tragedy.
Could the fire at the Triangle Shirtwaist Factory have been prevented? I am not going to answer that question just yet. Without assessing all of the information to prevent the making of unfounded accusations. First things first you may be asking yourself what a Triangle Shirtwaist is. A triangle shirtwaist is a type of blouse that many women wore in the early 1900's.
Work Conditions in the 1800’s were worse than bad. A regular work day was 11.4 hours for Men women and children. Many factories had rapidly moving pieces of machinery. Those machines where very dangerous to work around. These machines being fast moving belts to crushers that wouldn't stop on a dime.
Sara Zarr once said, “When the remembering was done, the forgetting could begin.” Zarr hit right on the mark when she said this because, if an event does not pertain to them, people tend to forget it. One event that needs to be remembered, and stay in everyone’s memories, is the Triangle Shirtwaist Factory Fire. Tens of thousands of immigrants flocked to American, looking for a better life.
The 1911 Triangle Shirtwaist Factory fire caught the imagination of Progressives and validated their arguments about the American economy. The factory fire broke out in late March and claimed the lives of over one hundred workers. This factory was what seemed like a normal factory in New York City on the outside, but had dangerous and unsanitary working conditions on the inside that remained unknown until the fire broke out. This calamity would help to bring new laws and regulations on factory conditions and rights for their workers.
From the point of view of one of the McClure’s Magazine author, Mary Alden Hopkins, we observe another way how the impact of labor conditions affected the city. This magazine article provides an outsider’s perspective on the factory fire in the early 20th century. In her article, ‘The Newark Factory Fire,’ she not only explains how poor the working conditions were, but she also explains how little safety the workers who endured these conditions had. Safety regulations were not taken seriously and this eventually lead to Newark being the site of the first disastrous Factory Fire. Hopkins explains, “the building was erected before the days of the fire-proof construction… the buildings was classed as extra hazardous by the insurance companies, and rated $2.09 on contents and $1.69 gross on buildings” (Hopkins, 1).
The detrimental Triangle Shirtwaist Factory fire is considered to be one of the most tragic disasters in history. On March 25th, 1911, a fire broke out and killed 146 garment workers who were mostly women. These women worked countless hours with low wages and inhumane working conditions in a factory. Even though this event was tragic, the triangle shirtwaist fire helped to shape the new world for the better. The multitude of workers trapped within the inferno to their demise was the final straw for the mistreatment of America’s workers.
Based on our group’s research, we believe that the labor movement in the 1820s in the United States during the Jacksonian Democracy was a major factor in the implementation of many of the laws and better working conditions that are present in today’s society. As we have learned and presented to the class, this labor movement in the 1820s grew out of the need to protect the common interest of workers and to improve their overall working conditions. We currently see the results of these labor unions that were formed in the 1820s whenever we enjoy the luxury of having our weekends off from work and having the opportunity to miss work, also known as “sick leave”, when we are ill. We now have an established minimum wage and legally, no one is forced
In April 2013, Matthew Yglesias, an American Economics Journalist proposed the people of Bangladesh would not appreciate having stronger safety standards in their country because it would cause undue harm economically. He asserts Bangladesh should have different lower standards for safety because they are a poorer country. Most of the people involved in the New York tragedy of 1911 also known as the Triangle Fire, would not agree with Matthew Yglesias on his assertion that lower economic status would be an indication of lower safety standards in factories. Namely, the workers, the union leaders, the progressive reformers and the political leaders would all vote for higher standards commiserate with the United States. The only ones who would not argue with Yglesias are the owners of the Triangle Factory with their vested interest, their own problems of multiple fires and accusations of safety neglect.
Back in 1911, there was a large company fire and many of the workers were not able to escape. More than one hundred were killed. There is also a lot of unsafe gas in the air inside factories that can cause people to become ill. The Adamson Act combined with another act in 1916 called the Workingman’s Compensation Act, which helped injured workers still get paid, increased the amount of money that farmers and industrial workers made.
The life of an industrial worker was very hard. Workers had to work long shifts and get paid very little. Some worked ten to twelve hours a day, six days a week, and made less than one dollar per hour. Along with long hours and little pay, there was no regulation for breaks, safety, or age. Due to this, one in eleven workers died on the job.