Triangle Shirtwaist Factory Fire Essay

In New York City on 25 March 1911, a fire broke out in the Asch building, killing 146 employees of the Triangle Shirtwaist Factory (Ooten). This fire is now known as the Triangle Shirtwaist Fire. The public was outraged by the fire and wanted to prevent any more fires like it from happening. After a very thorough investigation of the building, it was revealed that with proper firefighting equipment, more and better fire exits, an evacuation plan, and unlocked doors the number of lives the fire took could have been smaller. Even though many people died, the Triangle Shirtwaist Factory Fire was not a tragedy because labor unions strengthened, organizations were created to investigate sweatshops and other factories, and fire prevention laws

Unions realized that they need to focus on fire protection, self-protection in industry, and industrial regulatory power (Ooten). Within these categories, the unions made goals. In order to achieve some of these goals many unions came together to create the Committee of 50. This is a committee made up of representatives from labor unions, businesses, and religious groups, which was created to demand an investigation of the Asch building and they achieved this by creating a petition (Charaus). The committee was the reason that the Asch building was investigated and that all the fire hazards were

The Occupational Safety Health Act helped create safety codes that all businesses must follow. These codes helped prevent deaths and injuries. The Occupational Safety Health Act states that in order for a job to pass inspection, it must have clear routes to all exits, several working fire exits, unlocked doors during working hours, firefighting equipment that everyone knows how to use, fire sprinklers, and a fire evacuation plan in event of fire (Lange 84). These regulations all help prevent chaos during fires because it allows for easy access to exits in an emergency, and it gives an opportunity to stop the fire before it becomes out of control. Not only did the Occupational Safety Health Act provide safety codes, but it also deals with on the job injuries, illness, and deaths (Lange 84). This was so that people who were injured on the job or sick during the job could not be fired due to their illness or injury. This act aided people who were ill or hurt to recover properly without the fear of losing their job. As a result fewer mistakes and deaths