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Triangle Shirtwaist Factory Fire Essay

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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 …show more content…

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 …show more content…

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

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There was no fire safety rules implied and forced and also there was doors that opened inwards so when they were all crammed in a small space trying to escape they couldn't open the door because there was to many people in the way of the door. There was one stairway they had but it lead down into a fenced in yard and the door to the yard was wooden so it would feed the fire even more. Those are some reasons why he could be responsible for the factory fire like the inadequate safety laws, but in contrast, the fire department could be also. The fire department didn't get there fast enough and they're ladders were too short.

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Most of the people who were working in the Triangle Shirtwaist Factory were on a strike before the fire for working rights and safety precautions. If the owners of the Triangle Shirtwaist Factory followed the safety precautions the strike was proposing, the fire could have been prevented, and would have saved many lives. According to source 5, the doors were locked, long wooden tables became obstacles, and boxes crowded the exit. All of that could have easily been prevented. Also, higher class people were also involved in the strike which made it bigger and more popular to people.

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For this assignment, I reviewed the Great Fire of Chicago that occurred on October 8, 1871. A man-made hazard that has a lot of similarities to this fire would be the Triangle Shirtwaist Factory Fire. This fire happened on March 25, 1911, and was one of the most notorious industrial fires that have occurred in the United States. The Triangle Shirtwaist Factory Fire happened in the Asch Building located in downtown Manhattan. There were around 230-275 workers distributed throughout two floors when the fire broke out at quitting time.

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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.

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Despite the death and destruction it caused, the Triangle Shirtwaist Factory fire ultimately benefited America by opening the eyes of mistreated factory workers and inspiring them to fight for better working conditions. Though it was unbeknownst at the time, the fire would inspire mistreated workers to rise out of the ashes and work tirelessly not for a factory, but for their own wellbeing. The history, the fire, and the trial that are all connected to the Triangle Shirtwaist Company are the events that led to the exploration for better working conditions. While we may not wish to remember all of the suffering the conflagration caused, we see its imprint it left on society whenever we see someone at work. This just imprint is one of safety.

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The Triangle Shirtwaist Factory fire begun on March 25,1911. The fire started because someone had dropped a cigarette and started the fire. The fire started on the 8th floor of the factory, it continued up to the 9th floor. The fire killed around 145 workers. Some people jumped and killed themselves rather than getting burned alive, one jumper survived the jump.

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The Triangle Shirtwaist Factory fire of 1911 was the deadliest workplace accident in New York history. Most of the workers in the factory were immigrants who came to America for a better future. Their dream was economic security, which they saw in America. Getting a job in the Triangle Shirtwaist Factory was a desired position, even if the job consisted of fourteen hour work days, six days a week. At most, the workers would take home $2 a day.

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They were rich men, and considered as the Shirtwaist Kings. David Von Drehle, journalist, and author of Triangle- The Fire That Put Out America, argues that the fire could have been preventable. Unfortunately, the fire burned for about five minutes before the alarm was sounded. The manager of the factory, Samuel Bernstien, was on the eighth floor when the fire broke out.

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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.

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The Triangle Shirtwaist Fire was a devastating fire that killed 146 girls in New York City (Leap for Life, Leap for Death). At this time, citizens of New York were furious and demanded that the government do something to prevent future tragedies. The government responded and the reforms that the government made, it changed the future of New York industry. The Triangle Shirtwaist Fire, one of history’s deadliest fires, came as a result of outrageously unsafe working conditions, led to a high death toll and injury total, but, ultimately resulted in reforms that helped safeguard future factory workers.

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The Triangle Shirtwaist Factory fire was a tragic disaster. 146 deaths. 71 non-fatal injuries. Some survived with no injuries, but only the lucky ones. And just think about it.

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1911 Triangle Shirtwaist Factory Fire Nicole R. Ford Southern New Hampshire University One hundred and forty-five lives were lost on March 24th 1911 with one of the deadliest industrial disasters in U.S. history. The Triangle Shirtwaist Factory in New York City caught fire taking the lives of 145 workers. The lack of proper fire prevention devices, and no fire safety education played a factor in a significant historical safety regulation reform. By learning from our mistakes in the past we as a nation have grown into who we are today the Triangle Shirtwaist Factory Fire is the paragon for workplace reform.

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The building was highly flammable and not very safe for people to be in. If there was fire there which nobody thought there was going to be one they could not stop the fire because the fire hose was not connected to the water. This is a little backstory on when Rose was little. She was born on March 27th 1893 in a small town north of vienna.

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On March 25, 1911, one of the most tragic disasters in American Industry occurred. 146 women, men and children died in the triangle shirtwaist factory fire. People either died in the fire or jumped to their deaths to avoid being burned alive. This tragedy exposed the inhuman working conditions that workers faced while working in factories and the utter disregard of the factory owners. These deaths were completely preventable, these people died as a result of neglect.

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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.

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