ipl-logo

Workers Were To Blame For The Triangle Factory Fire Of 1911

1037 Words5 Pages
bulb-icon

Recommended: Unsafe work practice and conditions essay

On March 25, 1911, over 140 workers in the triangle factory were killed due to a fire. The head of state didn’t take accountability for certain aspects of the factory not being to the advantage of the workers. New York city should’ve had stricter laws benefiting the workers if they got hurt, or having drills for earthquakes, fires, and other important events that could harm the workers of the triangle factory fire. Even though most people believe that the owners of the factory were to blame for the 146 deaths because they think the factory owners should’ve fixed the doors and make them open outward, which is clearly not their job. The factory owners shouldn’t have to fix the size of the ladders that the firefighters have, they shouldn’t have …show more content…

The Owners of the factory were blamed for one simple reason, they locked the doors after the workers enter the room or floor. Now, This is the fault of the owners for alowing the doors to be locked after people that could’ve been in potential danger but it doesn’t explain all the other things that could’ve prevented the death of 146 workers. According to leading articles about the triangle factory fire, “The Triangle Factory Fire” states "Panicked workers were crushed as they struggled with doors that were locked by managers to prevent theft, or doors that opened the wrong way." This website explains how the workers couldn’t even escape because again, the owners had locked the doors basically locking them inside In the event of a danger, which actually happened unfortunately. This shows that the factory owners didn’t make the workers do their job in a safe environment. They should have made sure to have emergency espaces or accessible phones to call for someone to open the door. According to survivor interviews, the workers speak up how working at the factory wasn’t the best job, and it sure wasn’t good enough to die for, Sarah Dworerz states "i got payed $1.50 for being witnessed, i mustve have worked there about a year at the time of the fire but the day of the fire was the first time i tried to use the front elevator." Sarah is basically talking about how working at the triangle factory for a year at the time of the fire was the first time she even went up to that room to work. Which means that the workers didn’t even expect that the top floors couldn’t have been helped or that they didn’t have any phones up there. Again, going back to the governments fault of not providing them with fire

Show More
Related
723 Words | 3 Pages

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.

Read More
216 Words | 1 Pages

When New York went through such horrible event new laws were put into place. The new laws are new safety and fire regulations, child labor laws and work compensation. Every

Read More
556 Words | 3 Pages

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.

Read More
196 Words | 1 Pages

Many people might say, why was the Triangle Shirtwaist Factory fire so important? The Triangle Shirtwaist Factory fire was so important because it was a tragedy that opened the nation's eyes to poor working conditions in garment factories. Other question might be ask why were the doors locked in the Triangle Shirtwaist fire? The building had only one fire escape, Long tables and bulky machines trapped many of the victims. Panicked workers were crushed as they struggled with doors that were locked by managers to prevent theft, or doors that opened the wrong way.

Read More
1468 Words | 6 Pages

The investigation involved thousands of factories across New York and eventually uncovered a serious need for reform. “They dealt with specific aspects of the Triangle fire, providing more stringent requirements for fire escapes and fire drills and stronger regulations against locked doors, blocked exits and aisles and the presence of combustible material (Argersinger p32).” The reform

Read More
521 Words | 3 Pages

Safety laws within a company or organization were never in demand before the 1900’s. One tragic situation that showed the need for safety laws within companies and organizations was the Triangle Shirtwaist Fire. On May 25, 1911 the Triangle Shirtwaist Company Factory burned in a fire. The Factory was owned by Max Blanck and Isaac Harris. It was located in Manhattan, New York on the top three floors of the Asch Building on Greene Street and Washington Place.

Read More
1557 Words | 7 Pages

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.

Read More
2229 Words | 9 Pages

The trial outcome was not what most wanted after the two negligent owners were not held accountable for their actions regarding the fire and the deaths from it. Interviews, transcripts, and appeals can be used to understand how the Triangle fire led to a push for better

Read More
635 Words | 3 Pages

The Triangle Fire of 1911 initiated transformations in America during the Progressive Era. The one hundred and forty six people who died who were mostly women, did not die in vain, as their deaths led to the reform of laws that would lead to protection from unsafe working environments. Business owners, workers, and union organizers each had their own motivations, and after the fire, their concerns were made public and consequently many of their situations changed. Business owners were stimulated by economic growth and profit, which did not change despite the Triangle fire. Most businesses, and that includes the Triangle Waist Company, carried on with a “business as usual” attitude.

Read More
864 Words | 4 Pages

One of the main reasons the fire took such a psychological toll on the New Yorkers was because of the workers jumping to there deaths. One witness even remarked the event saying quote 'I know a new sound a terrible sound the sound of a body hitting the pavement". The inferno was also not an uncommon occurrence the triangle shirt was burned before the tragedy to collect insurance money. Knowing this information, many Jewish and women workers went on strike to secure improved working conditions. There strike in fact proved successful with the New York state legislature creating the Factory Investigating Commission.

Read More
880 Words | 4 Pages

The two owners of the company Harris and Blanck did not care for a safe working environment all they wanted was for there workers to work and make money for them. The owners actually knew about the fire before it would destroy the upper floors, they didn't tell any of there workers so they could save their selves. What's ironic about this situation is that the building that was destroyed by a fire was supposed to be fireproof. Even though this seems like a lot of negatives there was a positive to this fire. Many leaders you have heard of would lead a revolution, this revolution being some of the people that made it out of the fire would end up revolting against there companies.

Read More
451 Words | 2 Pages

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.

Read More
1576 Words | 7 Pages

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.

Read More
738 Words | 3 Pages

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.

Read More
1388 Words | 6 Pages

The managers of the fire department need to come out and defend the hardworking men and women who risk their lives to ensure that the public and their property are protected and rescued in the event that a fire emergency occurs. There is a stark difference between firefighting and politics. A politician just needs to be of the right age and have the people’s backing to run for an office. The fire department’s workforce, on the other hand, need to possess certain qualifications as a bare minimum before joining this noble profession. Whereas both stakeholders aim to serve the public, aggression and coercion should never be used thwart the service delivery of the other nor should it be used to scuttle a very good legislative

Read More

More about Workers Were To Blame For The Triangle Factory Fire Of 1911

Related Topics

Open Document