Labor Laws

Sprinklers

• New York Law: In 1911, sprinklers were still not required in New York City buildings.

• Triangle Shirtwaist Company Compliance: The Asch building contained no sprinkler system.

What could have been done

Factory Doors Unlocked• New York State Labor Laws (Article

6, Section 80): • "All doors leading in or to any such

factory shall be constructed as to open outwardly, where practicable, and shall not be locked, bolted, or fastened during working hours."

What could have been done

Fire Escapes• New York Law: New York law left the

matter of fire escapes to the discretion of building inspectors.  (The architect's plans showed a rear fire escape leading to a skylight.) 

• Triangle Shirtwaist Company Compliance: In the final construction, however, the fire escape still ended at a second floor skylight.  During the fire, the fire escape collapsed under the weight of the fleeing workers.

What could have been done

• Unsafe working conditions

Sweatshops Before 1911

It was a warm spring Saturday in New York City, March 25, 1911.  On the top three floors of the ten-story Asch Building just off of Washington Square, employees of the Triangle Shirtwaist Factory began putting away their work as the 4:45 p.m. quitting time approached.  Most of the several hundred Triangle Shirtwaist employees were teenage girls.  Most were recent immigrants.  Many spoke only a little

English. 

Fire!

Fire Triangle Waist Co. NYC

146 Employees Died

(Many Under 18)

After Fire

Why it Happened

At 4:45 p.m., a guard routinely locked one of the two exit doors on the ninth floor, something the company did every day at closing time, to discourage theft. It was then that the workers on the ninth floor first learned about the fire from the smoke and flames.

What Is To Be Done?

Unions • The International Ladies' Garment

Workers Union

• Local 25 of the ILGWU organized a rally against the unsafe working conditions that led to the disaster

• Resulted in the passage of important factory safety legislation

Assignment

1. Use the following website or any website of your choice:

2. http://www.law.umkc.edu/faculty/projects/ftrials/triangle/trianglefire.html

3. Go to building and safety codes4. Make a list you can use to check out if

your worksite is in compliance. 5. Call it “Think Safety”