Triangle Shirtwaist Factory Fire Failures

Historic Fires, Their Protection System Failures and Modern Day Systems

Craig E. Demarais

American Military University

Abstract

Throughout history there have been fires where the findings discussed a failure of having an installed fire protection system and/or egress issue that has resulted in a loss of life. This paper will give a summary of the fire as well as elaborate on the findings post fire and then discuss what we know today that could have prevented the tragedy utilizing modern day fire protection systems.

The Triangle Shirtwaist Factory Fire occurred on March 25th, 1911 in Manhattan, New York and “was the deadliest industrial disaster in history for the city and one of the deadliest in United

With those being the primary egress routes out of the building they should have never been locked. The owners locked these doors for multiple reasons. Being that the bulk of the workers were new immigrants who were living in poverty there was a plethora of thefts taking place. The immigrant workers would then sell garments or materials outside for their own profit. Another reason is that the workers were treated poorly and constantly wanted to take smoke breaks to break up the monotony of the mind numbing work. Because of that workers began to sneak smoke breaks in doors while working. Here lies the first issue. “The Fire Marshal concluded that the likely cause of the fire was the disposal of an unextinguished match or cigarette butt in the scrap bin, which held two months' worth of accumulated cuttings by the time of the fire (14).” Beneath the table in the wooden bin were hundreds of pounds of scraps which were left over from the several thousand shirtwaists that had been cut at that table. The scraps piled up from the last time the bin was emptied, coupled with the hanging fabrics that surrounded it; the steel trim was the only thing that was not highly flammable (15).” There was also no audible alarms present in the building to signify a fire had erupted nor was there a fire suppression system or sprinkler system installed. In light of this disaster there were a lot of changes instituted in

OSHA is commonly utilized today in the workplace. After the Triangle Shirtwaist Factory Fire employers started to realize the debt they are owed to their employees and changes came about. “More than 30 labor-related laws written by the New York (State) Factory Investigating Commission, which was established in response to the fire and has been credited with developing a new model for worker safety in U.S. mills and workshops, eventually were adopted by the state legislature(o)”. Some of those laws require employers to have at least 2 exit doors of which are locked from the inside and do not require anything special to operate. Once those doors are opened the audible alarms sounds notifying all occupants of the fire. Fire suppression systems whether they are chemical or water, usually water, are required by law. Labor laws also require regimented breaks for workers which will prevent workers from taking breaks, such as smoking, while performing job related