Triangle Factory Fire - Essay Example

16 November Tragic Reformation The Triangle Factory Fire occurred in New York on March 25, 1911. It claimed the lives of 146 young women and men who worked for the Triangle Waist Company. The workers were mainly immigrants, predominately women, and in general working to support their families on the pittance they were paid by the company. Factory conditions were substandard, and unregulated, unsafe business practices resulted in the tragic fire. While heartbreaking, the fire brought to light the need for oversight by a governing body of the working conditions and rights of the workers.

Immigrants desperately needed work and were at a disadvantage because they were “struggling with a new language and culture” (“Remembering the Triangle Factory Fire: 100 Years Later”). Because of this, the workers were willing to work in conditions that many would consider unacceptable and unbearable. Women as young as fourteen worked in factories to help support their families, and most did not have the protection of a labor union that acted on their behalf. Though labor unions, such as the International Ladies’ Garment Workers’ Union and the Womens’ Trade Union League, existed at the time, the Triangle Waist Company was a non-union shop (“Remembering the Triangle Factory Fire: 100 Years Later”).

Managers locked workers in to the building once the work day started, required them to leave by a single exit at the end of their shifts, and subjected the workers to a search as they left the building. On the day of the fire, witnesses noted that the doors were locked, and only one of the two elevators available to transport workers from the upper levels of the building was in operation. Additionally, a worker who escaped the fire related that the water buckets intended for use in the event of a fire were empty (“Remembering the Triangle Factory Fire: 100 Years Later”).

These are just a few of the factors that contributed to the magnitude of the disaster.The New York (State) Factory Investigating Commission formed as a result of this tragedy, uncovered the extent of what it called a “neglect of the human factor” (“Remembering the Triangle Factory Fire: 100 Years Later”). The findings of the Commission indicated that attention to light and illumination, ventilation, cleanliness, and basic “indispensable comforts” would not only improve the workers’ condition, but would also benefit the companies by increasing efficiency and effectiveness.

The Commission states that “the standardization of factory sanitation is one of the most important matters which the Commission has considered during its brief preliminary investigation” (“Remembering the Triangle Factory Fire: 100 Years Later”).The focus on the Triangle Factory Fire brought to light the need for oversight by a governing body of the working conditions and rights of the workers. City government put laws in place to regulate manufacturing activities, and many manufacturers not only complied with these laws, but also surpassed the requirements.

The standardization and regulation of business practices made the manufacturing workplace a much safer environment for women and men.Works CitedRemembering the Triangle Factory Fire: 100 Years Later. Cornell University, Jan 2011. Web. 16 Nov 2011. .