The Triangle Fire of 1911

The Triangle Fire of 1911

Introduction

Workplace safety refers to a company's working environment and encircles all the factors which have an impact on the health and safety of the employees (Hillstrom & Hillstrom, 2002). However, the history is evident of many incidents which are heart shattering and dipped in the pain of employees. One such painful event was the Triangle Fire which captured the Triangle Waist Company in the year 1911, resulting in the deaths of one hundred and forty six innocents. In order to better understand the accidental event, and the reasons behind its execution, an in-depth discussion is required.

Discussion

About the Triangle Waist Company

In the early 1900s, women fashion took a drastic turn and modern attires became very popular. Their popularity spread like a fire in the jungle, and many companies starting working on the production of the latest shirtwaist or blouse used by women. Among those companies, Triangle Waist Company was also a producer located in the New York City. The company's breadth of operations can be highlighted from the fact that it employed around 500 workers, majority of who were female workers.

The Heart Breaking Day

March 25th, 1911 was just like any other normal day where workers came to the factory, produced the attires and left for home. They work in a factory because the company had upgraded its system of operations to the then latest electricity powered machines. Everything was as fit as a fiddle until the moment of panic hit the Triangle Waist Company.

Since the day was a Saturday, the time length of the shift was shorter and ended at around 5 o'clock. Annah Gullo, the then floor leader rang the closing bell, and everybody started to get ready for departure (Hoenig, 2005).

A Packed Place Panic

In the calm environment of workers leaving back to ...