Triangular Shirtwaist Fire

Hasan Khalil

The safety and Comfort of our work place can be credited to…

The Triangular Shirtwaist Fire

The early 20th Century work environment was much more dangerous from the lack of precautions taken compared to today.

The Asch Building where the fire had started lacked basic safety standards such as this poorly built fire escape.

146 of these lower class immigrant Women had lost their lives on March 25th, 1911 because of society’s ignorance to work saftey.

The positive impact this tragedy had left us with was that it raised awareness and caught the governments attention helping to issue building codes and work regulations.

Protests such as the Manhattan Protest consisting of over 100,000 members paved the way for abolishing Child Labor, establishing minimum wage, Work Hour limits and creating building codes for safer work environments we enjoy today.

The Shirtwaist Fire can be thanked for the safety standards, along with the higher wages and less work hours many Americans enjoy today allowing us to live the American Dream.