Tragic Triangle Fire Comparison

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Introduction Eighty years separate the tragic Triangle Fire of 1911 from the Hamlet Fire of 1991. Both of these devastating fires have parallels in the lack of fire prevention and protection which resulted in hundreds of deaths and injuries, collectively. The New York City Triangle Fire started on the 8th floor of the Asch building in a rag bin. The building housed various textile operations and nearly 600 people were working in the building on the day of the fire. Within 18 minutes of the first flames, 146 workers, mostly immigrant women, had perished as the fire was extinguished. The company paid low wages, employed children as young as 14 years old, and most people worked over 60 hours a week. Many burned alive, while some fell to their death from faulty escape ladders or by jumping from the windows. Several escape and rescue efforts failed on the day of the fire. The fire department had ladders that did not extend high enough to the people on the 9th and 10th floors. Some of the escape ladders also failed under the weight of people. The owners of…show more content…
A company, including their safety management, must abide by the OSHA standards in order to prevent more incidents such as the Triangle fire or the Hamlet fire. Both of these fires ruined the businesses and should demonstrate how taking short cuts, ignoring regulations, and generally mistreating employees will surely lead to highly hazardous situations. OSHA standard 1910 Subpart E addresses exit routes, emergency action plans, and fire prevention plans. This section of the standard was added to the Federal Registrar in 1980 and therefore, would have been in place at the time of the Imperial Foods fire. This is something the safety professionals and the company should work together to develop emergency plans and fire prevention plans to ensure a safer work environment. (Exit Routes,
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