The Triangle Factory Fire: Documentary Footage and Insights on Safety Violations
This video features a documentary uploaded by a New York firefighter, detailing the devastating Triangle Factory Fire of March 25, 1911. It includes reenactments and actual footage of the tragic events that unfolded when 240 workers were trapped due to poor safety measures. The ninth-floor floor plan illustrates how the aisles were blocked and exits were inadequate, highlighting the critical need for building safety regulations. Explore the historical context and violations that led to this disaster, and learn about the lessons that shaped future labor laws.
The Triangle Factory Fire: Documentary Footage and Insights on Safety Violations
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Presentation Transcript
Video Footage The above link will direct you to video uploaded by a NY firefighter. Some of the video is a reenactment of the Triangle Factory Fire. Other parts are actual video footage of the tragic events on March 25, 1911. Ladder 117 FDNY
Floor Plan The plan of the factory 9th floor shows 75 foot long tables. 240 people worked in this space. Chairs and work baskets blocked the aisles, making it necessary to climb over work tables to reach the exits. By law the building should have had three stairs, but the Building Department permitted an exception at the request of the architect. The rear fire escape was suppose to lead to a courtyard but ended above a skylight on the ground floor. Only the Greene Street stair exited onto the roof. The stairway doors were supposed to remain unlocked and open outward by law "where practicable." (Section 80, State labor Law) The doors opened inward, when they opened at all, because the 2 foot 9 inch stairway was too narrow to accommodate the open doors