The document discusses building and fire safety laws related to the Triangle Shirtwaist Factory fire of 1911. It provides details on the factory building, the fire that killed 146 workers, and highlighted the lax safety laws and noncompliance that contributed to the fire's devastating impact. It also summarizes key New York laws and building codes regarding fire escapes, non-wood surfaces, staircases, sprinklers, fire drills, and compartmentation that were in place but not followed adequately.
3. Old New York – Exterior Views
1900 – The garment industry
was the largest employer in
NYC with immigrant workers
laboring in:
• Overcrowded
• Unsanitary
• dangerous conditions
• 4/5 of them women.
4. Triangle Shirtwaist Factory
Ten story building, 135 ft height, 9,157 sf
July 13, 1900 - Plans for Harris
and Blanck’s Asch Building in
NYC are approved.
January 15, 1901 -
Construction of the Asch
Building is completed.
1906 - The Triangle Shirtwaist
Company opens. – top 3 floors
Employs over 500 women aged
13-23 (Jewish or Italian).
Paid by piece – 9-10 hour day
http://law2.umkc.edu/faculty/projects/ftrials/triangle/trianglefire.html
5. NYFD
COMPANY
March 25, 1911 (4:40) Fire breaks out in 8th floor and claims 146 victims.
March 25, 1911 (4:46) NYFD Company 72 arrives.
March 25, 1911 (4:57) The last bodies fall to the sidewalk from the 9th
floor.
March 25, 1911 (5:15) The fire is described as practically "all over.“
6. The Trial
April 11, 1911 Owners are
indicted
June 30, 1911 NY creates a
Factory Investigating Commission
“The golden era in remedial factory
legislation” is launched and during
the next 3 years, NY enacts 36 new
safety laws.
7. The Trial and the Protest
December 4, 1911 - Jury selection begins in the manslaughter trial of Harris and Blanck.
December 27, 1911 - The jury retires to deliberate. After 2 hours the jury returns a verdict
of not guilty.
March 11, 1914 - 23 individual suits for damages against Triangle are settled for $75 per
life lost.
March 21, 1912 - The D.A. moves for a 2nd trial, which is dismissed on Double Jeopardy
grounds.
February 22, 2001 - Rose Freedman, the last survivor of the Triangle fire and a lifelong
crusader for worker safety, dies at age 107.
8. BUILDING AND SAFETY LAWS
FIRE ESCAPES
New York Law: Building inspector
insisted the proposed fire escape
"must lead down to something
more substantial than a skylight.“
Triangle Shirtwaist Company
Compliance: The architect's plans
showed a rear fire escape leading
to a skylight and was not corrected
as promised. During the fire, the
fire escape collapsed under the
weight of the fleeing workers.
9. BUILDING AND SAFETY LAWS
NON-WOOD SURFACES
New York Law: Buildings
over 150 feet high must
have metal trim, metal
window frames, and stone
or concrete floors. Buildings
under 150 feet high had no
such requirements.
Triangle Shirtwaist
Company Compliance: The
Asch Building was 10 floors,
135 feet high. One more
floor would have required
non-wood surfaces.
10. BUILDING AND
SAFETY LAWS
New York State Labor Laws
(Article 6, Section 80):
“All doors to open outwardly,
and shall not be locked,
bolted, or fastened during
working hours”
It was also shown that the ninth
floor staircase door did not
"open outwardly," but
inspectors failed to note a
violation because only the
width of a stair separated the
door from the stairs, making it
not "practicable" for the door
to open outwardly
11. BUILDING AND
SAFETY LAWS
Staircases
New York Law: Buildings > 2,500
square feet per floor--< 5,000
square feet per floor--require two
staircases. Each additional 5,000
square feet per floor requires an
additional staircase.
Triangle Shirtwaist Company
Compliance: The Triangle
Shirtwaist Company floors had
10,000 square feet of
space. Any additional floor space
would have required a third
staircase. As it was, two
staircases--the number the
Triangle factory had--sufficed.
12. Sprinklers
New York Law: In 1911, sprinklers not
required in NYC buildings.
Triangle Shirtwaist Company
Compliance: The Asch Building contained
no sprinkler system.
Fire Drills
New York Law: Fire drills were not
required to be conducted.
Triangle Shirtwaist Company
Compliance: The Triangle Shirtwaist
Company never conducted a fire drill.
BUILDING AND SAFETY LAWS
13. Ultimate goal of a fire related code is to
Contain a fire within a space
Limit the spread of fire
Give occupants time to escape
Give the firefighters time to control the fire
14. Codes provide for both fire and SMOKE protection
Smoke travels fast
Causes asphyxiation
Obstructs vision
Causes disorientation
15. Requirements on materials used to construct the
building
Building Construction type places restrictions on the
hourly rating of structural members
Other areas of the code places restrictions on other
interior construction materials, wiring, plumbing, and
finishes – as they can feed a fire.
16. Code requires various systems for fire safety
Passive systems – also known as prevention systems
Prohibit and contain fires
Once in place – no action required for their function
Active systems
Need to be activated in order to work against fires
Exiting systems
Building elements that assist in directing occupants to
safe
17. Passive systems
Fire and smoke barriers – walls
Horizontal assemblies – floors and ceilings
Opening protectives – windows and doors
Through – penetrations – firestops, dampers
Finishes and furniture
18. Active systems
Detection systems – alarms
Extinguishing systems – sprinklers
Emergency lighting
20. Compartmentation – separation of areas in a building
to control fire and smoke by the use of wall, floor, and
ceiling assemblies
Compartments are created by fire-resistance –rated
assemblies
Codes also require the use of smoke barriers and smoke
partitions in some cases
Fire rating controlled by building construction type and
occupancy classification of building and tenants
Presence of an automatic sprinkler system can affect fire
rating requirements
21. Fire walls are used to provide complete vertical
separation between areas in a building
Must have a separate foundation and extend to the roof
Separate two separate types of construction
Allow larger building area
Minimum 2 hour rating – typically 3 and 4 hour rating
usually dependent on occupancy
If a fire wall needs to be penetrated, research needs to be
done so that the fire resistance rating is maintained