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| Historic Moment in Safety: The Triangle Shirtwaist Factory Fire |
It’s been said that those who cannot learn from history are doomed to repeat it. And when it comes to the history of workplace safety—full of explosions, floods, fires and other disasters that left dozens or more maimed or dead—that’s a terrifying thought.
One of the most horrendous workplace tragedies in history took place 100 years ago this week, on March 25, 1911 in New York City at the Triangle Shirtwaist company’s factory.
Triangle was the quintessential sweatshop. Hundreds of workers were crowded together in appalling conditions when a fire broke out on the eighth floor. The fire spread quickly. With no fire protection system in the building and the only exit doors on each floor locked from the outside, the workers were trapped. Nearly 150 were killed.
Lawmakers and society learned from this event. The fire provoked outrage and led to major reforms, including the enactment of fire and building codes and the first workplace safety laws in the United States. It also sparked the creation of the American Society of Safety Engineers, a group of professionals who, for 100 years, have dedicated themselves to the health and safety of workers.
It’s encouraging to know that some good came from this disaster and from other workplace incidents since then. But it would be far better if we could learn before the loss of a limb, a fatal fall or a tragic fire. Job hazard analyses and close calls, for example, are both excellent opportunities to prevent tragedies. They’re a chance to identify a hazard (such as a locked exit) and correct it before someone is seriously injured or killed. SafetySmart has dozens of items you can use to help you train your workers on the importance of reporting close calls and conducting a job hazard analysis including articles, Safety Talks and eLearning courses. Rather than being doomed to repeat a tragic moment in history or just learn from it, let’s all try to prevent it to begin with.
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| When you need to tie down a load and you don’t have rope, you need to improvise. But, seriously, masking tape? Tie down your load with masking tape and then fly down the freeway at 70 miles an hour? How safe is that? (Naval Safety Center photo) |
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| How Courts Determine Whether Companies Exercised Due Diligence |
Waterfowl died after landing on an Alberta oil company’s tailing pond containing hazardous substances, including bitumen. The company was convicted of violations under federal and Alberta environmental law for failing to store a hazardous substance so that it didn’t come into contact with animals. The court rejected the company’s due diligence defence.
Read more on this issue as well as related articles at OHSInsider.com.
(note: subscription is required; to get instant access, simply sign up for a No-Cost Trial of OHSInsider.com. Sign up now and you will be entered into a drawing to win a $50 Tim’s gift card.)
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| Work-Related Skin Disorder Picture Changing, Says Expert |
A study of 147,000 patients seen at Kaiser Permanente occupational medicine clinics in Southern California indicates a shift in work-related skin disorders.
The study, conducted between 2004 and 2008, suggests that whereas work-related skin disorders at one time accounted for 10 to 15 percent of all workplace injuries and contact dermatitis represented more than 90 percent of workers’ compensation claims for occupational skin disorders, skin disorders now account for only one percent of all workplace injuries. And contact dermatitis now accounts for only 20 percent of total cases.
Speaking at the annual meeting of the American Academy of Dermatology, Dr. Nita Kohli noted that burns now account for 65 percent of all workers’ compensation cases. |
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