I was required to take some OSHA training at work, and it brought up the Triangle fire that happened in 1911. This fire was one that took place in a “sweat shop,” which was really common for female (especially immigrant female) workers who sewed for a living.
These workplaces have since become infamous for unhealthy conditions, with no breaks and hazardous environment.
What happened what a fire that snuffed out 146 lives in 18 minutes. What also happened were a bunch of laws (eventually leading to OSHA itself, the occupational safety and health adminitration) that made the workplace a lot safer.
Those women were martyrs, really. They didn’t know what was going to happen to them the day they went to work. They knew it was horrible, but they knew they needed to support themselves and their families.
I think about them as I consider how women who are pregnant, taking care of themselves and their families, might feel a little uncomfortable or nervous asking for what they need throughout their pregnancy. That they might need to ask for a little special consideration, a little extra time off for doctor’s appointments, or for milk pumping breaks after the baby is born.
I would like to think we’ve learned somehting in the intervening 100 years. That the tragedy of the sweatshop workers would not need to be repeated, not even a little bit.
Here’s what I was reading about it.