ASSP Honors the 114th Anniversary of the Triangle Shirtwaist Factory Fire
Next week marks 114 years since the tragedy that sparked workplace safety reforms.
- By Stasia DeMarco
- Mar 19, 2025
Next week marks the 114th anniversary of the Triangle Shirtwaist Factory fire in New York City, a tragedy that claimed the lives of 146 garment workers, primarily women and girls as young as 14 years old. The 1911 incident remains the deadliest industrial disaster in New York City history and served as a catalyst for workplace safety reform.
Seven months after the fire, the world’s oldest professional safety organization was founded—the United Association of Casualty Inspectors, now known as the American Society of Safety Professionals (ASSP). Since its inception, ASSP has remained committed to advancing the safety, health, and well-being of workers across industries.
To honor the victims and reaffirm the importance of workplace safety, ASSP is calling on companies and workers to observe a moment of silence at 4:45 p.m. ET on Tuesday, March 25—the exact time the first alarm sounded—paying tribute to those who perished and refocusing efforts on safer work environments.
“The Triangle Shirtwaist Factory fire motivated our nation to address workplace safety in an organized way that didn’t previously exist,” said ASSP President Pam Walaski, CSP, FASSP. “The tragedy led to a series of laws and regulations that better protected workers. It also prompted a group of concerned safety engineers to form an organization that is now ASSP.”
In recognition of the lasting impact of this tragedy, the Remember the Triangle Fire Coalition dedicated a memorial at the original site in 2023. The memorial, located on the Brown Building, features a stainless-steel ribbon descending from the ninth floor—where most deaths occurred—and bears the names and ages of the victims in a reflective panel. It serves as a poignant reminder of the need for workplace safety and the fundamental right of workers to be treated with dignity and respect.
The Triangle fire exposed critical workplace safety failures, including locked exit doors, inward-opening doors that prevented escape, inadequate fire escapes, and fire department ladders that could not reach the upper floors of the 10-story building. Many workers perished by jumping from windows or into an elevator shaft in desperate attempts to escape the flames.
Since its founding on Oct. 14, 1911, ASSP has grown into a global organization of 35,000 occupational safety and health professionals dedicated to reducing workplace injuries, illnesses, and fatalities. However, the mission of safety professionals, employers, and regulatory agencies remains ongoing. According to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, more than 5,000 workplace fatalities occur each year.
“Whether you work on a construction site, in a restaurant, at a manufacturing plant, or in an office, the lessons of the Triangle Shirtwaist Factory fire should never be forgotten,” Walaski emphasized. “Keeping workers safe takes an unwavering commitment from all involved. There are always new ideas to be shared and advances to be made.”
About the Author
Stasia DeMarco is the Content Editor for OH&S.