[Frances Perkins. 1964]
"There was only one means of exit available, the other two means of exits were the elevator which was ablaze almost immediately as the flames got into this open shaft and spread from floor to floor and the second exit was locked. It was an exit to the roof, not a very good means of exit at best but it would have saved most of the people in that building if it had not been locked."
The photograph (right) is of Frances Perkins, an active leader in labor and women's rights. She spoke the quote above during a lecture.
"It took a horrific tragedy to implement reform in New York City, but reform occurred with the introduction of mandatory fire drills, sprinkler system installation, regulated working conditions, and limited working hours for women and children. In effect, everything that caused the deaths at the Triangle factory became illegal," (Cosker).
[Frances Perknins Center]
[Investigators on roof of Asch Building - From left to right Coroner Holzhauser, J. R. Rubins, and C. F. Bostwick. 1911]
The Factory Investigation Commission was created in 1911 and worked until 1919. The commission investigated over 1,836 factories and heard from 222 witnesses in New York. They even found 14 factories with NO fire escapes!
36 new fire safety laws and regulations were passed by 1919 in New York that influenced fire safety laws made all over the world.
Investigators on the roof of the Asch building (left).