The following is a summary of an article in the February-March 1918 Issue of Safety (the publication of the American Museum of Safety in New York City). The author was Marian K. Clark of the New York State Industrial Commission challenging the inability of many workers to speak English and also their illiteracy in their native language. To what extent is this an issue more than 100 years later?
At times safety promotion got attention through poetry. The following three poems appeared in the October 1917 issue of Safety Engineering, Volume 34, Number 4.
As a witness to the Triangle Shirtwaist Fire she became an advocate for workers and the poor and played many roles at local, state and federal levels. She was the first woman to serve in the cabinet of a U.S. President, Franklin D. Roosevelt, and created and implemented many reforms found in the New Deal.
The Triangle Shirtwaist Fire was an event that provided publicity for a national effort to improve fire protection in the United States and reduce the huge level of “fire waste.” Many factors led to this challenge that put the U.S. at a huge disadvantage.
This was a classic fire in the history of safety and health. Young women involved in the manufacture of blouses and other clothing became trapped in upper floors of the factory building. It was very sad as 47 jumped to their death and others died from the smoke and heat. Locked exits prevented normal escape. Overall, 146 perished.
From the late 1920s to the 1950s, a machine called the Shoe Fitting Fluoroscope was the ultimate method to ensure that buyers and parents were fully satisfied with a proper fit. The machine used x-rays to create a display. Kids thought it was awesome!