The factory was full of workers, most working for slave wages. Employees were treated like slaves too, being locked inside the factory by the uncaring management to prevented theft and unauthorized breaks.
Then, the worst happened – a fire broke out. Trapped in the building behind locked doors, hundreds died. Some of smoke inhalation, some that jumped to their death.
In 1911, that scenario happened in New York City at the Triangle Shirtwaist Factory. The fire killed 146 workers, mostly female victims between the ages of sixteen and twenty-three years old.
(This media file is in the public domain in the United States. This applies to U.S. works where the copyright has expired, often because its first publication occurred prior to January 1, 1923.)
But, the first two paragraphs were not about the tragic New York fire. No, that scenario just played itself out last week in Karachi, Pakistan. However, this factory fire killed more than 300 people, who were also trapped behind locked doors as well as barred windows.
Like America at the turn of the 20th Century, industrial safeguards are lax in Pakistan. The owners reported having 250 employees, but some estimate as many as 1,000 were in the factory at the time of the fire. The factory had previously failed to meet fire safety standards in 2007, but did pass an inspection in December 2011. Inspectors in Pakistan gave the factory a SA8000 certification, meaning it met international standards in areas such as health, safety, minimum wages, and child labor.
Officials have confiscated the passports of the owners as well as frozen their bank account. They may face criminal charges.
In the case of the Triangle Shirtwaist Factory fire, the owners were charged with first- and second-degree murder, but were eventually acquitted. However, they lost a civil suit and had to pay $75 per victim. New York State Legislature created the Factory Investigating Commission to look into factory conditions that might prove hazardous to employees. That commission led to better state labor laws including the inclusion of fire extinguishers, sprinkler systems, and fireproofing requirements.
If anything good can come from this, maybe the scrutiny of the world watching will lead to real industrial standards and employee safety in Pakistan.