The Hagley Vault

This weekend will mark the historic anniversary of the Triangle Shirtwaist Fire in New York City. The tragedy, one of the most infamous industrial disasters in American history, killed 146 workers on March 25, 1911.

This film, The Crime of Carelessness, was made in 1912 for National Association of Manufacturers by Thomas Edison Studios, warned of the danger of smoking in the workplace (the full film can be viewed here). It also makes reference to the 1911 Triangle Shirtwaist Fire without mentioning it explicitly. Notably, the film largely shifts responsibility for preventing workplace fires away from owners and managers of industry, and onto the workers.