There is a long and tragic history of workplace fires in this country. One of the most notable was the fire at the Triangle Shirtwaist Factory in New York City in 1911 in which nearly 150 women and young girls died because of locked fire exits and inadequate fire extinguishing systems. History repeated itself several years ago in the fire in Hamlet, North Carolina, where 25 workers died in a fire in a poultry processing plant. It appears that here, too, there were problems with fire exits and extinguishing systems.

When OSHA conducts workplace inspections, it checks to see whether employers are complying with OSHA standards for fire safety. Most notably, OSHA standards require employers to provide proper exits, fire fighting equipment, and employee training to prevent fire deaths and injuries in the workplace.