NFPA Journal - Summer 2021 - 32

Research by Birgitte Messerschmidt

THE GLOBAL
VIEW ON FIRE
RESEARCH

Workplace Worry
A NEW POLL FINDS WORKERS AROUND THE WORLD ARE CONCERNED ABOUT ON-THE-JOB
FIRE RISK-AND MOST SUPPORT GOVERNMENT REGULATION TO ADDRESS IT

n the spring of 1911, the

a skilled workforce. Government responTriangle Shirtwaist Factory
sibility and a skilled workforce are two
fire in New York City killed
important components of the NFPA Fire
146 workers, mostly young
& Life Safety Ecosystem™ that impact fire
women. Most of the victims
safety at work.
either burned to death near a locked exit
The differences between high-income
door or chose to jump from windows on
countries with well-developed fire and
the building's ninth floor. They did not
life safety ecosystems and lower- and
die in vain, however; the fire inspired
middle-income countries where fire
important safety advances, including the
safety often takes a back seat are easy
creation of NFPA 101®, Life Safety Code®,
to see in the risk poll. While it's temptand the establishment of the American
ing to suggest that those nations should
Society of Safety Engineers (ASSE).
simply adopt our codes and standards
Fast forward to today. According to
to improve their levels of safety, to do so
It is unacceptable for
NFPA statistics, between 2014 and 2018
would be like short-circuiting the safety
developed nations to
the average number of people who died
ecosystem. The US has had more than a
turn a blind eye to the
each year in buildings associated with
century to improve safety since Triangle,
safety challenges of
manufacturing, industrial, storage, and
but the rapid industrialization of many
others, but we cannot
business was 52-a testament to the
developing nations in recent decades has
success of changes made since 1911, but
vastly outpaced safety advancements,
simply impose our
also a reminder that our work is not done.
leaving workers at high risk.
safety system onto
Catastrophic multiple-death workplace
The clothes I'm wearing, along with
their reality.
fires have become rare in the US, and it
many of the items that bring comfort to
can be easy to overlook the global issue
my life, may be produced by workers who
of fire safety in the workplace. It was a
fear the threat of fire at work. The world is
reality check for me to read the first-ever
intricately connected, and it is unacceptWorld Risk Poll by Lloyd's Register Foundation, where 25 percent able for those of us in developed nations to turn a blind eye to
of workers worldwide cited fire as a source of risk while on the safety challenges of others. At the same time, it is not possithe job. As many as 10 percent of workers worldwide had been ble for us to simply impose our safety system onto their reality.
harmed by fire on the job. Fire was considered a high work- We need to work together to adapt our 110 years of learnings to
place risk in most regions of Africa, the Middle East, and much the problems developing nations face today.
of Asia. In Bangladesh, which has experienced large losses from
Research is needed to help us identify safety gaps and figure
factory fires in the past decade, half of the workers surveyed out how we can adapt safety measures to the local context across
identified fire as a risk.
the entire NFPA Fire & Life Safety Ecosystem. The World Risk Poll
The risk poll illustrated that people largely supported govern- highlights the forgotten issue of fire safety at work and illustrates
ment safety regulations in the workplace, emphasizing the the need to enact regulations on fire safety measures, especially
importance of government responsibility in a safety system. in lower- and middle-income countries. I hope this generates the
But safety regulations will not be as effective if workers are not momentum necessary to unlock much-needed funding for adapteducated about their importance. The poll showed that those ing safety measures through cooperation between local actors
who thought safety rules made their jobs more difficult were and global fire safety experts including NFPA.
almost twice as likely to be injured at work than those who
found safety rules to be a good thing. This shows the impact of Birgitte Messerschmidt is director of the Applied Research Group at NFPA.

MICHAEL HOEWELER

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NFPA Journal - Summer 2021

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