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The Triangle Shirtwaist fire, which claimed the lives of 146 mostly female immigrant garment workers in 1911, is credited with galvanizing support for labor unions, as well as spurring reforms in workplace safety and city building codes.

As we prepare to mark the 100th anniversary of the tragic fire, Metropolis spoke to Cornell University’s Lee Adler about the labor legacy of the fire and the widespread outrage it caused among New Yorkers and the nation. Adler teaches public sector collective bargaining at Cornell’s School of Industrial and Labor Relations. The interview has been edited.

There was an uneasy labor backstory at the Triangle Shirtwaist Co. Where did things stand before the fire?

Adler: The fire happened in a factory that did not sign on to the loose collective-bargaining agreement terms. It was something called the Protocols of Peace that was established after a very long strike in 1909 and 1910. So this factory was a bit of an outlier at the time, and that acted as a spur to labor activists after the fire.

Certainly the organization and determination of the needle trade unions was fortified by the aftermath.

Who are the major political or labor figures that emerged from the Triangle fire?

Adler: In the New York state Legislature there were two very young politicians — one was Al Smith, the other was Robert Wagner. They were interested at the time in picking up the mantle of the fire and passing legislation. Some dealt with fire-safety standards and ingres and egress standards.

Frances Perkins by accident saw the fire, and that had an influence on her for the rest of her life. She was, first of all, a health and safety person connected to the labor movement in the teens. Ultimately, Franklin Roosevelt appointed her to be labor secretary.

Walk me through the direct aftermath. The Triangle fire is often credited with spurring labor reforms, but how did that play out?

Adler: There was a rapid increase throughout America in the passage of workers’ compensation laws. Up until this fire, workers’ compensation bills were not terribly prolific in America. Oddly enough, given what’s going on now in Wisconsin, they passed the first successful workers’ comp legislation in 1911 -– more or less flowing out of this sutation. Within part because of the Triangle fire, in five years we see every state in America pass workers’ comp legislation.

In 1913, for the first time in the U.S. government, the Department of Labor was established. There had been previous things like it but there had never been a government agency. One of the first efforts was to compile statistics on workplace injuries. They looked at lead smelters, match factories, coal mines and steel making.

Did Triangle lead directly to a rise in labor unions?

Adler: I would describe the period immediately after the fire as one that was difficult for labor organizing. There was no mandatory legislation anywhere in the U.S. that permitted collective bargaining. There was no right to collectively bargain anywhere in America before 1935.

Each year, 2 million Americans suffer from whiplash associated disorders (WAD) secondary to motor vehicle accidents.

Studies using high-speed cameras and sophisticated crash dummies have determined that rear impact car accidents cause the lower cervical vertebrae (lower bones in the neck) to be forced into a position of hyperextension (movement of the vertebrae backward) while the upper cervical vertebrae (upper bones in the neck) move rapidly into hyperflexion (movement of the vertebrae forward). This leads to an abnormal S-shape curved movement of the cervical spine.

It is thought that this abnormal motion causes damage to the soft tissues that hold the cervical vertebrae together (ligaments, facet capsules, muscles). This insult to the spine, in turn, causes swelling and pain.

The most common symptoms related to whiplash include:

Neck pain and stiffness

Headaches

Shoulder pain

Dizziness/visual changes

Fatigue

Jaw pain

Arm pain/weakness

Back pain

Numbness and tingling

Recent evidence has shown that physical therapy may be the best choice to decrease pain, improve motion, and decrease cost secondary to whiplash associated disorders.

Recently, in the Journal of Rheumatology, a large scale meta-analysis was performed of the existing literature on mechanical neck pain secondary to motor vehicle accidents. There was strong evidence supporting stretching/strengthening exercises combined with mobilization/manipulation.

Standard medical care (pain medication, surgery, and injections) had limited evidence or no long-term benefit. Furthermore, the treatments with physical therapy were less expensive and demonstrated less long-term disability versus standard medical care.

An article in the Emergency Medical Journal (2006) compared two groups. The first group received mobilization (hands-on muscle and joint work) and exercise therapy. The second group received medication and a cervical collar. The mobilization and exercise group had significantly less neck/shoulder pain, improved headaches, and lower prevalence of all other symptoms when compared to the group receiving medication and a cervical collar.

Another research article in the journal Spine, demonstrated that there was decreased medical cost and less days lost at work in patients who received physical therapy versus standard medical treatments (advanced tests, drugs, collar, injection and surgery).

It appears that using physical therapy in combination with standard medical care would be the best choice to decrease pain, improve function and prevent chronicity in individuals who have injuries associated with auto accidents.

Dancing on Ice 2011 contestant Jeff Brazier has reportedly been left in “total agony” after suffering a neck injury during rehearsals for this Sunday’s show.

According to The Sun the TV presenter hurt himself when he tried to lift skating partner Isabelle Gauthier, while they were practising their routine.

The 31-year-old is sought treatment from a specialist – and the paper reports that he will need painkilling injections before performing.

“Jeff Brazier suffered a serious neck injury which he picked up from one of his lifts that went wrong in training,” a show insider said.

“He could hardly move the next day and had to have an osteopath sent over for treatment. But he is determined to soldier on even though he is in total agony and will probably need painkilling injections.”

As well as his routine with Isabelle on this weekend’s show, Jeff will also take part in a group routine.

He has been saved from elimination twice from the judges but last weekend made it through on the public vote. Six couples now remain after Vanilla Ice was voted off last Sunday.

If you are involved in a car accident, the first rule of thumb is to keep everyone safe. Make sure that no one in your car is injured. If no one is seriously injured, exit the vehicle after checking to make sure that no cars are coming. If possible, drive your car to the side of the road to keep yourself out of the way of traffic.

Approach the drivers of the other cars involved in the accident, but remember to keep a cool head. After an accident, everyone involved will be shaken up, and so level headed thinking will be tremendously helpful. Additionally, no matter what happened, do not admit guilt at the scene. Even if the accident was your fault, simply collect contact information from the other drivers and do not confess to anything until you speak with your insurance company.

The most crucial information to gather from other drivers after an accident is their license plate numbers, driver’s license numbers, full names, telephone numbers and addresses. Also collect their insurance information if possible. It’s a good idea to keep a disposable camera in your glove compartment so that you can document an accident for your insurance company. Take pictures of the overall scene of the accident, as well as specific damage to your vehicle and the other vehicles involved. After collecting information from the other drivers and documenting the damage, call the police to file an accident report, and then call your insurance company.

If anyone involved in the accident has been injured, the very first thing you must do is to call 911. Use any first aid equipment or blankets that may be in your trunk to attend to injured people until an ambulance arrives. If any of your passengers, or the driver of your car, have been injured, you’ll want to contact a personal injury attorney as soon as you get to a safe place.

A personal injury attorney will work with your insurance provider to collect money from the at-fault driver to cover hospital bills and any other medical fees. Again, if someone is injured, do not admit fault in the accident until you have first spoken to a personal injury attorney. Personal injury attorneys are seasoned professionals who have successful strategies for helping injured victims in any type of accident, and they’ll want to do the speaking on your behalf.

The whole idea behind Workers’ Compensation was not to help injured workers. It was to protect companies from being sued by workers who had been injured! This explains why the system works so badly.

Workers can help themselves by knowing about their rights and what to do if they are injured. Many workers lose benefits because the company makes it difficult or lies or because the worker misses deadlines.

* Workers’ Compensation Checklist
* What To Do When You Are Hurt at Work
* Ways That Bosses Try Not to Pay Workers’ Comp

The main Workers’ Comp laws are similar for every state, but each state has different rules about eligibility, amount of benefits, and how to file claims. You have a right to medical care. Workers’ Comp should pay all of your medical bills, including doctors, hospitals, physical therapy, chiropractors, home care, and equipment. Workers Comp pays for time you miss work because of your injury or illness. A Workers’ Comp check is not as much as your regular pay. Family members of workers who die because of a work injury or illness can usually get Workers’ Comp benefits.

Most workers are covered by Workers’ Comp – including undocumented workers. The easiest way to tell if you are covered is by looking around for a posting at your workplace. People who work at sea or in a harbor, railroad workers, federal workers, and independent contractors are not covered. Each state also decides if certain jobs are covered so, if your boss has fewer than 5 employees, you are a farm worker, domestic worker, or volunteer, you should check with the state Workers’ Comp agency to see if you are covered.

Workers who do not have a green card or authorization to work in the United States are covered by Workers’ Comp. You will not be asked to show a green card and the Workers’ Comp office does not make reports to Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE).

When are you covered by Workers’ Comp?

You are covered for Workers’ Comp when you are working, or doing something that your boss told you to do or that benefits your boss. If you are hurt in an area which you boss has control over (like a break area or parking lot) you are usually covered. If you are commuting to work, you are usually not covered.

Workers’ Comp covers most injuries and illnesses that are caused by work. Injuries can happen all at once, like a cut or fall, or over time, like muscle strain from moving heavy things or repetitive motion injuries (like carpal tunnel in your wrists) from doing the same motion over and over. Illnesses causes by exposure to something at work are covered.

It also covers a pre-existing condition, when it gets worse because of something at work. You can collect benefits even if you were careless and usually even if it was your fault. You might not get benefits if you were drunk or fighting or if your boss can prove that you hurt yourself on purpose. If using drugs caused the injury you may not be eligible. Drug use does not always mean that you can’t get benefits – check with a lawyer. Some bosses automatically test for drugs if there is an injury – even if it’s not the worker’s fault. Some workers wait a few days to report the injury if they’re worried about the drug test.

Even if your boss says that your injury is not covered, check with a lawyer.

HIRING A LAWYER Workers’ Comp claims are one time that you may need to hire a lawyer and it may be worth it. Contact a local injured workers’ group, a local union, or the Central Labor Council for recommendations. Workers’ Comp lawyers should work for a percentage of the award, which means that if they take your case, they think they can win. They should not ask you to pay any money up front.

What if my boss fires me for filing for Workers’ Comp? Ask the Workers’ Comp office about your state’s laws that bosses can’t retaliate against a worker for filing a workers’ comp claim. Remember — if you don’t file a workers comp claim and your injury makes it hard for you to do your job, your boss can fire you and you won’t even have proof of your work injury. You will have missed the deadline to file a claim and you may have a harder time finding a new job because of the injury.

Can I sue my boss? Just because you can’t sue your boss for work related injuries, doesn’t mean you can’t sue in some special circumstances. If your boss didn’t have Workers’ Comp coverage, you may be able to sue. If you were injured because of defective equipment or machinery you may be able to sue the manufacturer. In some states, you can sue if you were fired for filing a Workers’ Comp claim or testifying for someone else’s claim.