Her anger , fears , and doubts sank her into a deep depression following the Triangle Shirtwaist Factory fire of March 25 , 1911 . A total of 146 young workers lost their lives during the tragedy , most of them immigrant Jews and Italians . Newman , who had worked at the factory for seven years , was friends of many of the victims . Soon after , New York State established the Factory Investigation Commission ( FIC ) . An investigative body with real powers of enforcement , the FIC brought government into the shops to guarantee worker safety . Newman was offered a post as one of the FIC 's first inspectors and she gladly accepted
Triangle Shirtwaist Factory fire
Triangle Shirtwaist Factory fire
Pauline Newman (labor activist)