British Universities Film & Video Council

moving image and sound, knowledge and access

Glamorgan & Derbyshire - Progress in Safety

Series

Series Name
Mining Review 19th Year

Issue

Issue No.
7
Date Released
Mar 1966
Stories in this Issue:
  1. 1Kent - Sea Change
  2. 2White Collar Job
  3. 3Glamorgan & Derbyshire - Progress in Safety

Story

Story No. within this Issue
3 / 3
Summary
NoS synopsis: A safety exhibition at Glamorgan College of Technology and the ‘self rescuer’ is shown in use underground.
NCB Commentary - This is coal dust - being spread in measured quantities along an artificial mine gallery on the Derbyshire moors in order to advance research into colliery explosions.
And this is methane gas, being ignited in a moderl mine roadway at the Glamorgan College of Technology. Here, the Safety in Mines Research Establishment took part in an exhibition of many of the new developments to promote greater safety in our mines.
Ventilation underground is of first importance - to provide air for men to breathe, and to carry away gas and impurities.
Fire underground is an ever present hazard. New automatic devices are on watch 24 hours of the day, and are swift to spring into action.
The new style cap lamp gives miners an even better light to work by, and new too is this gas detector.
There’s a range of lighter and more effective personal safety equipment. And if a man is unlucky enough to damage a limb despite everything, this new inflatable splint will save valuable time in getting him back up to the surface. Among the latest innovations to keep men safe is this self-rescuer.
Weighing only 2lb, it’s designed to protect a man against deadly carbon monoxide gas. It can be taken out of its case and fitted on in a matter of seconds.
Whenever fire or explosion break out, carbon monoxide is present in the air. You can’t smell it, you can’t see it, you can’t taste it. But an unprotected man will be made unconscious in seconds.
Men working further up the face notice smoke and fumes coming towards them. They’re not taking any chances, and at the first sign of something wrong they put on their self-rescuers.
On their way out of the face they pass their unconsious mate, who didn’t have his rescuer to hand. It’ll take them valuable minutes to fit him with the rescuer, but they know that they have a full hour’s pretection from carbon monoxide, time to get him, and themselves, to safety.
Once they’ve established that they’re in fresh air, then - and only then - is the time to take off the self-rescuers.
Today these life saving devices are coming into use at collieries throughout Britain. They may never be needed, but they are kept maintained and tested and ready for use, just in case.
Just in case - and to keep themselves up with the latest moves in the ceaseless campaign for greater safety - the Glamorgan exhibition was visited by many local miners. They, above all people, are grateful for all the care that is going into making our mines safer places to work.
Keywords
Mining; Safety devices; Exhibitions and shows
Locations
Wales; Pontypridd
Written sources
British Film Institute Databases
Films on Coal Catalogue   1969, p.52
The National Archives COAL 32   /13 Scripts for Mining Review, 1960-1963
Credits:
Sponsor
National Coal Board
Production Co.
National Coal Board Film Unit

Record Stats

This record has been viewed 125 times.