British Aircraft Corporation (lost withdrawn work safety film; 1976)

British Aircraft Corporation logo.

Status: Lost

In the first quarter of 1976, the British Aircraft Corporation (BAC) presented a safety film to its Preston factory personnel. The film depicted the lethal consequences people may experience at work should they fail to wear adequate eye protection where required. However, the work's graphic nature greatly traumatised thirteen Preston workers, who all required some form of medical attention. This led to its prompt withdrawal, where it has since been declared as "The Least Successful Safety Film" by The Book of Heroic Failures.

Background

The BAC was formed in 1960 as a conglomerate of four separate independent aircraft manufacturers. During its 17-year lifespan, its biggest legacy was perhaps its joint venture with Sud Aviation to establish Concorde, the first supersonic passenger aircraft. April 1977 saw the BAC both nationalised and ultimately merged into another company, British Aerospace.

A year beforehand, the BAC felt the need to illustrate the importance of harnessing safety goggles at its Preston factory. On paper, the decision to screen a safety goggles film had merit. Even in modern times, it is estimated by the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health that around 2,000 eye-related injuries occur in America on a daily basis. This despite the fact that adequate eye protection could have shielded victims in 90% of cases. Interestingly, the BAC's eye protection provisions were not always up to standard. In August 1976, a Mrs Austin struggled to incorporate safety goggles necessary for her work as she found them uncomfortable while also wearing glasses. Her request for safety glasses was rejected; finding the goggles detrimental to her health, she opted to risk working without any protection, before finally leaving the BAC when it was clear nothing would be done to resolve the matter. Austin v. British Aircraft Corporation Ltd soon emerged in the court system, where Austin was awarded compensation on the grounds of unfair dismissal.

The Unsafe Safety Film

Outside of The Book of Heroic Failures' summary of events, the BAC's safety film and its consequences remained surprisingly under the radar. However, after uncovering evidence that Private Eye may have covered the story, Lost Media Wiki user SpaceManiac888 contacted the magazine on 17th May 2024 for more information. Private Eye responded that the event was featured in Issue 377 as part of its "True Stories" column, published on 28th May 1976. The piece notably credits the 30th March 1976 issue of The Jamaican Gleaner as being the first to cover the incident. Therefore, SpaceManiac888 opted to contact The Gleaner Company to confirm more details, but received no response.

At the very least, the film's screening at the BAC's Preston factory occurred no later than the first quarter of 1976. It was incorporated as part of the BAC's recent safety campaign, led by divisional safety officer Ron Hesketh. The film's narrative has been disputed; whereas The Book of Heroic Failures and Hesketh's comments claimed it focused entirely on eye protection, Private Eye reported it was more of a general work safety documentary. Whatever the case, the film depicted the graphic consequences of poor work safety practices. As it turned out, the scenes were too legitimate for several Preston workers. One scene shocked a welder so much that he fell from his chair and hit his head on the ground, requiring seven stitches as a result. He was not the only one, as a colleague fainted after witnessing the brutal footage. Another scene, described as featuring a "full-colour close-up" according to The Book of Heroic Failures, resulted in several machine minders requiring medical attention after they experienced nausea and faintness. Nurses were brought in to assist thirteen affected employees in total.

Amazingly, this "safety film" was declared unsafe by the BAC and was swiftly pulled from circulation. In a statement, Hesketh said "We are very keen to get over the point of eye protection, but at this point in time we have decided not to take any chances. We seem to have had at least one person keeling over on every course during the safety campaign". Upon learning of this dangerous safety film, Stephen Pile declared it as "The Least Successful Safety Film" in The Book of Heroic Failures.

Availability

Though the BAC's withdrawn safety film received some newspaper coverage, it has since fallen into near-obscurity. Several books have since summarised the event, but they only did so through regurgitating The Book of Heroic Failure's account. The British Film Institute claims to hold the BAC's films, but a search of its National Archive reveals nothing of relevance. A possible theory, therefore, is that the BAC simply imported a third-party film into its safety campaign. Analysis of the Huntley Film Archives, an independent British film library which primarily focuses on the preservation of documentary films ranging from daily life to sporting events the Boat Race, reveals some plausible candidates.

Film 1009089 is perhaps the closest example described by sources. Lasting for 13:27, the documentary does not shy away from the brutal consequences of poor work practices. One scene in particular shows a man ignoring instructions to wear goggles before operating a machine. As he attempts to sharpen some metal, sparks and fragments enter his left eye. As the injured man is ferried away, a sinister poster warns viewers that it is now "too late for protection". Films 1031441 and 1003613, though inaccessible without making an order to Huntley Film Archives, also share some similarities. 1031441 reportedly showed a man injuring his eye after working on a lathe without adequate eye protection. Meanwhile, 1003613, titled "Safety First in the Factory", depicted how safety goggles and glasses could protect employees using machinery, with one pair of goggles capable of withstanding a bullet. Seeking more information on these films, SpaceManiac888 attempted to contact Huntley Film Archives but has yet to receive a response.

The problem with all three films is that, while they certainly covered the importance of safety goggles in the workplace, the relevant scenes only formed a small part of the documentaries. Based on Hesketh's comments, the BAC-screened work focused almost exclusively on eye protection. Alas, no publicly available source detailed the film's title, nor whether it was produced by the BAC or a third-party organisation. Because of this, it makes determining the film's identity and whereabouts incredibly difficult. At the very least, no publicly available public information film appears to resemble Hesketh's description.

See Also

• Desert Island Discs (lost unaired BBC Radio 4 interview with Alistair MacLean; 1972)
• "The Least Successful Secret Camera" (lost Doncaster Police recordings of squash club changing rooms; 1978)
• Unidentified Pat Coombs commercial (lost unfinished advertisement for muesli product; 1973)