From the collection of
London’s Screen Archives is a network of over 50 organisations with a collective vision – to preserve and share London’s history on film. The network is managed by Film London and we work with our partners to digitise, preserve, and offer access to their moving image collections.
Short dramatisation of two serious work accidents and some near misses on London Underground tracks, followed by the correct operating procedures.
Training videos can be rather technical and dull. But what if they’re introduced by a tense docudrama that includes serious incidents, some close calls, and a scene in which a member of staff sees a mirage of his family on the tracks just minutes before a fatal accident? That seems to have been the thought process behind this mid-1990s training compilation. Featuring actors in a variety of London Underground staff roles, there is day-to-day banter and teasing, as well as reckless and dangerous behaviour exhibited by train drivers, track lookouts, and even those responsible for enforcing health and safety regulations, the Protection Masters. The film stresses that everyone has a part to play – sometimes all the hard work put in by supervisors that follow proper procedure can be undone by other team members behaving irresponsibly and just "mucking about". After these impactful and heart-breaking scenes, the viewer is told not to believe that "it will never happen", and the tone shifts. What follows is the crux of the matter: 13 thoroughly explained sections on safe operating procedures, touching on subjects such as track environment, proper telephone technique, and how to respond to a variety of emergency situations. Thanks to the real-life inspired drama that precedes these, the viewer can better appreciate the impact on their and their loved ones’ lives if the procedures are not adhered to.
Go behind the scenes of 50 years of London transport with this selection from the London Transport Museum's video collection.