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the Care and Use of a Permissible Flame Safety Lamp (1968)

1968 · Short film · 28 min

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Synopsis

Dating to 1968, "The Care and Use of a Permissible Flame Safety Lamp" was one of a series of training films produced by the Bureau of Mines. A safety lamp is any of several types of lamp that provides illumination in coal mines, and can also be used to detect the presence of dangerous gas and/or the deficiency of oxygen. The permissible gas safety lamp is specially designed to operate in air that may contain coal dust or gases, both of which are potentially flammable or explosive. These lamps were developed to enclose a flame without extinguishing it, thus preventing it from igniting the surrounding atmosphere. In modern times, flame safety lamps have been replaced sealed, explosion-proof electric lights.According to this film, flame safety lamps were occasionally the cause of coal mine fires in the 195-60s. A chart shown at (2:50) indicates taht over a 13-year period, there were 13 ignitions caused by safety lamps -- a small number when compared to the 66 caused by electrical arcing, but still a concern. These incidents were apparently entirely preventable, and were linked to defective or poorly maintained lamps. At (3:10) lamps are tested for defects, with the defective lamp causing a small gas explosion that knocks the top off the testing device. At (3:50) a wire mesh screen sheet is shown being used above a Bunsen burner. At (4:05) the history of the permissible flame safety lamp is discussed. At (4:16), two miners who are smoking cigarettes in a coal mine, are killed by…

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Details

Running time
28 minutes
Collection
Ephemeral Films

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