Topic: Research into Birmingham-based fatal accident at Glassworks, after 1901

[Adam]

David - This interests me because, as some of our members know, my second career was investigating (as well as trying to prevent) explosions in factories.  Any sort of explosion in a glass works, much less a fatal one, is a rare event.  In 19 years in that job I was only inside glass works' a couple of times and they were not the result of any incident.  Some other industries were regular customers!  Earlier, Sowerbys and Joblings each had a small, unreportable one while I was there, without any injury.

The local papers might be one possibility.  Also H M Factory Inspectorate (HMFI) had been around for decades by your date and it is just possible that some record might still exist especially if the bang were technically interesting.  The records of local offices will have vanished but HM Chief Inspector published an annual report which sometimes mentioned interesting happenings and they would certainly be preserved.  HMFI became part of the Health and Safety Executive (HSE) from 1974 and their central number for information is 0845 345 0055.  Everything will depend on whether or not your glass works was a "Factory" - there were in those days rigid legal definitions of this which may have excluded a small, hand-blown works.  Although I was an HMFI inspector I no longer have any central contacts and I could do nothing which you can't do yourself, but I think you will find they are very helpful.

Good luck anyway and you know where to find me if I can help at all.  I'd love to know the answer if you ever find it.

Adam D.

[Heidimin]

Good suggestion from Anne about TDA - I came across quite a lot of reports of fires and other accidents when I was searching for info on United Glass Bottle/ United Glass.

On automation of bottle manufacture, Michael Owens formed the first automated bottle manufacturing company in 1903, and according to this site http://www.todayinsci.com/O/Owens_MichaelJ/OwensMichaelJ.htm, opened a factory in Manchester in 1905. UGB was formed in 1913 when a group of St Helens glass manufacturers merged in order to raise the capital to invest in Owens Illinois machinery. Judging by the speed with which UGB expanded across the country, buying up local glassworks and becoming the dominant player in the container industry, I'd suggest they were ahead of most of their competitors in moving to automate.

[Frank]

Before automated machines, there were manually operated machines too.

[David E]

Thanks Adam, I'll report back what I find. Sadly I am unsure as to what the glass concern was: whether factory or workshop, but the occupation was given as glassblower.

The Times archive did not reveal anything with my first few searches, but I'll return later to have another go.