I worked for 20 years restoring and preserving motion pictures for the Library of Congress. One of the first series of films we restored for the
American Memory Project, the Library's online access to the collections, was a group of 'actualities' of the Westinghouse Works in 1904.
These 'actualities' were the forerunner of documentary films. The Westinghouse collection shows the casting and assembly of enormous
components for electric generators and other machinery. The fascinating and frightening thing about these clips is the work environment
of a large manufacturing plant a century ago.
In one clip, you'll see men standing next to a huge crucible of molten steel being poured, with no protective clothing, just shirtsleeves and
maybe a bowler hat. In another, men cast iron into sand molds on the floor, and several of them are
barefoot. In still another, an overhead
crane moves a multi-ton casting dangling by a single chain, while assemblers work nonchalantly directly below.
We had an OSHA inspector come into our lab while we were restoring these films, and I showed her a few. I thought she was going to wet
her pants when she saw the conditions in which these men worked. It really is amazing that more people weren't killed or horribly injured
than actually were. Big balls, indeed...
American Memory - The Westinghouse Works Collection
Westinhouse Air Brake Company - Casting Scene
Westinghouse Air Brake Company - Moulding Scene
Tapping a Furnace, Westinghouse Works
Steam Hammer, Westinghouse Works
Casting a Guide Box, Westinghouse Works
Much more at the first link...