What were the working conditions like for people on the work floor?

Variable, but dirty. The process of moulding sand, you wouldn't recognise it as sand it has coal dust in it and it was black. There were fumes when you poured the metal into it because it made gases of one sort or another. So in the main it was a very dirty occupation for almost everybody, even those of us who were not particularly hands on. But it was strange, it was something you took no notice of because you had always been used to doing it.

(Jack Smith)

Can you give me an idea of what the working conditions were like when you were on the furnace side?

Well first impressions for a young mind were very frightening. The noise, the heat, the dust, you could hardly hear yourself speak when the furnaces were in blast. And when they were tapping the metal out, there were sparks and molten metal flying about and you as maintenance peole very often had to go above this molten metal to repair the overhead cranes. When you were very young, it was a little bit of a frightening experience till you got used to it. Also on the top of the furnaces where they used to hand feed the furnaces with barrows there was this gas from the blast furnaces that would very often knock you unconscious so you never knew when this gas was coming about.

(Roy Beeken)