Death on the Job

1991 0h 49m EN

👍

7.1

SOLID

★7.1TMDB · 4

Documentary

Synopsis

Spoiler shield

A revealing look at how workers' safety is being compromised with tragic results. Interviews with accident investigators, co-workers, and victims' families detail the causes and consequences of accidents, while extensive news footage and home videos taken by accident survivors and family members expose the hazards of such industries as commercial fishing, construction and chemical refineries. An indictment of inadequate governmental safeguards, this important film makes a plea for the protection of workers.

“Some stories are better left unspoiled.”

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Cast

Joe Mantegna
Narrator

Credits

Behind the camera

Director: Vince DiPersio
Writers: Vince DiPersio, Bill Guttentag

Want more? Switch to Cinephile mode in the header for DP, composer, budget, box office, production companies, keywords, and release history.

Did you know?

Fun facts 🍿

1 / 6

RUNTIME

Did you know

Tight 49-minute runtime — shorter than most television pilots.

MoodPlayr · trivia#01

2 / 6

ERA

Did you know

35 years old — old enough to be someone's favourite childhood film.

MoodPlayr · trivia#02

3 / 6

RUNTIME

Did you know

Lean credit list — fewer than 30 people officially credited.

MoodPlayr · trivia#03

4 / 6

DIRECTOR

Did you know

Editor Jim Stewart shaped the rhythm. On an edit-heavy film, the editor does more to control your pulse than the director.

MoodPlayr · trivia#04

5 / 6

WILD

Did you know

IMDB entry: tt0101693 — still the authoritative cross-reference for credits and trivia.

MoodPlayr · trivia#05

6 / 6

WILD

Did you know

Only 4 TMDB ratings — you're getting ahead of the curve on this one.

MoodPlayr · trivia#06

Cinephile deep dive

The take

Vince DiPersio directs. Jim Stewart cuts. Runs lean at under 100 minutes.

Trivia

Things worth knowing

1Tight 49-minute runtime — shorter than most television pilots.
235 years old — old enough to be someone's favourite childhood film.
3Lean credit list — fewer than 30 people officially credited.
4Editor Jim Stewart shaped the rhythm. On an edit-heavy film, the editor does more to control your pulse than the director.
5IMDB entry: tt0101693 — still the authoritative cross-reference for credits and trivia.
6Only 4 TMDB ratings — you're getting ahead of the curve on this one.

The technical file

Editing: Jim Stewart
Runtime: 49 min · 0h 49m
Status: Released
Original language: EN
IMDB: Death on the Job (1991)

Also by

Vince DiPersio

Community reviews

What people are saying

CinemaSerf2026-04-11
★ 6/10
When this was made, there were over 600,000 industrial accidents in the United States, and a further 2,100 people died as a result of incidents at work. There are a few specific examples developed here, starting with some excessive fishing that resulted in the sinking of a trawler in perfectly calm waters; a mining disaster caused by a build up of methane gas and then a massive explosion at a Texan petrochemical plant. Using interviews from survivors and relatives of these disasters, the thrust of the narrative aims clearly at businesses that cut corners and at regulators who didn't do their jobs properly - if at all. There are no responses offered by either employers or authorities, though according to the text at the conclusion that wasn't for the want of asking, and so what we watch here really does seem to be a critique of the indefensible attitudes taken when profit is king. The archive effectively illustrates not just the hugely complex nature of these operations - not least as we see the vast volume of fish being processed in the Barents sea or the miles and miles of pipelines, valves and chimneys that constitute an oil refinery, and so it isn't hard to see how something could go wrong at the best of times, let alone after many years of neglect. The narration itself is a bit on the dry side, but there are some potent contributions here and it showcases quite strikingly how easy things can fail when safety if compromised.