In association with


take on responsibility for making sure that projects come in on time and on budget.” Bob Forster, managing director of


20-strong health and safety consult- ant 1st Option Safety, agrees that training is key. “When people under- stand the risks, they are more likely to recognise and deal with them.” Forster’s fi ve-year-old company,


which has just won a contract with the host broadcaster for the London 2012 Olympics, is one of the few to special- ise in fi lm and television safety. Its clients include most of the big inde- pendents – All3Media, Shine, Endemol and Talkback Thames. “We help productions understand


and manage risk, but we’re not health and safety offi cers; our role is to advise and enable,” says Forster. He sees managing safety as no dif-


ferent to looking after the rest of a pro- duction. There are four key aspects to consider: fi rst, that staff are compe- tent and kit is fi t for purpose; second, that everyone knows what they and everyone else on the production is doing; third, that the environment they are going to be working in has been fully checked out; and fi nally, and crucially, meticulous planning. “The vast majority of accidents


can be prevented by good planning,” says Forster. Caroline Daly, a freelance produc-


tion manager and secretary of the Film Broadcast Health and Safety Group (FBSG), believes that, with the benefi t of hindsight, better planning may have prevented the Harry Potter accident, one of the cases that the FBSG is currently examining to see if lessons can be learned and shared with the rest of the industry. In the scene that 25-year old


Holmes had been rehearsing, the bespectacled double had to fl y through the air in a harness and then appear to be hurled back by an explo- sion. The stunt had been set up so that Holmes would hit a wall of crash mats held against a plywood base. In theory, he should have hit the wall squarely, distributing the force of the impact evenly over his body. But in fact, his legs fl ew forward, throwing his torso backwards so that his head and neck bore the brunt of the impact, causing severe spinal injuries. Daly believes that alternatives


to actually performing the stunt can always be explored: “The director and the cameraman


www.broadcastnow.co.uk


H&S CHECKLIST


 Be realistic about what you can achieve during the time and in the budget given. If you can’t fi nd an alternative way of shoot- ing something necessary in the script, then go back to the com- missioner and get the broad- caster involved.


 Recces are invaluable for every- one. Get out and check the environment you’ll be working in as soon as possible – don’t leave it until the last minute.


The Dark Knight: a cameraman died during a rehearsal


‘When people understand the risks, they are more likely to recognise and deal


with them’ Bob Forster, 1st Option


could sit down with the fi rst AD and discuss how they could produce clever effects without having to do the stunt.” The HSE conducted “a full and


detailed investigation” into the acci- dent, going so far as to shut down the set for a week and issuing the fi lm’s Leavesden-based production company DDD Co with an interim safety order – which it is on record as having complied with. Following a freedom of information


request, the HSE released various ele- ments of its report into the incident to Broadcast, but not the conclusions or reasoning that informed the execu- tive’s decision to deem that a prosecu- tion “was not appropriate”.


Harry Potter And The Deathly Hallows: an accident on set left a stuntman paralysed


HSE investigations Taran Hewitt, an HM specialist inspector who was commissioned by the HSE to investigate the incident, observed in his report: “The solidity of the wall and the speed of impact could be estimated prior to performing the stunt and some idea of the effect these would have on the human body could have been considered.” However, the author of the inci-


dent’s ergonomic report, Ed Milnes, points out that even “marginal differ- ences in landing posture could make the difference between injury-free and severe injuries”. Consequently, Hewitt recom-


mended that the only logical approach to carrying out this type of jerk-back stunt in future was to remove, as far as possible, the need for an actual impact. This is the message now


 1 July 2011 | Broadcast | 29


 Many on-set accidents have happened following last-minute changes to the script. Even minor tweaks should be communicated to everybody – especially your assigned health and safety rep.


 Being able to say ‘No’ is an important thing. Have the cour- age of your convictions if you think things haven’t been thought through properly or believe there isn’t enough time.


 You have a legal duty to hire people that are competent for the task in hand. Use experi- enced and competent people for risky tasks.


 Is all the kit you are using fi t for purpose? Check out all contrac- tors and subcontractors of kit and services.


 Improve your health and safety training. It’s been marked out as an area of priority by the industry and there are grants and rebates available.


 Check the catering and waste- disposal companies you use on location are reputable – it’s the small, mundane things that can cause illnesses and get your set closed down for weeks. Handwashing stations and mos- quito nets may be needed in some locations abroad.


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