HSE NI
Stunt work in Film and TV production
The main legal requirements covering special and visual effects are the Health and Safety at Work (NI) Order 1978 and the Management of Health and Safety at Work Regulations (NI) 2000 (the Management Regulations). The Management Regulations require a suitable and sufficient risk assessment to be carried out to assess and control the risk to employees and others who may be affected by their activities.
On a day-to-day basis the overall responsibility for ensuring that appropriate standards of health and safety are achieved and maintained throughout the production process rests with the producer. The producer should ensure that there is suitable and sufficient risk assessment carried out for any stunt work and that adequate controls have been put in place to reduce risk so far as is reasonably practicable.
The hazards which will need to be considered will depend on the nature of the proposed stunt, for example, fire, heat, explosion, pyrotechnics, noise, moving vehicles or equipment, animals, weapons, water, confined spaces or oxygen-deficient atmospheres, projectiles and other debris, public or crew, falls from heights, violence etc.
Remember –
- Stunt and fight sequences should only be designed and/or performed by competent persons. Competence should be assessed in relation to experience, training and type of work to be undertaken.
- Relevant competent persons should be provided with adequate information regarding the production as may be necessary to make informed decisions.
- Adequate time and resources should be allowed for planning and rehearsals based on advice from the competent person/stunt co-ordinator.
- Sufficient time should be provided within the schedule for any necessary changes to systems of work and risk assessments. Decisions should be made in consultation with relevant competent persons to ensure controls remain adequate.
- Arrangements should be in place for communicating the risks and safety arrangements to all those affected. Systems should ensure changes are also communicated.
- The person supervising the stunt or fight action should have clear sight at all times of the action and immediate area and be able to communicate with all key players
- All necessary permissions must be sought prior to activity taking place, for example, the PSNI should be contacted prior to vehicle stunts occurring on a public road.
- All equipment/materials required should be specified, used as per the manufacturer’s instructions and be fit for purpose with adequate emergency measures in place.
- There should be effective means to warn and exclude people from any danger area.
Further information can be found at Film, TV and broadcasting.
Workplace transport
Every year there are accidents involving workplace transport, often resulting in fatalities or serious injury.
A suitable and sufficient workplace transport risk assessment should be in place considering all workplace transport activities. Controls should reduce risk so far as is reasonably practicable.
Three key areas which should be considered are :-
- safe site (design and activity)
- safe vehicle
- safe driver
Safe site design
- Traffic routes including temporary traffic routes – free from obstructions, clearly marked and signposted, sharp corners and blind bends avoided, properly maintained
- Visibility – consider installing mirrors where sharp or blind bends cannot be avoided
- Speed – speed bumps, chicanes etc can be useful in reducing speed onsite
- Lighting – all workplaces should have suitable and sufficient lighting
Safe site activity
- Reversing – Around a quarter of fatalities involving vehicles at work occur as a result of reversing. The best way to prevent incidents is to remove the need to reverse, for example, through the use of one-way systems. Where reversing is unavoidable reversing should be kept to a minimum and controls should be in place.
- Signalling – Banksmen may be useful in some situations. Banksmen must be suitably trained and clearly visible to drivers at all times from a safe position and a clear and recognised system of communication agreed.
- Parking – clearly indicated, separate areas for commercial and private vehicles, parking brake applied, keys removed prior to exiting vehicle
- Coupling and uncoupling, loading and unloading – safe system of work in place, supervision, segregation of area, control of keys, level ground etc
- Tipping
- Overturning
- Contractors and other visitors to site – Clear information provided on site rules and layout, oversight
Safe Vehicle
- Vehicle selection – suitability, warning devices, all round visibility, safe access (where necessary onto and around vehicle)
- Vehicle maintenance – pre use checks in place, routine maintenance, thorough examination where applicable
Safe driver
- Drivers should be suitably competent to operate a vehicle safely and receive appropriate information, instruction and training for the vehicle they use.
Where a workplace is shared all parties must co-operate and communicate with each other with roles and responsibilities clearly defined.
To find out more visit Workplace transport – HSE.
Management of Contractors
Both you and the contractor you use have responsibilities under health and safety law. Make sure everyone understands the part they need to play in ensuring health and safety.
- Identify the job and select a suitable contractor
You are required to ensure the competency of contractors so far as is reasonably practicable. You should: –
- Establish what safety and technical competence is needed for the task
- Ask questions and get evidence, for example do they have a health and safety policy, experience of similar jobs, what qualifications and training are held, do they belong to a relevant professional body, do they have the relevant insurances in place, supervision arrangements
- Go through information about, the job , the site, site rules etc
- Ask for a safety method statement
- Decide whether subcontracting is acceptable and if so, how will health and safety be ensured
- Assess the risks of the work
Provide a description of the work required and ask the contractor to review and come back to you with any comments in case there are any issues you hadn’t thought of.
Contractors should be asked to provide risk assessments and safety method statements. There should be no ambiguity regarding how the work will be done at each stage and who is responsible for what.
Risk assessment must take place prior to any work taking place to ensure suitable and sufficient controls are in place. The risk assessment should then be reviewed regularly.
- Provide information, instruction and training
A site induction should be provided as contractors may not be aware of hazards on the site, site rules and safety procedures, what to wear, special equipment they need to use, what to do in an emergency, the sound of the alarm, and how and when to raise it etc.
In addition contractors should be provided any information, instruction or training required to ensure their own or others safety whilst onsite.
- Cooperate and coordinate with the contractor and consult workers onsite
Where two or more employers share a workplace each employer shall co-operate with other employers, take reasonable steps to co-ordinate between other employers to comply with legal requirements, take reasonable steps to inform other employers where there are risks to health and safety.
It may be necessary depending on the circumstances to arrange pre-location meetings and safety briefings. You should also check in with those onsite regularly to see if they have any concerns.
- Manage and supervise the work
- Ensure a risk assessment has been completed for any work and that suitable safe system of work has been agreed.
- Decide how and who will be responsible for overseeing contractors to ensure work is completed safely and as agreed.
- Always know who is onsite and where they are working. Contractors should sign in and out and have a named site contact
- Reinforce health and safety information and site rules and encourage contractors to report incidents, near misses and injuries to you
Further information
Using contractors: A brief guide INDG368(rev1)
