Video Production
6.5 What Are My Health and Safety Responsibilities?
This section will cover all the things that you may need to think about regarding health and safety.
Figure 6.6: If in doubt, call an electrician!
Risk assessments
The starting point is to fill in a risk assessment form which will prove that you have thought consciously about what areas you could ensure safety in (see appendix for a template). If any accident occurs and you cannot show you took every precaution possible, it may invalidate your insurance and you may be liable. It may be a good idea to also keep a record of emergency contact numbers and details of any relevant special needs/medication for everyone involved in the production so they are easily to hand in case of an accident.
It is essential to identify each significant hazard before considering how the associated risk should be controlled. In order to do this effectively it is necessary to consider each part of the intended action and answer the question; "What could go wrong?" or "What could happen, other than what is planned?" This is often called the "What if?" question: What if a rope breaks, what if someone trips etc?
A risk assessment should take into account a number of factors:
- How likely is it that something will go wrong?
- If it did go wrong, how serious would the consequences be?
- How often does the risk arise?
- How many people could be affected?
- What does the law require?
Examples of risk assessments can be found on the BBC Health and Safety web site (see level 3 for link) although an easy to complete shortened version would be more appropriate for community group use.
Knowing the risks
Caution must be used, even in the least hazardous areas. Consider the following, which could be found if filming in your kitchen:
- Cables (trip hazard - tape them down).
- Lights (temporary blindness leading to tripping).
- Electricity and water.
- Sharp edges, heat.
- People distracted by the task of filming.
Figure 6.7: Warn people of bright lights and other dangers
Other hazards could come from the environment you are in, specifically the weather or heights.
|
Likelihood |
Major (e.g. death/disability) |
Serious (e.g. serious injury/lost time) |
Minor (e.g. first aid injury) |
Insignificant (e.g. accident but no injury) |
|
Very likely (and will almost certainly happen). |
EXTREME |
HIGH |
HIGH |
MEDIUM |
|
likely (and will probably happen at some time). |
HIGH |
HIGH |
MEDIUM |
MEDIUM |
|
Unlikely (but could happen at some time). |
HIGH |
MEDIUM |
MEDIUM |
LOW |
|
Very unlikely (and might happen only rarely). |
MEDIUM |
MEDIUM |
LOW |
LOW |
In many cases identifying the risks and appropriate precautions may not be as straightforward. It may be useful to get people involved in different areas of the project to fill in a risk assessment form as they may spot different types of risks.
When risks have been identified, their significance can be evaluated and appropriate precautions formulated to eliminate or control them. A risk assessment matrix, as shown below, can be used to determine how likely and/or serious the identified risks are so that you can easily see which are the most important to deal with and eliminated where possible. Plot your risks on here so you can see where your problem areas may be. Remember, it is always better to eliminate a risk than attempt to control it.
Insurance
This will provide some cover should you take reasonable measures and still have an accident. You may already have insurance through the personal liability part of some other insurance, or from an insurance policy your group holds. You could also buy specialist filming insurance, although this may be expensive (see the appendix for more contact details).
Film insurance is highly specialised with each production carrying different risks. The types of insurance needed and level of premium vary from project to project. At its most basic, insurance is generally needed to cover sickness, accident, death (of crew, cast etc.), physical loss and damage to equipment and assets, employers and public liability.
A few types of insurance you may need to be aware of:
- Public liability insurance provides cover for your production in respect of bodily injury or property damage caused by the production’s activities.
- Negative Insurance protects against additional production costs incurred through the damage or loss of stock.
- Error and omissions insurance covers a producer in the event that the production is sued for libel, slander, breach of copyright, invasion of privacy, unauthorised use of trademarks, slogans etc.
- Props and sets insurance may be important if you are filming in an historic building, as you may be asked to provide a special insurance policy to reflect the value of the building and its contents. If you are hiring props or vehicles you may need this insurance.
- Hired equipment insurance is needed if you intend to hire, for example, a crane from a grip company, as the company will require proof that the equipment is adequately insured while on loan. They may provide cover themselves at extra cost if you do not have this type of insurance.