Occupational Health and Safety

Occupational Health and Safety (OH&S)

              Occupational Health and Safety  (OH&S) is are strict guidelines concerned with protecting the safety, health and welfare of people engaged in work or employment. The goals of occupational safety and health programmes include to foster a safe and healthy work environment. these regulations are present in any industry. the guidelines vary from industry to industry based on the different types of hazard in that particular working environment. 
              Due to the variety of locations where filming may take place the OH and S guidelines different vastly, with each location having different health and safety requirements; each each location has its own OH&S check-list. 

OH&S problems when on a studio set: 

- Cables and wires may be incorrectly placed and not secured down to avoid tripping. this could cause damage to equipment and potential harm to crew member. If this problem arises the cables should be taped to the floor or covered to prevent tripping. 

           

           




 - Liquids around the set (i.e. drinks) - damage to equipment if spilt, also risk of slipping if spilt on floor. if this problem occurs the split should be clearly labelled with a wet floor sign, mopped up, and the sign should stay in the same place until the floor is completely dried. 

             







- Equipment not being set up properly - again, causing damage to equipment and risk of harm crew member. any damage to equipment can be avoiding by weighing it down; to stabilise them and prevent them tipping or being knocked over a sandbag should be used on the equipments foot. 

            

            

- Heat from studio lights - crew member could get burnt if over heated lights are not handle properly as well as risk of fires if in a studio. the lights should be left to cool by crew before transporting them to another location to avoid any burns. to avoid fires the lights should be monitored and checked frequently, but as there is still a risk a fire extinguisher should be present on set and every crew member instructed how to operate it. the crew should also have a fire drill in place, in case the fire becomes out of hand. 

OH&S problems when on location: 

- Harmful and unsanitary objects like broken glass, needles etc. . To avoid any accidents the location should be swept and any harmful objects removed safety.  

           

       
     




- Violence, gangs and criminals in area may pose a threat. So to prevent any harm to the crew or damage to the equipment the area should be either secure or security present on location. to prevent anything violent happening more, planning of shots should be done before so that the filming process is quick and the crew can leave the area as soon as possible. 

   

           


 - Theft and/or damage to equipement. The same precautions that should be taken when violence, gangs or criminals are an issue, should be taken to stop and damage to or theft of equipment. 

  

               


 - Uneven and unstable ground. If your location in on a hill side for example, all areas should be checked and double checked, to make sure that the area is safe to work on and a perimeter should be establish so that the crew know where o and where not to walk. 

All of these must be considered and assessed before any shooting begins, it allows an assessment of the risks and solutions to be carried out to prevent any problems being occurring.