Common Hazards and People at Risk

Media production happens in busy, unfamiliar places where people move fast and work long days. A hazard is anything with the potential to cause harm; the risk is the chance that harm actually happens.

Physical hazards

• Working at heights – on ladders or scaffolding, where a fall can break bones.
• Trip hazards from cables and equipment – leads and kit left where people walk.
• Slips, trips and falls – wet floors or uneven ground cause sprains and head injuries.
• Collisions – people, vehicles or moving kit crashing into each other.
• Electric shock or electrocution – damaged leads or water near power.
• Lifting or moving heavy equipment – carrying a rolled backdrop upstairs strains back and shoulder muscles.
• Firearms, stunts, vehicles and crashes, drowning – such as a scene filmed on a river bank.
• Blocked fire exits – boxes piled in front of a door trap people in a fire.
• Very hot or cold locations – heat exhaustion on a sunny parade, or hypothermia on a cold hillside.

Hazards that are not physical

The general public can cause harm too: excited fans may surge forward as a presenter interviews guests at an outdoor screening. Long working hours bring tiredness and exhaustion, and a tired crew member makes more mistakes and is more likely to injure themselves. Stress, anxiety or psychological harm can come from distressing content: an actor asked to perform a violent scene many times may feel real distress, so producers plan rest breaks and limit retakes of upsetting scenes.

People who may be harmed

Producers must think about every group, because a control that protects one person may not protect another: the production team from runners to camera crew, presenters, performers and supporting artists, contributors such as a member of the public being interviewed, audiences watching a studio recording, visitors and members of the public passing the location, children who may not understand warning signs, and people with disabilities who may need a different escape route or extra help.