Friday, October 30, 2015
The Hidden Dangers For Workers on Film and TV Sets
The Leonard Lopate Show - WNYC: Industrial hygienist Monona Rossol returns to the show to discuss health and safety on film and TV sets. She will address safety violations in the film and TV industry which have resulted in injuries and deaths, such as the death of a young crew member last February on the set of the upcoming Gregg Allman biopic.
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Regardless of any specific concerns that people raise about an individual production or industry wide issues, safety I think comes down to one thing: Attitude. In any given workplace, it is impossible for safety regulations and common sense to be enforced by the laws of the universe, they are enforced by people, and people arnt perfect and sometimes they don’t care. Its not just in situations where people consciously put production and end results ahead of the right process and safety, but in situations where people are tired or improperly educated about the dangers of a situation or a process. Situational common sense does more to prevent accidents than any written down set of regulations and restrictions can. I admit that there have been many times when I think “Well, its not that dangerous, and I really need to do this thing to move the production forward” And I go ahead and do it anyway. Safety is a factor that we often don’t think about when considering the scope of production. If a production requires us to do something that we have time and money for, but is unsafe, its out of scope.
Creating different aspects of a costume require me to come into contact with a variety of chemicals I would venture to say most people do not come in contact with on a day to day basis. Using these chemicals safely is imperative to help ensure that I am able to do this for a long time to come. I know that different facilities take different precautions about safety, but especially when using toxic chemicals it is important to follow the actual rules. Yes, I do think Manona is a bit extreme, but you need people like her to help those who do not fallow any regulations to maybe even follow a few. I find that it is sometimes hard, especially when you are in a rush to take the extra time to do things safely, but you need to. I’ve also found some bosses weren’t to keen on spending the extra time sometimes, but regardless of they say to you, spend the time and insist you follow at least the minimal safety requirements for the products you use.
I remember reading an article posted on News from the Real World when the Midnight Rider accident had first happened. In a way, I am deeply relieved that there is still conversation going on about it. It should have never happened in the first place, but I am glad collective hindsight has gained some longevity. It was interesting to hear about the aftermath of the accident, especially with regards to the management of that particular shooting location and itinerary. What rankled with me was that those in charge were only given probations of varying terms and degrees. The outcome appears a bit too "slap on the wrist" to serve as a lasting reminder and means through which to dissuade such negligence from reoccurring.
One one final note, as important as the content of this audio program was, a good deal of the terminology used and allusions made could alienate an everyman-type audience member. This everyman ignorance and lack of utilization of accessible terminology on the broadcasters' part to educate their audience combine to foster environments where accidents like the one discussed will continue to occur.
As with most Podcasts like these the purpose of the content is to excite a response and as such they have a tendency to be a little excited sounding. But she brought up some very good point about the use of chemicals in the work place, just recently for our Technical Management class we had to do a safety report on several chemical used around the house, and in the costume and scenery shops. In doing this project I talked with shop manager Kate Mitchell on the properties of a shoe glue called barge. She told me about how it was the best glue for repair and for building dance shows as its hold was really uncontested by any other product. The downside, however, and the reason that she did not stock barge in the shop inventory was it had proven links to cancer and she was not willing to risk the safety of her students and staff. In the end it comes down to this: the managers, directors and job leads have to make the decisions that pit people at risk everyday. Hopefully the men and women chosen to be in charge have enough good sense like Kate does to minimize that risk as much as the can.
No matter where someone goes safety will always be an issue, that is why we must always watch our surroundings and keep safety as a top priority. although accidents are im sure a huge part of safety most of them are prevented. The thing I like that was brought up in the article was chemicals and toxic materials in the workplace. I never really thought about what i was working with until i was advised to be careful with acetone. After i accidentally got a smell of it it surprised me that it could even be in the workplace. The biggest thing i watch out for in safety is how we use tools in the shop. I think i can say that almost all the tools in our shop are dangerous in one way or another. Only after years of training do i now have the confidence to use a tool and know that i will use it correctly. Although i am confident i make sure that i am not over confident and use the tool the wrong way. many friends of mine have done that and seriously injured themselves because they thought well I've used this tool a 100 times, using it wrong this once should be fine. safety should never be forgotten especially when you're in a crowded shop like CMU.
Most people have no idea how dangerous it is working in entertainment industry, not only specifically film and TV, but live theatre like us too. That’s why we all have to take OSHA , that’s why us managers have to always keep an eye on safety issues like crazy people and all those sort of things. It’s not only that thing about dangerous equipment and things, it’s also us ourselves in terms of health condition and the quality of living. My life changes a lot since I shift into this industry and I can see clearly how if you not always keep an eye on your health, both mentally and physically, you’ll get destroyed and you will get sick very easily, I got some health problem today after the shift so that’s why I’m saying this. Most people outside this world would never know, they don’t understand why I’m busy all the time day and night and why working on Saturday and Sunday, they just confused of how crazy this industry is.
Wherever one works, either in the film industry or live theater, there are hazards everywhere--dealing not only with very dangerous equipment but set pieces flying in and out of the wings, not to mention heavy lighting equipment and other tools which require specific knowledge to be used correctly. What shocked me after reading this article is the lack of punishment for those who were in charge--if they are responsible for the accident, shouldn't they receive the full repercussions for not being able to fulfill their job requirement?
In order to prevent these tragic mistakes from happening in the future, it is extremely important to teach cast and crew the precautions necessary to stay safe on set and make sure they know how to use or avoid equipment that requires a skillful hand. With knowledge comes power, and hopefully this is a lesson to everyone in the industry to provide the tools necessary to be safe and be responsible.
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