Emergency planning, incident reporting and capstone safety plan

Good planning prevents most incidents, but not all. When something goes wrong on a set, such as an electrical shock, a fall from a ladder, a heart attack in the heat, a fire in set dressing or a vehicle striking a crew member, the speed and quality of the response decide whether someone survives. Afterwards, the law requires incidents to be reported and investigated, and the crew must learn from them. This lesson covers emergency planning for locations, first aid and medical response, evacuation, incident and near-miss reporting in Canada and the United States, investigation, and how to put the whole course together in a safety plan for a location shoot. The capstone works through a night exterior with a generator, HMIs, a condor, a frame, rain towers and a camera car, drawing on every lesson in the course.

Emergency planning for a location

Every location needs an emergency plan before the crew arrives. It is part of the location scout and the production's safety program.

• Address and access: the exact address, GPS coordinates and the best access route for ambulances and fire trucks, kept clear of production vehicles.
• Nearest hospital and urgent care: name, address, route and travel time, printed on the call sheet and posted on set.
• Emergency contacts: emergency services (911 in Canada and the US), production office, location manager, set medic and safety officer.
• First aid: qualified first aid attendants or set medics, first aid kits, and an automated external defibrillator (AED) on set.
• Fire: extinguishers of the right types near generators, lights, effects and catering, and knowledge of fire alarm and exit locations in buildings.
• Evacuation: exits, routes, an assembly (muster) point and a head count method using the call sheet or sign-in sheet.
• Severe weather: shelter locations and criteria for stopping work (Lesson 8).
• Communication: radio channels for emergencies, and a backup if cell coverage is poor at remote locations.
• Specialized hazards: rescue plans for work at heights, water, confined spaces and stunts.

First aid and medical response

First aid is required by law on every workplace, and the level depends on the number of workers, the hazards and the distance from medical help.

In the United States, OSHA requires employers to provide first aid trained personnel where there is no infirmary, clinic or hospital in near proximity, generally interpreted as 3 to 4 minutes for life-threatening injuries, and suitable first aid supplies, often based on ANSI/ISEA Z308.1. Many production agreements and permits also require set medics.

• The set medic or first aid attendant leads the response; others help as directed and keep the area clear.
• Call emergency services early for serious injuries or illness; do not wait to "see how it goes".
• For an electrical shock, never touch the person until the power is off. Have a qualified electrician cut the power at the source, then start first aid and CPR if needed.
• For a fall, do not move the casualty unless they are in danger; spinal injuries are possible.
• For suspected heat stroke, cool the person immediately and call emergency services.
• For cardiac arrest, start CPR and use the AED as soon as possible.
• Send someone to meet the ambulance at the road and guide it to the scene.

HSE-110 and HSE-111 cover first aid, CPR and AED use in more detail.

Reporting incidents

After the immediate response, incidents must be reported internally and, for serious cases, to regulators and insurers.

In the United States, OSHA requires employers to report a work-related fatality within 8 hours and an in-patient hospitalization, amputation or loss of an eye within 24 hours (29 CFR 1904.39). Most employers must also record injuries on OSHA 300 logs, and state plans may have extra rules; Cal/OSHA, for example, requires serious injuries to be reported within 8 hours. Workers' compensation claims are reported to the insurer under state law.

• Report near misses and minor injuries internally too. They reveal hazards and patterns before someone is badly hurt.
• Write down facts promptly: what happened, when, where, who was involved, witnesses, conditions and immediate actions.
• Photograph the scene and equipment, but do not disturb it if the law requires preservation.
• Notify the production's safety officer, producer and insurer.

Investigating and learning

Investigations aim to find root causes and prevent recurrence, not to blame individuals.

• Gather facts from people, the scene, equipment, documents (call sheets, plans, permits, inspection records) and photos or video.
• Build a timeline of events.
• Ask "why" repeatedly to get past the immediate cause (for example, a stand fell) to underlying causes (no sandbag, high wind, no wind limit, rushed set-up, crew fatigue).
• Identify corrective actions at the highest practical level of the hierarchy of controls.
• Assign owners and deadlines, and check that actions are done.
• Share lessons with the crew, and, where useful, with the industry through unions, guilds and safety committees.

Building a safety plan

A location safety plan brings together the hazards and controls for a specific shoot. It is usually written by the production's safety officer with heads of department and approved by the producer.

• Shoot description: scenes, dates, location, hours and crew size.
• Hazard identification by department and activity: electrical, lighting, rigging, heights, weather, water, vehicles, effects, firearms, fatigue, public and traffic.
• Controls for each hazard, using the hierarchy of controls, with responsible people.
• Specialists and certifications required: electricians, riggers, lift operators, stunt and effects coordinators, armorer, medics, flaggers.
• Permits and notifications: film permits, fire, police, railways, utilities, landowners.
• Equipment requirements: generator size and location, distribution, GFCI protection, sandbags, wind monitoring, PPE.
• Emergency plan: hospital, access, medic, AED, evacuation, severe weather and rescue plans.
• Communication: call sheet notes, safety meetings, radio protocols, sign-off.
• Review and update: changes on the day trigger a stop and a new safety meeting.

Capstone: a night exterior safety plan

The capstone applies the course to a single scene. A two-night exterior shoot is planned on a residential street at the edge of a river park in late summer. The scene: a car pulls up in the rain, a character runs across the street to the riverbank and the camera booms up to reveal the city. The lighting plan includes an 18 kW HMI and a 12 kW HMI on condors as moonlight, LED panels for the car interior, practicals in two houses and an 8 × 8 frame of diffusion. Special effects will run rain towers over the street. A camera car with a small crane will track the arriving car on a closed section of road. The call is 6:00 p.m. and wrap is planned for 6:00 a.m.