Risk Management

We have all had to make changes and compromises, even sacrifices, in order to get over the real threat of COVID. It has had a massive impact on the whole entertainment sector, not just filming.

As the shadow of COVID still hangs in the air, and we are dealing with those risks, we are slowly returning to the sometimes chaotic world of location filming.

On a busy location shoot, there are other risks lurking around in addition to COVID-19. As individual crew members focus on their particular roles, hazards can sometimes be overlooked which can quickly turn into a serious risk.

A hazard IS a risk, right?? No. Think of a sandy beach, with a shark-infested sea. You’re standing on the beach. The shark infested sea is a hazard, but if you remain on the beach you are safe. The risk  occurs when you get into the sea with those pesky sharks. Similarly, on a film set a steep but grassy bank can be turned into a hazard by rain and mud during use, and continued use makes it a risk for the crew and their equipment. Add to this darkness or time pressure, and you’ve got an even bigger risk.

So what to do about it? Take the last picture above. The hazard is the vertical drop to the quarry floor 100 feet below. There is very little risk as the Spark is located behind a bund of rock. Should the DoP have wanted the light closer to the edge, the hazard is the same, but the risk is much greater. In this particular instance, we had pre-rigged ropes with harnesses and tether points for the equipment, with two safety technicians on hand at all times. The hazard remains, but the risk is mitigated.

If you have location shoots that may have environmental hazards such as height, water, coastal or remote locations, quarries, steep ground or confined space, please do pick up the phone for a chat to see if we can help.

Our aim is simple:

There is a perception amongst some that in order to complete any task, let alone one as complex as filming, that risk must be removed.

In short, filming anything without risk is the equivalent of trying to bake a cake without flour or cook an omelette without eggs.

The truth about risk is that it is a constant. This means two things. Firstly, it cannot be removed, but more importantly, it is predictable.

Speak to any Producer, and they will tell you that their job is almost completely about managing risk. The risk of delays due to bad weather, the risk of financial overrun, physical risk to cast and crew, reputational risk to the production company – the list is almost endless.

So, if risk cannot be removed, how can it be managed and who can manage it? Well, if the risks are known, then the mitigation can be put in place, hence minimising the risk through strategy, tactics and operations, instead of trying to remove it. The closer to the middle of the spectrum they are, the less likely they are to change… predictable risk.

Where there is unknown risk, then by definition the mitigation for it is also unknown. Where this is the case, there are two ways to deal with it.

Avoid the situation and abandon the plans for the shoot that you want, or consult with a specialist with the necessary experience and judgement to mitigate risk outside of your area of expertise, especially in a dynamic environment where weather, footfall, terrain, height, water or confined spaces are involved, with the prospect of unknown and changing risk over time.

The staff of On Sight Safety Solutions Ltd are all Mountain Rescue Team members, and in the course of our many rescues, we have seen how a simply grass slope, easily accessible by the first on scene, can quickly turn in to a treacherous hazard. This is where judgement and experience dictates putting in safety measures before the risk presents itself.

As a company we exist solely to assess the risks of locations and the plans for filming, create methods statements and deliver those methods on the day either on or off camera, to ensure the safety of cast and crew from the start of rigging days to the post filming de-rig.

If you are planning on filming on location where there is any sort of potential environmental risk, please do get in touch with us for an informal chat about how we can help you get the shots that you want, safely.