Creative iMedia
R093 – The Media Industry
Block 3.4 – Legal issues
3.44 – Health and safety
Media companies have to deal with Health and Safety. This involves Risk Assessments and Location Recces, both of which appear regularly in the exam.
The key things to know are:
- some examples of health and safety risks and how they can be reduced
- what a risk assessment does and what mitigation means
- what a location recce is and why they are used
You need to be able to apply this to an exam question about any kind of risk assessment. Things like trip hazards are a good one to go to, but make sure you know about things like the ways to mitigate back pain and eye strain from using computers too frequently as well in case a question focuses on that kind of risk.
You might find a YouTube short video (4 mins 7 secs) useful to help summarise this area of the topic.
Resources
The BBC as an example media company
The BBC has an A–Z of Health and Safety rules that you might find useful. There's a lot of stuff here, but if, fo example, you want to know exactly what the BBC suggests its people do when working from heights, go to W and you'll find it there. Or go to L for Ladders to find the specific guidance for that.
There is a lot of different things there. They literally have everything covered, from Accident reporting and investigation, to Zoos, Farms and Animal Sanctuaries. Literally.
If you want to know about advice for people using IT equipment, try the advice the Health and Safety Executiv provides for employers.
Health and safety guidance for filming
Filming in England also has some advice on health and safety for location owners when filming is taking place. They also have advice about filming on public land which contains some health and safety points. Their general website contains all sorts of guidance that might be interesting to take a look at.
The Health and Safety Executive, who are the body responsible for health and safety at work in the UK, has some advice on using explosives when filming and using weapons when filming. They also have geeral information on using computer screens at work and a section that deals with health and safety for film, theatre and broadcasting companies.