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A production company has been fined £300 and ordered to pay £10,500 costs and £300 compensation after an accident on the set of a forthcoming film. One of the cameramen employed by the production company was working on the set when he fell through an opening on the floor.

The set was not lit at the time of the accident, and although some temporary protective measures had been put into place, there were none to prevent a fall through this opening. The cameraman was relatively lucky and escaped with some bruising and suspected broken ribs.

The subsequent Health and Safety Executive Investigation found that a protective railing had not been installed in those areas where it might compromise the authenticity of the Eighteenth Century Japanese set, although the railing was installed following the accident.

The investigation also concluded that the failure to install safety rails put numerous members of staff at risk of serious accidents. They also pointed out the fact that the cameraman could easily have been much more seriously injured or even killed in such a fall.

All workplaces need to have H&S representatives who have undertaken health and safety training and can conduct a thorough risk assessment in order to prevent such accidents from happening.