Health & Safety

Our Health and Safety guidelines are designed to keep you and other students safe. It is important that you read, digest and follow these rules, as well as using your common sense and awareness.

General Guidelines when on Campus

All staff/students/users of Central Film School premises should be aware of the emergency procedures. Students will be taken through this as part of their induction process.

First Aid kits can be found: G.10 Resource & Facilities Office

• No medication can be administered to any students or employees.
• Any rubbish MUST be placed into the bins provided, which are emptied regularly.
• All Central Film School premises are No Smoking or Vaping.
• No animals are allowed on the premises except by prior arrangement.

General Guidelines for Productions

All students must be aware of health and safety procedures and potential hazards and risks for filming before the start of a production. This includes the completion and approval of a risk assessment and the adherence to the findings of this assessment.

All accidents must be logged in the ‘Accident Report Book’ – held by the Facilities Coordinator in G.10 Resource & Facilities office.

Students are requested to wear appropriate clothes when working on projects – especially when filming. Students must be aware of protective clothing (i.e. gloves for work with hot lights).

Film equipment should NOT be left lying around.

The primary responsibility for health and safety on any production rests with the Appointed Person. They may delegate tasks to various other crew members, but will remain responsible for ensuring that all such tasks are completed satisfactorily. They are also responsible for adherence to risk assessment.

General Notes

Remember to consider your cast and crew, and members of the public at all times. 

Take ample time to consider and plan your shoots.

Studio Use

Studio A and Studio B is a fully functioning shooting stage on Central Film School Campus that some students will have the opportunity to use. Use of the studio comes with certain prerequisites. You must return the studios to the condition in which you found it. If this has not happened you may lose the right to shoot in the studio in the future.

• For personal projects, you must have an appropriately trained person with you for the duration of the shoot period.
• The fire exits must be clearly visible and unobstructed at all times.
• All cables and other tripping hazards must be clearly signposted or safely stored.
• You are not allowed to use the flats stored at the rear of the stage without being constructed by a qualified individual.
• You are not allowed to use the ceiling mounted lighting rig or video projector unless arranged with the Resource Team.
• You must not climb up fixed stage ladders to the lighting rigs without an authorised personnel on site.
• When filming on a set or on location it is the duty of the First Assistant Director to ensure there are no trailing wires, cables, or any other tripping hazards or obstructions.
• All cables need to be tidied away, stored under protective mats. All tripping hazards, including cables and wires, must be signposted.

Filming with the Public/on Streets and Roads

When filming near public roads crews MUST wear reflective high visibility waistcoats – available from the Kit Room (consult Kit Coordinators)

If you’re filming on a street, or any public area, remember that your crew may be aware of a cable, track or tripod, but a passer-by may not. If you cannot ensure obstructions are securely out of the way, ensure a member of the crew is available to direct the public around it.

If you have to shoot in the road itself you need to notify the police, the local council, and place appropriate cones and diversion signs around your shoot. If you are controlling traffic a member of the Police will need to be present.

Be sure to consult our Weapons, Police Representation & Public Safety Protocols for further guidance.

Emergency Planning

You must always have pre-set arrangements for emergencies to include an isolation area for anyone who falls ill during the course of the filming period. There should always be someone on set with authority to take charge in emergency situations – the “appointed person”. This should be noted on the Call Sheet so all crew and cast are aware of who to approach in the event of a Health & Safety incident. 

Call Sheets for the shoot, which must go to all cast, crew and your Course Leader, must include the details of the nearest hospital as well as the mobile number of all people with health and safety responsibilities. 

Wrap Reports must detail any on set Health & Safety incident.

Cast & Crew

Medical

All cast and crew should be asked if they have any medical conditions they think they should tell you about. This should be done in private and this information should be kept in the strictest confidence and only disposed of after shooting in line with Central Film School’s schedules. 

You must not share medical or other personal information with anyone else without the individual’s consent. If you have a cast or crew member with a condition you must find out what to do for them in event of an emergency – such as a nut allergy incident – and ensure that your on-set health and safety designate is aware of this.

Equipment Handling

Make sure all of your equipment is safe to use and make sure that all members of the cast and crew use equipment safely and with care. Use of equipment should be in line with training. If you plan to hire additional equipment you will need to prove competency. Any externally hired crew are required to send in a CV to the relevant Course Team for review.

Personal Protective Equipment (PPE)

Arrangements must be made to ensure that any necessary safety equipment is available to those who require it. Personal Protective Equipment (PPE) covers all equipment that is worn or held to protect against risks to health and safety – this may include flame resistant clothing, goggles and respirators, gloves and hard hats. PPE should be provided to employees at no charge when a risk requires it. 

PPE must be kept in good condition and working order. You should carry out a risk assessment regarding the suitable use of PPE.

Hazardous Items

Before using hazardous items, you must seek Specialist advice and have a completed and approved Risk Assessment. All filming that uses hazardous items must be referred to the insurers. Always consider whether the hazardous item is really necessary to your production, and what the options of simulation are first. 

Items that are hazardous include: any substance that is hazardous to health; any substance or equipment that may cause an explosion or a fire; any radioactive substance; any bacteria, viruses or other infectious material; any drugs normally requiring a prescription; any high risk equipment, e.g. lasers; any compressed gas; equipment with exposed dangerous moving parts; equipment capable of producing very high or low frequency sound levels; equipment with exposed dangerous voltages.

Explosives and Firearms

Information on this can be found within CFS’ Weapons, Police Representation & Public Safety Protocols.

Risk Assessment

Per production a Risk Assessment must be carried out. As a part of our pre-production process a Risk Assessment Form must be filled and filed with both our Resources Team and your Course Leader. Please find our BLANK Risk Assessment Form on our Google Classroom (Production Management Hub) or talk to a member of our faculty to direct you through the process. Please note that no student productions will be produced without this crucial form/assessment. 

In completing the forms, assess both the severity of the hazard (from negligible to very severe) and the likelihood of it occurring (from unlikely to very likely). Then decide the action to take to mitigate against injury or damage. Module risk assessments are approved by the lead tutor on individual modules, or the kit room for personal projects. Shooting cannot commence without confirmation that both of these have been approved. Risk Assessments are vital to filmmaking and a legal requirement so you are advised to ensure that your Risk Assessments are discussed, completed and signed off well in advance of your shooting dates. If you are taking kit out from the school, it can only be released if you have completed and approved Risk Assessments. 

An essential part of the pre-production planning process is to assess risk and be aware of health and safety. A film set is a temporary workplace, and you are therefore responsible for the health and safety of your cast and crew. You should demonstrate in your risk assessment form that you have given proper thought to the prevention of damage and injury

There are three areas to Health and Safety in filmmaking: equipment, crew (and cast), and the public. You must be aware of all three when you create your risk assessments. 

When shooting on location you must review the location before you shoot to check for any logistical and health and safety issues. You must also gain appropriate permissions for shooting from owners, the local council and the Police. Also, you MUST make sure when on a shoot that the proper authority knows where, when and what you are doing – and, most importantly, that you have written approval

Central Film School requires the indirect and direct assessment of: 

• Children
• Extreme hot/cold temperatures
• Private residence 
• On Campus Productions
• Individuals outside Central Film School
• Sexual content 
• Fire

The attention to detail a student has on their pre-production process ensures a safe working environment for cast, crew and faculty. These lists are subject to change  based on our insurance policies, as such please use our latest version of our Blank Risk Assessment Form. All staff and students will be updated when a new edition of our Risk Assessment Form is released.

Filming at Night

When shooting at night seek advice from our Module Leaders and course team and ensure you do the following: 

• Provide extra light onset and offset. A light for working beyond the actual set, and/or for any areas where greater care is needed.
• Extra Needs for Crew: heating, time, food and clothing, hot drinks. If your shoot wraps in the middle of the night, you need to make ample provisions for the cast and crew to get home. This may include a cab/taxi.
• If the work is near busy canals, roads, railways, the sea, or airports, you’ll need to liaise with the local council and Police.
• When working at night, individuals are prone to get tired. Tiredness is a major cause of accidents. In your risk assessment, you will need to make provision for this.

First Aid

The First Aid Book and kit are located in the reception/front desk at the main entrance of the campus building on the ground floor. Additionally there is a First Aid kit located in the kit room at the rear of the building. 

If you are on site out of hours at a time when the office staff are not in the student who has requested access will be responsible for First Aid. This means you have responsibility for contacting emergency services if needed and reporting the accident to the office the next time it is open. It does not mean you have to give first aid if you are not qualified.

Fire Prevention

You must take every reasonable measure to prevent a fire from happening. There must be adequate fire fighting equipment at each location, and ensure that all cast and crew are aware of a pre-nominated safe area where they will assemble in the event of a fire. If a fire occurs, you should follow a predetermined process similar to Fire Procedure available also from Central FIlm School (although you should use these in conjunction with any fire regulations of the studio/location at which you shoot). 

Fire Safety

Fire Procedure

In case of fire please read the fire notices in your teaching room. 

If you hear the fire alarm:

• Leave the building via the nearest fire exit and assemble at the relevant assembly point.
• Do not put yourself or anyone else in danger.
• Do not stop to take your bags and coats – leave IMMEDIATELY.
• Do not run

If you find a fire

• Do not attempt to do anything about it directly yourself. Raise the fire alarm by activating the nearest alarm point (there are several around the School) and follow the evacuation procedures per the Fire Safety information.
• The designated Fire Warden on duty will assess the fire. If it is assessed as an emergency, or if necessary, the Fire Warden will assign a member of staff to escort all individuals in the building outside through the nearest fire exit
• The Fire Warden will assign a different member of staff to immediately call the emergency services 999.
• The Fire Warden will check that all the rooms have been evacuated and will then join all other individuals at the assembly point.
• If you cannot find a Fire Warden or member of staff, please call 999. Leave the building via the nearest fire exit, and assemble at the nominated assembly point.
• Never re-enter the building for any reason in the event of a fire