Film volunteer critically injured

A volunteer at the National Film and Television School has been left paralysed after falling more than two metres from a mock staircase on set.

High Wycombe Magistrates’ Court heard that the incident took place on 20 October 2008 at the Beaconsfield Film Studio, in Buckinghamshire. The school operates the facility, which provides an education in film and television production.

On the day of the incident, a 34-year-old woman, who wishes to remain anonymous, was working as a volunteer costume designer for a student film that was being produced at the studio. She was attending to an actor’s costume, while standing at the top of an unguarded staircase that formed part of the set, when she fell 2.25 metres to the ground. She fractured vertebrae in her back and has been left permanently paralysed from the waist down.

The subsequent investigation identified that there was no edge protection around the top of the staircase, and no safe system of work in place to prevent falls. HSE inspector Rauf Ahmed said: “This terrible incident was clearly preventable if a safe system of work had been put in place by The National Film and Television School during the initial production stages.

“A variety of methods can easily be used to prevent people, or objects falling on theatre sets, depending on the visual appearance desired. It could be as simple as having edge protection at the end of a platform, or having wires attached to stunt performers.

“Of course, last minute creative changes can occur during filming, which is why it is essential an existing safe system of work is in place, with the main objective being to stop incidents like this happening.”

The National Film and Television School appeared in court on 7 June and pleaded guilty to breaching s3(1) of the HSWA 1974, and reg. 5(1) of MHSWR 1999, for failing to put a safe system of work in place. It was fined £17,5000 and ordered to pay £4787 towards costs