Health and Safety

Health and safety 

In preparation for a photo shoot there are a lot of things the photographer has to consider. I am going to talk about the health and safety risks on location and in a studio.

Before a photo shoot the photographer and his/her assistant will visit the location to ensure access is available and that the location is safe for all the crew. 

Here are some of the issues that you could come across, these are the things you may find on a risk assessment, as a photographer you have the responsibility to make sure everybody is safe, there may or may not be a solution to every risk.

• contamination - Abandoned warehouse could be filled with chemicals or too much dust, depending on type of warehouse or recent demolition.
• dangerous objects - debris, or falling objects, unsafe floor.
• public - aggressive public, public walking in front of your camera, safety of your self and equipment.
• vehicles - If your on a road or car park vehicles can be a danger.
• height - working on open areas at a height can be dangerous. 
• restricted access - trespassing issues, somewhere isn't open.
• weather -  rain could damage your equipment and ruin your whole shoot.
• animals - Working in a place with dangerous wild animals is an issue.

Studio

When preparing a shoot in a studio, a risk assessment will still be carried out. In a studio its more than likely there will always be studio lights being used. When setting up the lights, all the equipment will be safety checked to make sure any lights will not over heat and blow mid shoot (see - http://bethfphotography.blogspot.co.uk/2013/10/lighting-observation.html to see how to set up studio lights safely) There can be many people at the shoot coming in and out and walking about, it is essential there are no dangers. Things such as wires on the floor and equipment could be a risk as somebody could trip and injure themselves, unprofessional photographers like college and uni students will not have health insurance. A photographer needs to make sure that all employees including all those self employed are trained to use the equipment.

Outdoor

When doing a shoot outside, its essential to get permission if the place is owned. When doing the shoot it needs to be made sure nothing disrupts it such as public, animals. a risk assessment will and should have been carried out to ensure the location is safe for all members of the crew. If the weather is not right, for example if its raining you may need to change the shoot for a different date as everything will get wet and equipment may break, if the shoot was purposely set for a rainy day protective gear for the equipment will be needed. Even though somebody would have already done a risk assessment for the location anything could change so another one should be done for the different date.