OSHA Beefs Up Injury Reporting For TV and Film Production Companies

As of January 1, 2015, TV and film production companies must abide by stricter injury reporting rules.

OSHA is Interested in Hollywood

The Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) -- the federal organization responsible for creating safe work environments -- announced changes to its existing injury reporting rule last year. The previous rule only required companies to report deaths and injuries involving three or more workers in an eight-hour period that required hospitalization. OSHA's new rule, however, states that all injuries requiring hospitalization must be reported. So, how will this affect the TV and film industry?

Majority Injuries go Unreported

According to Deadline.com, the majority of injuries in the TV and film industry go unreported. When an actor or actress is injured, he or she is stitched up before going back to work -- at least this has been the general philosophy. Forcing injured workers to receive hospital treatment can cost valuable hours, if not days. And when a film company is on a tight schedule, that's time it may not have to spare.

Mystery Continues 

The article published at Deadline.com states that fewer than a dozen injuries (in total) involving stunt or special effects workers have been reported to OSHA over the last 10 years. That's a pretty shocking number considering the enormous size and scope of today's film industry. So, why are film companies neglecting to report their injuries? It all goes back to money. Reporting injuries to OSHA means the worker must receive hospital treatment, which takes time -- time that many film companies don't have.

OSHA's New Rule

Whether film companies like or not, however, OSHA's new rule has since taken effect. The new rule states that any injury requiring hospitalization -- whether it's a short 30-minute hospital treatment or several days -- must be reported to OSHA. Injury reporting plays an important role in the prevention of future injuries, as officials can make the necessary changes to existing rules and practices to reduce the risk of such injuries reoccurring.

Final Word

"Ultimately, [the new rules] will produce a safer workplace,” said Lindsay Williams, a spokesman for the U.S. Department of Labor, which oversees OSHA. He also said that some production companies ask workers “not to mention it and keep it off the record. It’s terrible that that sort of mentality exists.”

Question?

Do you think film crews and production companies should do more to protect workers from injury?