Category Archives: Health & Safety

BFC Working Safety During CoViD-19 Guidance

Posted on May 16, 2022 by Paul Evans

Here is the latest version of the British Film Commission guidance on this issue [pdf] (posted without comment).

Posted in Coronavirus, Coronavirus, Feature film data, Health & Safety, High End TV data, Low budget features, Safe working practices, Safe working standards | Tagged | Leave a comment

Bectu mental health hub

Posted on April 29, 2022 by Paul Evans

This webpage on the Bectu site includes links to our campaign to give workers the right to switch off from work along with guidance on managing mental health and stress at work, along with some of the union’s work on … Continue reading →

Posted in Bullying and Harassment, Health & Safety, Illness and disability, Mental Health, Wellbeing, Work-life balance | Tagged | Leave a comment

Bectu ‘Live to Work’ campaign launched

Posted on April 27, 2022 by Paul Evans

Bectu has launched the Live to Work campaign aimed at improving terms and conditions in the UK TV drama industry. You can visit the campaign page here and join the network (open to members and non-members), download images to use … Continue reading →

Posted in Bectu Agreements, Film & TV industry policy, Freelance working, High End TV data, Long hours, Safe working practices, Safe working standards, TV Drama Agreement, Wellbeing, Work-life balance | Tagged , | Leave a comment

Update: CoViD health and safety guidance – links

Posted on April 26, 2022 by Paul Evans

Here are some use useful links that include the latest guidance. UK Government Reducing the spread of respiratory infections, including COVID-19, in the workplace – Guidance covering a range of settings, including what can be done to keep others safe. … Continue reading →

Posted in Coronavirus, Coronavirus, Health & Safety, Mental Health, Safe working practices, Safe working standards | Leave a comment

Halyna Hutchins – Rust producers – “demonstrated plain indifference to employee safety”

Posted on April 22, 2022 by Paul Evans

There’s a lot more investigating to take place, not least into the question of how a live round ended up in a prop gun. But here’s CCN’s account of the report released by New Mexico Environment Department’s Occupational Health & … Continue reading →

Posted in Equipment and kit, Health & Safety, Safe working practices, Safe working standards, Whistleblowing | Tagged | Leave a comment

Understanding commuting costs – some bookmarks

Posted on April 19, 2022 by Paul Evans

For freelancers working either in film and TV, or in Live Events, there is often no option to use public transport to get to work. For a typical filming day, Bectu members tell us that they tend to arrive at … Continue reading →

Posted in Feature film data, Film & TV industry data, Film & TV industry policy, Freelance working, High End TV data, Long hours, Safe working practices, UK studios, Work-life balance | Tagged , , | Leave a comment

Personal Protective Equipment should always be provided by engagers when needed – even for freelancers of all kinds

Posted on April 6, 2022 by Paul Evans

We have contacted HSE for confirmation that PPE should always be provided by engagers and the fact that a worker is not a direct employee is no defence. For full details of this guidance, see here.

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Bectu / UK Theatre code of conduct for “Get-ins, Fit-ups & Get-outs”

Posted on April 6, 2022 by Paul Evans

Doug McGill has forwarded this to me. From the Preface: “The original Code of Conduct for Get-ins, Fit-ups and Get-outs was created as a result of a serious accident during the unloading of stage flooring on the back of a … Continue reading →

Posted in Bectu Agreements, Equipment and kit, Freelance working, Safe working practices, Safe working standards, The working environment | Tagged , | Leave a comment

Global standard for safe listening venues and events – World Health Organisation guide

Posted on April 6, 2022 by Paul Evans

The World Health Organisation has published a global standard for safe listening venues and events. It’s a guide to governments, public health agencies, those involved in the creation, distribution, and amplification of music, the private sector, civil society, and everywhere … Continue reading →

Posted in Equipment and kit, Health & Safety, Safe working practices, Safe working standards, Theatre and Live Events data | Tagged , | Leave a comment

The Flexibility Paradox

Posted on April 4, 2022 by Paul Evans

The TUC and Working Families are hosting a launch for a book called The Flexibility Paradox by Dr Heejung Chung on Wednesday 20 April at 1400. Throughout the COVID-19 pandemic, flexible working has become the norm for many workers. But … Continue reading →

Posted in Freelancer rights, Gender equality, Remote working, The working environment, Work-life balance | Tagged , , | Leave a comment

Fatigue in the TV and film industy

Posted on March 28, 2022 by Paul Evans

There’s a useful summary of this issue on the IOSH magazine website here. It’s got a lot of the kind of thing you’d expect (including a quote from our own Spencer MacDonald). And this: “Research says that when an employee … Continue reading →

Posted in Feature film data, Film & TV industry data, High End TV data, Long hours, Safe working practices, Safe working standards, Wellbeing, Work-life balance, Workplaces | Tagged , , , | Leave a comment

Changes to Statutory Sick Pay and Employment and Support Allowance (CoViD)

Posted on February 24, 2022 by Paul Evans

On Monday, the Prime Minister announced an end to day-one access to Statutory Sick Pay (SSP), effective from the 1st April 2022. After that point, workers suffering from CoViD-related illness will have to wait until their fourth day of illness … Continue reading →

Posted in Coronavirus, Coronavirus, Low pay | Tagged , | Leave a comment

Bectu Mental Health and Welbeing Policy published

Posted on February 24, 2022 by Paul Evans

This was an idea that came from Bectu members during the pandemic. We did a load of online sessions discussing different aspects of the question “what is wrong with ‘the freelance deal’?” and there was a repeated refrain saying “our … Continue reading →

Posted in Feature film data, Film & TV industry data, Film & TV industry policy, Freelance working, Freelancer rights, Health & Safety, High End TV data, Long hours, Management, Mental Health, Safe working practices, Safe working standards, Wellbeing, Work-life balance | Tagged | Leave a comment

Looking Glass ’21 report

Posted on February 16, 2022 by Paul Evans

The Film and TV Charity have published their Looking Glass ’21 report. This is a follow-up from their research in 2019 into working conditions in the film and TV industry, and how these impact workers based on responses from more … Continue reading →

Posted in Coronavirus, Film & TV industry data, Freelance working, Health & Safety, Long hours, Management, Mental Health, Skills & capacity, Wellbeing, Work-life balance | Tagged , | Leave a comment

Group decision-making – a guide

Posted on January 10, 2022 by Paul Evans

Just a bookmark for now – a way of deciding how to make a group decision, and an outline of how and when particular ways of making decisions can work and when they don’t.

Posted in Organising Skills, Recruitment and organising, Workplace conflict | Tagged | Leave a comment

UK Screen issues new guidance following UK government’s ‘Plan B’ announcement

Posted on January 5, 2022 by Paul Evans

Update – 5th Jan 2022 – the info on the links below has been updated again. Following tonight’s ‘Plan B’ announcement on CoViD working, my colleague at Bectu, Spencer MacDonald has had this email from Neil Hatton of UK Screen … Continue reading →

Posted in Coronavirus, Coronavirus, Safe working practices | Tagged | Leave a comment

What do employers need to do to retain talent?

Posted on December 15, 2021 by Paul Evans

It’s something of a recurring theme from the Pensions & Investment Research Consultants (PIRC), but all of the research (including their own work with Autonomy and Survation – [pdf]) point to a need to pay people better, treat them with … Continue reading →

Posted in Economics, Employment, Employment Law and Rights, Long hours, Low pay, Management, Mental Health, Productivity, Wellbeing, Work-life balance | Tagged , | Leave a comment

Production Safety Passport

Posted on December 8, 2021 by Paul Evans

In the new year, the union will be doing some promotion for the Health & Safety dimension of our work. This will include the re-constitution of the Bectu H&S committee that stopped meeting during the pandemic. Each division can send … Continue reading →

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Working terms in Swedish productions

Posted on November 29, 2021 by Paul Evans

It’s always worth looking at how other countries do work hours in the film and TV industry, and it is a commonplace view that the Swedish drama sector manages a high quality of production on working hours that also give … Continue reading →

Posted in Bectu Agreements, Employment Law and Rights, EU & Brexit, Factual & Entertainment sector data, Feature film data, Film & TV industry data, Health & Safety, High End TV data, Long hours, Major Motion Picture Agreement, Productivity, SVoD, Tax incentives, Trades Unions, TV Drama Agreement, Work-life balance | Tagged , , | Leave a comment

HSE ‘Working Minds’ campaign launch

Posted on November 18, 2021 by Paul Evans

The UK Health and Safety Executive has launched a campaign website called ‘Working Minds‘ designed to provoke “….a culture change across Britain’s workplaces where recognising and responding to the signs of stress becomes as routine as managing workplace safety.” “Work-related … Continue reading →

Posted in Health & Safety, Wellbeing | Tagged | Leave a comment

Why ‘the freelance deal’ is a big deal – and not just for the workers concerned.

Posted on November 18, 2021 by Paul Evans

There’s a long read on this site about the ‘contingent production army’ that manages large parts of the entertainment industry. Thinking about this issue, and processing it has allowed me to get a clearer idea of what our grievances are … Continue reading →

Posted in Bullying and Harassment, Disability equality, Employment, Employment Law and Rights, Employment status, Equality, Freelance working, Freelancer rights, Gender equality, Gig economy workers, Health & Safety, IR35, Long hours, Management, Mental Health, National Insurance Contributions (NICs), Occupational Health, Personal Service Companies, Productivity, Race equality, Tax, Theatre and Live Events data | Tagged , , , , , , | Leave a comment

Mark Milsome Foundation on the Rust incident

Posted on November 18, 2021 by Paul Evans

The Mark Milsome Foundation, which was founded following the death of Mark Milsome (a British cinematographer who was killed whilst filming a car stunt in Ghana 18th November 2017) has issued a statement (by email – I can’t find it … Continue reading →

Posted in Film & TV industry data, Health & Safety, Long hours, Safe working practices, Safe working standards | Tagged , , , | Leave a comment

BEIS consultation on flexible working

Posted on November 17, 2021 by Paul Evans

The BEIS is currently consulting on flexible working – “Making Flexible Working the Default” – here [pdf]. “This consultation includes a set of proposals which are built around the principle that working arrangements are best decided through a constructive, open-minded … Continue reading →

Posted in Employment Contracts, Gender equality, Gender representation, Health & Safety, Long hours, Productivity, Safe working practices, Safe working standards, Wellbeing, Work-life balance | Tagged | Leave a comment

Natasha’s Law – UK Food Labelling Resource

Posted on November 17, 2021 by Paul Evans

You will probably have noticed the fact that there has been a change in legislation relating to the responsibilities caterers face on food labelling, specifically relating to allergies. The new food labelling legislation in the UK such as the UK … Continue reading →

Posted in Illness and disability, Safe working practices, Safe working standards, Wellbeing | Tagged , , | Leave a comment

Rust – Armoury in the spotlight

Posted on November 9, 2021 by Paul Evans

I’ve avoided posting things that speculate about the incident that led to the death of cinematographer Halyna Hutchins on the set of “Rust” because waiting for the outcome of official inquiries is usually the right thing to do in circumstances … Continue reading →

Posted in Long hours, Safe working practices, Wellbeing | Tagged , , , | Leave a comment

IATSE ballot begins on Friday

Posted on November 8, 2021 by Paul Evans

The IATSE website is reporting that the Contract Ratification Vote will begin Nov. 12, with results expected on the 15th of November. The deal is outlined here. A 49-page memorandum of agreement (MOA) has been circulated. It summarizes in greater … Continue reading →

Posted in Long hours, Trades Unions, Work-life balance | Tagged , | 1 Comment

Updated version of theatre ’10 Principles’ supported by Bectu

Posted on November 1, 2021 by Paul Evans

Today, with Bectu’s support, SOLT and UK Theatre have released an updated version of their 10 Principles for creating safe and inclusive working spaces in the theatre industry, to help tackle bullying, harassment, and discrimination. Bectu have joined a number … Continue reading →

Posted in Bectu Agreements, Bullying and Harassment, Equality, Health & Safety, Mental Health, Safe working standards, Sexual harassment, Theatre and Live Events data, Wellbeing, Work-life balance, Workplace conflict | Tagged , , | Leave a comment

Surprising-yet-unsurprising news about people thinking of leaving their jobs

Posted on November 1, 2021 by Paul Evans

The most surprising-yet-unsurprising nugget here is that “…the majority of those considering quitting had been offered no incentives to stay by their employers.” 📰📰NEW STUDY: How to Solve the Labour Market Crisis by Raising Standards Labour shortages are a principal … Continue reading →

Posted in Economics, Employment, Inflation, Long hours, Low pay, Mental Health, Pay & inflation, The working environment, Wellbeing, Work-life balance | Tagged , | Leave a comment

Skills shortage update – Production Accountants

Posted on October 29, 2021 by Paul Evans

There appears to be a particularly large skills-gap in the area of Production Accountancy with the supply of labour not matching demand. This appears to have been caused, at least in part, due to people leaving the industry for more … Continue reading →

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Bectu engagement with external Health & Safety structures

Posted on October 26, 2021 by Paul Evans

Our Health and Safety Committee has been inactive since the start of the pandemic (though this will change shortly) and Prospect have their NEC Health and Safety committee that continues under the stout stewardship of Chris Warburton. In the meantime, … Continue reading →

Posted in Bullying and Harassment, Coronavirus, EU & Brexit, Film & TV industry data, Health & Safety, Long hours, Management, Mental Health, Occupational Health, Remote working, Safe working practices, Safe working standards, The working environment, Theatre and Live Events data, Trades Unions, Wellbeing, Work-life balance | Tagged , , | Leave a comment

Busy industry = unsafe industry?

Posted on October 25, 2021 by Paul Evans

An Australian study has revealed that economic growth following a period of recession has an impact on workplace injuries. This is particularly interesting in two respects for us at Bectu. The issue of skills fade in theatre and live events … Continue reading →

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Halyna Hutchins – the latest film set tragedy

Posted on October 22, 2021 by Paul Evans

The BBC is rightly focusing on Halyna Hutchins, the cinematographer who died when reporting the incident involving Alec Baldwin and a prop gun in the latest tragedy on a film set. Halyna Hutchins, the cinematographer who died when Alec Baldwin … Continue reading →

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General sense of wellbeing fell during the pandemic

Posted on October 21, 2021 by Paul Evans

The latest in a type of report that is best filed under “probably interesting in the long run, but hopelessly distorted by the pandemic” is the latest report from the ONS on levels of wellbeing and happiness in the UK … Continue reading →

Posted in Coronavirus, Coronavirus, Wellbeing | Tagged , , | Leave a comment

Comprehensive European figures on women’s representation in TV drama

Posted on October 21, 2021 by Paul Evans

Women still under-represented in the #TVfiction industry in Europe🚺Find out more in our report ➡ https://t.co/hjdMgTDNP4 #womeninfilm #diversitymatters #womendirectors #genderequity pic.twitter.com/hqMu7fHIw6 — Europ AV Observatory (@EuAvObservatory) October 20, 2021 The key insights contained in the report are that, beyond obvious … Continue reading →

Posted in Diversity of representation, Equality, Film & TV industry data, Gender equality, Gender representation, High End TV data, Management, Skills & capacity, Wellbeing, Work-life balance | Tagged , | Leave a comment

Flexible working – Arup explore the seven-day week

Posted on October 18, 2021 by Paul Evans

From Arup’s website: “Arup, the employee-owned global engineering and design firm, has today announced it is adopting an innovative hybrid model – known as Work Unbound – that will give its 15,500 employees, known as members, greater flexibility in deciding … Continue reading →

Posted in Employment, Employment Law and Rights, Family rights, Gender equality, Remote working, Work-life balance | Tagged , | Leave a comment