To think really, safety should be no.1 priority

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For film production students? We're in our final year for the love of Sony, and yet today I saw:

A guy get sent home from a TI (Technical Instruction) session for wearing...FLIP FLOPS. He came back in some trainers.
Another girl in ballet pump style shoes with the top of her foot completely exposed.
People not paying attention when there's heavy camera gear around, so the person wearing the camera rig is struggling with the weight (it's a Glidecam rig, if anyone knows about these sort of things).

Before that, we've had people not holding onto jib arms when we've been adding weights (this can turn the thing into a giant trebuchet basically). Or getting one person to support the weight of the entire thing.
We've had people knocking tripods over and dropping heavy batteries.
People turning up severely hung over, unable to do much.

There's also issues of professionalism within TI's and lectures. People on the phone, talking, being rowdy etc.

Now just to point out, the lecturers DO pull people up on it, but they shouldn't have to!

I have steel toe capped trainers. They cost £22 and I'd rather spend that money than spend time in hospital with severe foot injuries.

It's a shame, because as my lecturer pointed out to me (out of uni and off the record) it's probably going to take an accident for people to realise we aren't messing about!

Anyway, just my rant for the day. I do really think about safety in lectures, and on my shoots, so this is very annoying!

YANBU DH teaches construction students who turn up in all sorts of inappropriate clothing that can tangled / burnt etc

It's mad because the girls are all in the latest tops etc which must cost about £30 each, why not save some money for something that could really help??

Maybe I'm just weird but I've become attached to all 10 of my toes over the last 20 years!

surprised they allowed in without safety type clothing. i am in construction; no boots, no hat, no job.

It's their, "It'll never happen to me" attitude that worries me, because it CAN. And if it does, the implications are far reaching and very serious, and then they'll moan even more when the requirements for risk assessments become even more strict than they are now!

And I forgot one. The number of times people were being placed into the vest for the rig (which needs various straps vigorously tightening by about 4 people, all bracing against that person) near cameras on stands that could be knocked over, or not bracing so the person was being thrown all over the place was incredible. And in my case, I thought the vest was tight enough, it turned out it wasn't so within five minutes my back felt like it was on fire and I had to call it a day :( Really wanted to get on with these camera rigs as well :(

When lecturer says "4 of you brace that person while you tighten the straps, you've been shown 10 times already" he MEANS IT. He ain't telling you for a laugh. He's also the one who had to come down on us all because of the few, very hungover people the other week.

It is irritating, even more so when you're acting as Producer or 1st AD and are considered to be in charge of safety. If something goes wrong, it's your fault. And you have to write tons of safety measures on the risk assessments - the lights will be weighted with sandbags, the jib will always be supervised by two people etc - and then no one actually 'obeys' the safety measures. Used to annoy me too.

Worst one I had was when the Director insisted on setting up the jib to swing out over a balcony. Then it didn't swing far enough so he wanted to lean it on one leg. He was ignored...

Our technicians loved telling us horror stories though! Some idiots in the second year took indoor lighting outside on a windy day! It came crashing down inches from someone's head, apparently. Poor technicians were shaking for hours when they heard, it would easily have killed someone.

Yikes. See, we were never told stories like that, maybe that's the problem. Got any more I can share with friends/lecturers/anyone who needs something to think about?

And can't say I blame you for ignoring the Director. But that fits the stereotypical director image perfectly!

They were always telling us horror stories and showing us horror documentaries. I can't remember any more though, they were largely depressing... I seem to remember there was one about always locking the Edit Labs while you were in there in case someone else came in with a crowbar. I can't remember if that was based on a true story though!

Most people cared more about the equipment than themselves, on a very cold January day everyone took off their coats and wrapped the camera up instead!

Haha, that reminds me when I used to help at ice hockey games on the crowd camera last year, I'd keep the spare camera batteries in my jeans pockets and hold onto them to keep the heat in! If I was a bloke it would've looked very incriminating! LOL!

We're told to keep doors locked because apparently if we don't, G5 Macs can wander away in anyone's hands!

And this is where the difference is, my year seem to care very little about our kit :( to the point of it apparently being returned soaking wet on occasions... :(

People get killed at film school

:( Might pass that on to a few people, a stark reminder that a) we are not invincible, and b) are not above the law simply because we're at a University.

"not above the law simply because we're at a University."

My mother was a teachers' union safety rep, and reckoned that schools still secretly believed they had crown immunity.

must be the industry you guys are in, cos on our (construction) course i recall we had to put on boots and hi viz to go outside and stand on the pavement and look at the highway as part of a lesson on road construction - the pavement we had just walked along to get to the lesson :)
mind you construction did have one of the worst death and accident rates for many years

tbh, I hate the whole "safety first" culture. Let me take informed risks, ta.

I am not sure that your fellow students are "informed", though, OP?

I too hate the health and safety obsession, however on a Film Production course (or indeed any course) it's SO important. Not just because you're using heavy/electrical/dangerous equipment, but also because people get blamed. The lecturers have to emphasise things so much, because if anything goes wrong a lot of the blame would be on them.

It's astonishing what you can injure yourself on too.

"Let me take informed risks, ta."

Let managers coerce you into taking risks, too. That's why we have Health and Safety law: to stop managers from using their authority and coercive power to make people accept unacceptable risks.

Ragged, I think that you're right to an extent, there are some daft rules out there, such as that thing a few years back about kids wearing goggles to play conkers. But, in the industry I'm training in, the rules are there for a reason, and we as students certainly aren't informed enough to decide to break them. At least I don't think so. I'd rather stick to the rules and be called over-cautious than break them and risk injury to someone, or worse.

But that's just my opinion :)

", such as that thing a few years back about kids wearing goggles to play conkers. "

Which is nothing to do with the HSE. They even disclaimed it publicly. www.hse.gov.uk/myth/september.htm

Ah, see, students AREN'T informed then, my mistake :). But you get the sort of thing I mean?

People seem to not think for themselves now. Environmental science undergrads had to be warned that on a field trip there was a risk of getting bitten by insects, or stung by nettles ! Surely that is part of the territory with any field trip (or walk in the country) ?!