As you may have heard, there have recently been several accidents on college campuses that have resulted in fatalities.  In light of this, I thought it would be a good idea to go over some work rules and ideas. It's my hope that these concepts are well known and considered standard practice by most of you, but I do think they're worth repeating.

 

Please do not work alone.

 Working alone means no one is there to call for help should something go wrong.  It can be a friend, a co-worker or a babysitter.  It simply needs to be someone you can trust to assist you or go get help in an emergency. If you adopt this rule and then never listen to me again, I will still be a happy camper. 

 

Know your surroundings before you start.

 One of the fatalities involved a filmmaker who backed off a roof while shooting a scene.  A spotter, someone who's job is to watch out for trouble spots while the camera person walks around filming, is a great idea.  You can also build a temporary railing a few feet in from the edge of the roof or other obstruction. Checking out a location for aesthetic suitability is all well and good, but you have to evaluate the risks in that area also.

 

And finally, the show doesn't necessarily have to go on.

 It's all well and good to think of the entertainment industry as something special, but the misguided policy of doing a show no matter what can, and sometimes does, get people killed.  You should understand that no one, not your boss or your professor, not the designer or the director, can make you do something that is dangerous or illegal.   You have the moral and legal right to say no if they try.

 

Folks, working in this industry is great fun.  We get to do really cool things and we get to play with really fun toys.  However, you should remember that, when all is said and done, it is still just a job.  You want to be able to go home at the end of the day and then come back tomorrow and play all over again.

 

'nuff said?

 

Thanks,

Bill