ACC Challenges Film and TV Industry to Have a Hmm
The risks of working on a film site
Film and television production sets are often chaotic places with large numbers of people working together to capture that memorable scene. As a result, film sets are high-risk environments where preventable injuries happen on a daily basis. New Zealand has made a name for itself on the world stage as being an ideal location to shoot feature films or television series and the gross screen industry is worth about $3 billion per year.
There have been a number of injuries while filming on our shores. In 2019 Elissa Cadwell, an experienced Brisbane-based stuntwoman and actor, who doubled for Nicole Kidman in Aquaman, was injured during rehearsals at the Kumeu Film Studio. She fell into a large tank of water as planned but struck her head on a bolt in the process. It is understood that Cadwell suffered concussion and required further plastic surgery. Also in Auckland, American actor John Cho was injured while filming, stopping the production of Netflix’s Cowboy Bebop for nine months. The injury happened during the last take of a “routine and well-rehearsed scene”.
Overseas there are plenty of famous film accidents stories. In the making of one of the movies for the Star Wars franchise, a set piece dropped on actor Harrison Ford’s leg. The actor suffered a broken leg and was required to sit out for eight weeks to recover. Tom Cruise famously broke his ankle when he was filming a stunt in Mission Impossible 6. Cruise, who prides himself on doing all of his own stunts, badly fractured his ankle when he was filming a scene where he jumped from one building to another. It suspended filming for seven weeks.
Film sets typically include heavy set pieces and props and staff members must often juggle heavy equipment and props to deliver the visual look and feel directors seek. On-set injuries are common, and it is believed that they often go under-reported.
Concussion in New Zealand workplaces
Concussion is an ever-present threat in workplaces all over New Zealand and the film and television industry is no different.
Virginia Burton-Konia, the Manager of Workplace Safety at ACC, says the number and cost of work-related concussions in New Zealand far outweighs those sustained in sport.
The cost of work-related concussion to ACC is also a good indication of the cost to the person in terms of their independence and the ability to take part in life.
“We want all New Zealanders to be able to complete their work in safe environments,” she says. “Everyone who goes to work each day should return home to their families, happy and healthy.”
Due to COVID-19, 2020 was an unusual year and in general claims received by ACC decreased.
In 2020 there were 1446 new claims accepted by ACC for work related concussion which cost ACC $40 million to help people recover.
The number of concussions receiving weekly compensation from ACC- indicating that a person needed a period of time off work to recover– has increased by 15 times in the past five years.
In 2020 there were 172 people receiving weekly compensation for a work-related concussion compared to 11 in 2016.
Managing and preventing concussion
ACC plays a leading role in both preventing and managing concussion in sport, work and in everyday life. Around 20 – 30 percent of all concussion happen in a sport and recreation context with the remainder at work, home and other environments.
Prevention is key and it is vital that all workplaces adhere to health and safety guidelines to minimise the risk of concussion in the workplace.
“Managing concussion is everyone’s responsibility,” says Natalie Hardaker, an Injury Prevention Partner at ACC.
Concussion can happen to anyone, at any age and in any environment. You don't even need a hit on the head, or to lose consciousness. It can be caused by a simple blow to the body that causes the head to rapidly move back and forth.
ACC educates New Zealanders to remember the Four R’s of concussion management and the same guidelines apply to the workplace.
The four R’s include Recognise (the signs and symptoms of concussion), Remove (the person from play or work) Refer (to a medical doctor to confirm diagnosis and provide treatment/advice) and Recover (before returning to work or play).
“If you or someone else has a suspected concussion, it’s important to be seen by a doctor or emergency department immediately so you can be assessed and treated before returning to sport, work or school,” says Hardaker.
Hardaker says most people do recover from concussion; it is a short-term injury and with good early management and advice improves longer term outcomes.
She says ACC wants people to report concussion and to make sure they take the time to recover and make a sustained return to work. Often when people return too quickly, they end up needing more time off and have a longer period of ongoing symptoms.
“There are some people that may have persistent concussion symptoms and these cases people need to be recognised early and referred for additional support,” she says.
There are a range of physical and memory-related signs to look out for with concussion including; loss consciousness or balance, becoming confused, or having a dazed or blank look.
People with concussions may also complain of headaches, blurry vision, dizziness, or sensitivity to light or become emotional or irritable, or have trouble recalling information they should know the answer too, such as where they are and what activity they were doing.
Not reporting or seeking treatment for a concussion can increase the likelihood of a poor and prolonged recovery. It is important for people who have suffered a concussion to prioritise their recovery and wellbeing.
“Have a Hmmm”
ACC is encouraging all workers in the film and television industry to have a Hmmm to prevent injury.
The government agency accepts two million injury claims every year, which equates to more than 5,000 injury claims every day in Aotearoa.
These claims cost more than $4 billion annually. These injuries have a substantial impact on the wellbeing of the people of Aotearoa.
In April, ACC launched an Injury Prevention campaign called Preventable which lays down a wero (challenge) to all New Zealanders to stop and take a moment to assess the risks at home, work and play.
By taking a moment to prevent injury, they can keep doing the things they love and keep from harming others around them.
Virginia Burton-Konia, the Manager of Workplace Safety at ACC, says Preventable aims to improve the wellbeing of New Zealanders by decreasing the number of injuries and reducing the severity of injuries.
“We are challenging all New Zealanders to have a Hmmm,” she says. “It’s important to take a moment to think about what they are about to do and think about what could go wrong to prevent injury.”
In many ways the film set is akin to a building site with the large number of people and activity, and the presence of stunt activity only elevates the risk.
“We know that the film and TV industry is dynamic and has lots of moving parts and chances for things to go wrong, so it is important to slow down and reduce the risk of injury.
“It’s also important to have a well-planned and organised site – the latter is the best indicator of producing good safety outcomes.”
Burton-Konia says the research shows it is estimated that 90 percent of injuries aren’t random, unconnected or unpredictable – they are predictable and therefore preventable.
She says taking a pause for a few seconds can save days, weeks, months or a lifetime of harm and hurt – for the person and others.
“Injury harm continues to be unacceptably high which impacts the wellbeing of the entire country. We can all collectively do more to look out for ourselves and each other.
We want people to be out there and doing the things that they love, and living life to the full, but we also want to collectively change our mindset on preventing injury.”
The Preventable campaign was informed by significant qualitative and quantitative research which identified four key attitudes to risk – Opportunity, Nurturer, Excitement and Attentive.
“We’ve learnt a lot about how the people of Aotearoa think about risk and injury, and what might get them to think and act differently,” says Burton-Konia.
The campaign was launched with two videos – one where a man is considering jumping from a waterfall and another where a woman is looking to kill a mosquito with her jandal while balancing on her dresser. They show the individual thinking about if they get hurt, others they care about are also harmed.
Every year ACC invests around $80 million into Injury Prevention to support the wellbeing of New Zealanders by reducing the number and severity of injuries.
Concussion in New Zealand workplaces
- In 2020 there were 1446 new claims accepted by ACC for work related concussion.
- ACC spent around $40 million helping people recover from work related concussion in 2020
- The number of serious concussions – where the person is off work for a period and received weekly compensation from ACC – has increased by 15 times in the past five years.
Managing and Preventing concussion
- Managing and preventing concussion is everyone’s responsibility.
- ACC educates sports players to remember the Four R’s of concussion management and the same guidelines apply to the workplace.
1. Recognise - the signs and symptoms of concussion)
2. Remove (the person from play or work)
3. Refer (to a doctor for specialist treatment)
4. Recover (before returning to work or play).
Preventable – BY THE NUMBERS
- ACC accepts over two million injury claims per year, that is over 5000 a day
- These claims come at annual cost of $4 billion
- It is estimated that 90% of all injury claims are preventable
- ACC will invest $7.6 million in the Preventable campaign over the next two years, as part of its overall $80 million per annum investment into Injury Prevention.
