The film and television industry is weathering a tumultuous year. In May, the Writers Guild of America (WGA), which represents thousands of writers of television shows and films, went on strike, and were joined in mid-July by about 160,000 actors, performers, and others represented by SAG-AFTRA, the Screen Actors Guild – American Federation of Television and Radio Artists. These disputes mark the first time in more than 60 years that American writers and actors have walked off the job simultaneously. While issues related to compensation and artificial intelligence top the unions’ lists of concerns, safety is also a matter of contention. For example, one of SAG-AFTRA’s proposals has to do with ensuring that performers are allowed sufficient rest between workdays. As this issue of The Synergist went to press, WGA and SAG-AFTRA had yet to reach agreement with the Alliance of Motion Picture and Television Producers (AMPTP), the trade association representing film and television studios. Though the strikes have temporarily halted the production of many films and television shows, Hollywood’s hazards and risks will remain when affected productions resume. To better understand the role of IH and OEHS in the entertainment industry, The Synergist spoke with several occupational and environmental health and safety professionals who work behind the scenes to protect cast and crew members. GRUELING SCHEDULES Part of what makes the film and television industry unique is the dynamic between process and artistry, says Justine Parker, CIH, CSP, CPH, CHMM, a principal science advisor with Stantec’s ChemRisk group in Colorado, whose experience includes supporting both news and film productions. While OEHS professionals working in industries like manufacturing can take a more process-oriented approach to addressing health and safety issues, those supporting the television and film industry must also contend with the influence of artistry, which, Parker explains, “will constantly adjust and change the situation” on set. The transient nature of the industry presents further challenges, according to Mona Shum, MSc, CIH, the principal industrial hygienist at Aura Health and Safety Corp. in Burnaby, British Columbia. The province is nicknamed “Hollywood North” because it has become one of the largest film production locations in North America. People involved with films and shorter television series may only work on productions for a short time before moving on, Shum says. The impermanence of these productions can make it tempting for those in the industry to ignore issues such as improper containment of contaminants or poor ventilation, but Shum has seen improvement in this area in recent years. Work in television and film is often characterized by long and nonstandard hours. Call times for cast and crew may be 6 a.m. on Monday, but by Friday the day is set to start at 2 p.m. due to workdays that stretched to 14 hours or more. This grueling schedule can lead to many a “Fraturday,” which occurs when a day’s work begins on Friday and extends into the early morning hours of Saturday, Shum explains. Shift work can be stressful both mentally and physically, she says, with adverse effects on workers’ sleep cycles and gastrointestinal systems. Film crews expect OEHS professionals supporting productions to keep up in the ever-changing environment on set. It’s important for health and safety professionals to be nimble enough to come up with solutions based on changes from just about any crew member—directors, cinematographers, and set designers included—and to safely manage any unacceptable risks that may arise, Parker stresses. And those in the industry “have no qualms about asking you to come and monitor ‘right now,’ at all different hours,” Shum says. “So, it’s very demanding, but [the industry offers] really interesting projects.” HAZARDS, UNIQUE AND FAMILIAR Filmmakers are sometimes drawn to locations that are tricky from an industrial hygiene perspective. They may want a horror film or teen drama series to take place in a gloomy, decrepit building, or a documentary series might involve filming in water. Shum’s team once responded to a location where a few riggers who were hanging lighting were hospitalized following an unknown exposure. The space had several inches of dust on the rafters, presenting a possible source of metals and biological hazards. Since Shum and her colleagues weren’t present during the incident and no monitoring was being done at the time, they had their detective work cut out for them. “We knew that with [effects] that acute, it had to be something that could happen fairly immediately or within a short time period,” she recounts. Shum’s approach included sampling and interviews. She and her colleagues also noted a number of forklifts and trucks being driven through the fairly enclosed space, which had bay doors but was not mechanically ventilated. After ruling out other potential contaminants and pathogens in the dust, they suspect the riggers’ adverse health effects were due to carbon monoxide exposure. Parker and her colleagues also have stories involving unusual hazards of unique filming locations. Mike Ierardi, MES, MS, CIH, a senior supervising health scientist with Stantec’s ChemRisk group in New York, dealt with wildlife exposures during the filming of two separate shows. One show focused on beekeeping, so Ierardi and his team put in place control measures around bee interactions, including potential first aid and recognition of anaphylaxis. The second show involved talent working in and near water, which presents its own hazards—but one of the cast members had a shellfish allergy, so anaphylaxis was a concern during that production as well. Taylor Tarpey, MPH, a health scientist who also works for Stantec ChemRisk in Colorado, recently joined Parker to conduct dust sampling in an inactive mine to determine whether a film cast and crew would be at risk of exposure to heavy metals, silica, or similar hazards, as the production company wanted to film actors running through the mine. After Tarpey and Parker found elevated levels of lead and arsenic, they implemented controls and educated the crew. Haze and fog are often used in the film industry. Shum first worked with fog in 2000 at an opera theater in San Francisco, where she examined the irritation effects of ethylene glycol—which is no longer used in most of the world—and mineral oils in oil mist. Years later, she found herself working with fog again in the film and television industry. Some productions, Shum explains, want effects like a rolling fog, but in recent years, people have been using haze in film to soften the image. “It’s become more of an issue over time with high-definition television and high-definition filming,” Shum says. “All that HD made certain scenes too clear, and [filmmakers] don’t want everything clear—so they use haze.” Other potential hazards can be found in props and set pieces made using spray foam. Shum recalls a set with a room full of prop weapons like medieval maces and swords—all made from polyurethane foam. Another set featured a forest of foam trees. Creating these objects involves the use of isocyanates, which necessitates proper ventilation. Off-gassing is an additional concern. Other areas one might expect to find on a film or television set include special effects, stunts, and armory and weaponry. This department-driven atmosphere can be both beneficial and challenging for OEHS professionals. “You have lots of people with different expertise managing their own little universes and their own perspectives and opinions on how things should be done,” Parker says. “These incredible experts work together, and they—in an ideal world—consult with health and safety, because our job is to help protect [everyone] working in the space.”