The Show Must Go On Safely: The Impact of Injury in Production

The Impact of Workplace Injuries on Film and TV Workers

Workplace injuries can have devastating and long-lasting effects on the physical, mental, and financial well-being of professionals in the creative industries. These injuries not only affect individuals but can also have a ripple effect across the entire production. For example, when a cast member is injured, it can disrupt schedules, strain the well-being of colleagues, and sometimes even threaten the viability of the production.

The Culture of Reactivity in the Entertainment Industry

’The show must go on’ is a mantra deeply rooted into the entertainment industry’s workplace culture. Pressure to conform to the notion of ​‘powering through’ is hard-wired into the workforce where ​‘taking one for the team’ is broadly applauded and rest often deemed to be tantamount to letting colleagues down.

The sector relies on its highly skilled people to deliver its product to market, a reality which suggests that investment in workforce welfare would safeguard production processes. Unfortunately, standard industry practice does not reflect this. One area where we see this in practice is the absence of strategic lines of defence against injury, leaving productions regularly falling into cycles of reactivity in response to avoidable harms. In the 2022 edition of the Impact of Injury Survey, 81% of performers said that they have been injured at work.

Challenges for Cast Members 

The physical demand of an acting or performance role is widely considered to be the primary physical risk factor for work related injury. Where productions do not proactively address said demand, the risk of injury increases.

For film and television, there are no operational lines of defence once cast injury occurs. Where cast are incapacitated, the only option is to stop, assess the severity of the matter and if possible reshuffle the schedule so as not to lose a shoot day. That 70% of performers say they have felt pressured to perform while injured highlights the urgent commercial and moral case for injury prevention as standard practice.

Challenges for Crew Members

For crew, use of heavy equipment alone poses risk of repetitive strain injury. The burden of long working hours paired with a workplace culture void of psychological safety are also of notable consequence. Independently, each factor poses considerable physical and mental health risks. Combined, they can contribute to waves of exhaustion and anxiety, contributing to heightened risk of human error and in turn, risk of injury.

In the event of key cast injury leading to a halt in production, the largely freelance unit can be subjected to lengthy periods of financial insecurity, another common contributor to poor mental health outcomes.

Have Your Say: Participate in the Impact of Injury Survey

Recognising the domino effect that injury in production can create, IPC’s Impact of Injury Survey is back to ask everyone, not just those on stage or in front of the camera, to speak to how this issue affects them. Sharing your story anonymously by taking this survey will support IPC’s work for cross-sector strategic reform towards safer production processes. Your anonymised experiences and opinions will also help inform the development of the Creative Industries Independent Standards Authority.

This is your opportunity to make your voice heard and help create a safer, more proactive industry. Remember, creativity and safety can—and must—coexist.

The survey only takes about 5 minutes to complete. Take the survey today and be a part of the change.