Studio Design - Safety

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Studio Design - Safety
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My Background

• Simon Williamson, Freelance Broadcast Engineer
• www.crashrecordtv.co.uk
• Email simonw_at_crashrecordtv.co.uk
• Operations Supervisor, ITV Central News
  (Abingdon)
• Senior Engineer at BBC TV (London)
• BSc Electronic Electrical Engineering
  (Birmingham University)
• Operational Engineering experience in News,
  Studios Facilities

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Topics for today

• Importance of Safety
• Working with Electricity
• Overload and Fail-safe Protection
• Portable Appliance Testing
• Safety in the Studio
• Manual Handling Awareness
• Risk Assessment
• In the workplace
• On location
• Practical Exercise

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The Importance of Safety at Work

• Some facts about safety in the UK workplace
• 250 people lose their lives at work every year
• Around 156,000 non-fatal injuries are reported
  each year
• An estimated 2.3 million people suffer from ill
  health caused or made worse by work
• So what is health and safety all about? Its
  about preventing people from being harmed by work
  or becoming ill by taking the right precautions -
  and providing a satisfactory working environment.
• Because health and safety at work is so
  important, there are rules which require all of
  us not to put ourselves or others in danger. The
  law is also there to protect the public from
  workplace dangers.

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Health Safety Executive (HSE)

• Health and Safety legislation applies to all
  businesses, however small also to the
  self-employed and to employees.
• Who enforces health and safety law?
• Inspectors from the Health and Safety Executive
  (HSE) or the Local Authority. HSE deals with
  factories, farms and building sites, whereas
  Local Authorities deal with offices, shops,
  hotels and catering, and leisure activities.
• HSE Inspectors visit workplaces to check that
  people are sticking to the rules. They
  investigate some accidents and complaints but
  mainly they help businesses understand what they
  need to do. They enforce only when something is
  seriously wrong.

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Safety Issues in the Workplace

• Tripping / Slipping hazards e.g. wet floors,
  trailing cables
• Hazardous substances e.g. cleaning chemicals,
  dust, fumes
• Working at heights, on ladders, scaffolding or
  ledges
• Manual Handling
• Working with computer (screens)
• Noisy environments
• Working with Electricity
• Working near or with flammable materials
• Working with machinery e.g. power saws, drills,
  etc
• Stressful environments
• Ive named tencan you come up with any more?

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Working with Electricity

• Electricity can kill. Each year about 1000
  accidents at work involving electric shock or
  burns are reported to the Health and Safety
  Executive (HSE). Around 30 of these are fatal.
  Most of these fatalities arise from contact with
  overhead or underground power cables. A current
  as low as 30mA, at 230volts, has the potential to
  be fatal.
• Even non-fatal shocks can cause severe and
  permanent injury. Shocks from faulty equipment
  may lead to falls from ladders, scaffolds or
  other work platforms.
• Those using electricity may not be the only ones
  at risk poor electrical
• installations and faulty electrical appliances
  can lead to fires which may also cause death or
  injury to others. Most of these accidents can be
  avoided by careful planning and straightforward
  precautions.

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Reducing Electrical Risks

• Ensure the electrical installation is safe
• e.g. appropriate wiring, sockets not overloaded,
  etc.
• Work with suitable equipment
• e.g. use hydraulic or hand-powered tools in
  harsh environments, have emergency switch-off at
  close proximity, etc.
• Reduce the voltage, if possible
• e.g. battery-operated tools, lighting run at
  12/25/50 volts, etc.
• Use a safety device, such as an RCD
• Residual Current Devices can detect faulty
  wiring, and should be connected at the earliest
  point in the supply.
• Work safely i.e. make others aware of electrical
  hazards
• Carry out preventative maintenance
• e.g. regular visual inspection and testing of
  installations.

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Overload Protection

• Fuses
• A piece of wire which melts at a specified
  current, thereby breaking the supply to the load.
  Usually designed to pass an overload for a few
  seconds. For example, a 10A fuse could probably
  pass 20A for 3-4 seconds before blowing.
• Certain pieces of equipment are prone to drawing
  large switch-on currents,
• e.g. old style TV Monitors. Using Anti-Surge
  fuses will let this current pass, but will
  rupture if it is prolonged.

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Overload Protection cont.

• MCBs (Miniature Circuit Breakers)
• These are switches which automatically open when
  the current exceeds some specified limit. Very
  common in modern domestic supplies. They can be
  magnetically or thermally controlled.

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Device Protection

• There are three basic methods of protecting
  users from shock when using electrical equipment.
• Direct Earthing (Class I devices)
• All exposed metalwork of the equipment is
  connected to earth, via the green/yellow wire in
  the triple core mains cable. If the line supply
  comes into contact with this metalwork, the
  current will be large enough to blow the fuse and
  isolate the equipment.
• Double Insulation (Class II devices)
• Two independent layers of insulation are
  provided between the user and the supply
  conductors (the mains cable can be twin core).
  One of these layers is often just air.
• Supply at Low Voltage (Class III devices)
• Uses a transformer to step-down the voltage to
  lt50volts, often in a capsule built into the mains
  plug.

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Residual Current Devices (RCDs)

• A Residual Current Device (RCD) uses an
  electronic circuit to detect even the smallest
  imbalance between the live and neutral conductors
  and if it reaches a trigger level, disconnects
  the circuit. This disconnect is in the order of
  milliseconds and RCDs can be specified to sense
  fault levels as low as 5mA (typically 30mA). In
  modern electrical circuits many devices contain
  filtering circuits for EMC compliance, some of
  these circuits contain deliberate "Earth Leakage"
  leading to nuisance trips of RCDs.

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Portable Appliance Testing (PAT)

• This type of testing is carried out on new
  equipment purchased by organisations, or on
  hired-in equipment and individual mains leads.
• Visual InspectionIdentify signs of overheating.
  Internal inspection cord security, polarity,
  connections. If non-rewirable plug cord
  security, burning odours.Correct size fuse
  fitted. Security of plug cover
• Earth Continuity Test
• For Class I devices. Typically several amps are
  passed around the earth path to measure resistive
  continuity. Should be lt0.1O

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PAT cont.

• Insulation Test
• Typically 500volts passed across the line supply
  wire and the equipment earth system. Should
  measure gt1MO for Class I and gt2MO for Class II
  equipment
• Optional Tests
• Flash Test No flashover or breakdown shall
  occur
• Operation/Load test Compare reading with stated
  details on nameplate
• Earth leakage testClass 1 Handheld Appliances
  0.75mAOther Class 1 Appliances 3.5mAClass 2
  Appliances 0.25mA

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Safety in the Studio

• A typical TV Studio will have a number of
  potential risks and hazards
• Cable runs
• Electrical Supplies
• Camera Pedestals
• Robotic Camera mounts
• Lighting Grid
• Slung Equipment

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TV News Studio
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Studio Wallbox
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Camera Pedestal
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Lighting Grid
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Slung Monitor
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Manual Handling Awareness

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Manual Handling Awareness

• Manual Handling is becoming an issue in a lot of
  organisations which have significantly reduced
  staff numbers employees working alone often risk
  injury through lifting heavy items which are
  beyond their limits. And often the organisation
  has not invested in suitable equipment to make
  handling/lifting easier.
• Diagram illustrates safe weights which could
  be lifted by a fit male, at different body
  positions. Guide purposes only, every individual
  will be different.

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Risky Handling situations

• Lifting from the floor.
• Lifting above head height.
• Moving items with arms away from the body.
• Working in cold, hot, greasy, humid environments.
  
• Repetitive lifting and carrying.
• Twisting and awkward body posture.
• Handling loads that are awkward or difficult to
  hold.
• Working on uneven surfaces.
• Need to assess the movements and effort needed
  to carry out the task, and the individual
  capabilities of the operative. Does the
  environment affect things? How much recovery
  period is allowed?
• Are the movements unavoidable?

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Manual Handling Controls

• Mechanical aids.
• e.g. hoists, lifts, etc
• Improving the tasks.
• Job rotation.
• Redesign of the workstation.
• Smaller, more manageable loads.
• Improved manual handling training.

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Risk Assessment

• Most Risk Assessments can be broken down into 3
  Sub-headings, leading to 2 Outcomes and an
  overall assessment of Risk.
• What Hazards can be observed?
• Who is at risk?
• What Controls can be put in place?
• The outcomes are the Severity of the Risk and
  the Likelihood of it happening.this leads to an
  Overall Risk Factor.
• These outcomes are graded LOW, MEDIUM and HIGH.

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Risk Table

• Severity ?
• Low Med High

High Med
? Low Likelihood
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Example Workplace Risk Assessment
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Example Location Risk Assessment
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Blank Risk Assessment Form
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Covering Fires

• As with other disasters the potential risks from
  major fire situations may include
• Risks from the fire itself.
• Secondary explosions (e.g. factory premises).
• Smoke or hazardous fumes.
• Buildings collapsing.
• Emergency vehicles or heavy rescue machinery.
• As with other disasters, advice must be taken
  from the emergency services regarding safe
  vantage points, safe distances, protective
  equipment required.
• When covering such incidents fluorescent jackets
  must be worn by all crew members.
• Thought must be given to safe filming positions
  in terms of the risks from emergency vehicles
  attending the scene.
• Crews must keep in regular contact with the
  relevant news desk and inform them of any changes
  in plan, latest advice from the emergency
  services etc.

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Riot/Civil Disturbance Risk Assessment Form
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Riot/Civil Disturbance cont.