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Cutting corners on film sets is dangerous

On Behalf of | Dec 12, 2016 | Workers' Compensation

When most people in New Jersey watch movies, they do so without thinking about the potential dangers that may be present on the films’ sets. Like other settings, film sets may be dangerous when film production crews try to cut corners in order to save money.

Production budgets are huge for most television shows and films, but many crews face budgetary pressures. This may lead them to violate licensing requirements, permits and safety regulations. While the Occupational Safety and Health Administration imposes fines for violations when people are injured on film sets, the amount of the fines is minimal, leading many in the industry to simply disregard them as deterrents.

The maximum fine for willful violations of OSHA regulations that result in injuries or deaths is $124,709, which is small when compared to the size of the overall budgets for films. People continue to be injured or killed on sets. In one case, a crew was filming without a permit on a train trestle. A train appeared and hit one of the members of the film crew, killing her. The producer received a two-year jail sentence but only served one year. The family was filed a wrongful death lawsuit, which they settled.

When a worker receives a job injury, he or she may seek benefits to pay for medical costs and lost wages. If the worker is left with a total or partial disability, he or she may also be eligible for monthly benefits payments in order to replace a percentage of his or her former income. A workers’ compensation lawyer may be able to assist a client with recovering the maximum allowable workers’ compensation benefits by helping to gather and submit documentary evidence proving the extent of the injury and its relation to the worker’s employment.