Is a risk assessment legally required for film shoots in the UK?

Yes. Under the Management of Health and Safety at Work Regulations 1999, any employer with five or more employees must record their risk assessments. Insurers, broadcasters and most location owners require a written RA regardless of crew size.

Who writes the risk assessment?

The production company is responsible. In practice the production manager or coordinator drafts the RA from the schedule and locations, the producer signs it off, and a competent person reviews high-risk activities (stunts, SFX, working at height, water).

What is residual risk?

Residual risk is the risk that remains after controls are in place. Most RAs score it as Likelihood x Severity on a 1 to 5 scale. Residual risk should be low or medium; anything red after controls needs the activity redesigned or specialist sign-off.

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Guide

Film Risk Assessment Template for UK Productions

A practical walkthrough of what belongs in a production risk assessment, how to score residual risk, and how to keep your RA live through prep and the shoot. Tailored to UK commercial, branded and corporate production.

1. Why an RA is non-negotiable

UK production runs on three documents: the call sheet, the shooting schedule and the risk assessment. The RA is the one your insurer, broadcaster, location owner and council all check. Without it, claims fall over and locations close.

The legal baseline sits in the Management of Health and Safety at Work Regulations 1999. The Health and Safety Executive's guidance for the entertainment sector and BECTU's safety resources go further; commissioners often layer their own requirements on top.

2. The columns to use

Activity / location: what is happening, where.
Hazard: the source of harm (electricity, working at height, public).
Who is at risk: crew, talent, public, contractors.
Initial risk: Likelihood x Severity before controls.
Controls: the measures you put in place.
Residual risk: the score after controls.
Owner: the named person responsible on the day.

3. Hazards to cover

Most film RAs touch the same families of hazard:

Electricity: generators, distro, lighting, water proximity.
Working at height: scaffolds, towers, cherry pickers, drone ops.
Public: filming on streets, vehicles, crowds, public reaction.
Lifting and manual handling: dolly, flight cases, set builds.
Slips, trips, cabling: studio floor, location wet weather.
Driving: unit moves, picture cars, low-loaders.
Heat, cold and weather: long exterior days, exposure.
Food, water and welfare: catering, hydration, rest areas.
Special activities: stunts, SFX, firearms, water, animals, pyro.

4. Scoring residual risk

Standard is a 5 x 5 matrix: Likelihood (1 rare to 5 almost certain) multiplied by Severity (1 minor to 5 fatal). After controls, scores 1-6 are low (green), 8-12 medium (amber), 15-25 high (red). Any red residual risk needs the activity redesigned, additional controls, or specialist sign-off before it goes on the call sheet.

5. Controls that actually work

Follow the hierarchy: eliminate, substitute, engineer, administer, PPE. Examples:

Eliminate: shoot the stunt as a cutaway rather than full action.
Substitute: LED panels instead of HMIs near water.
Engineer: fixed cable trays, edge protection on scaffolds.
Administer: safety briefings, exclusion zones, marshal sign-off.
PPE: hi-vis, hard hats, hearing protection, lifejackets.

6. When you need a specialist

Bring in qualified people for stunts (BECTU/JISC stunt coordinators), SFX (BECTU SFX technicians), firearms (registered armourers), working at height (IPAF, PASMA), water safety (qualified safety divers), animals (registered handlers) and drone ops (CAA-permitted operators). The specialist signs off the relevant section of the RA and runs the safety brief on the day.

7. Keeping the RA live

The RA is not a pre-production formality. Issue v1 with the recce notes, update for the locked schedule, and reissue if anything material changes (location swap, talent change, weather pivot). Brief the document at crew call and again before any specialist activity; capture sign-off from department heads.

8. Common mistakes

Copy-paste RAs. Insurers and councils spot generic boilerplate immediately.
No named owners. "Crew" is not an owner; a specific person must be responsible per row.
Scoring only initial risk. Residual is what matters; that is the score after controls.
Burying specialist sign-off. Stunts, SFX, firearms and drones each need a clear named sign-off line.
No safety brief. The RA only protects you if the crew has actually heard it on the day.

Build risk assessments in Production Deck

Production Deck generates risk assessments tied to your schedule and locations, with reusable hazard libraries, residual risk scoring and named owners for every line.

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