Stunt Safety

By Michael McCann, Ph.D., C.I.H. and Sandy Richman*

 
Which of the following should be considered a stunt?

• diving off a cliff
• falling down a staircase
• a fist fight on stage
• a car chase
• a car driving at excessive speeds on a grade
• a helicopter ride
• riding a horse across a bridge
• firing a gun

A stunt is "any action sequence that involves possible injury to performers or others on the set or stage."  Using this definition, all of the above examples should be considered stunts because they involve risk to the performers or others.

Carrying out a stunt safely requires careful advance planning, which should start with the script.  When the script is first reviewed, any action sequences should be evaluated by independent, qualified experts to determine their potential for injury.  In cases of high risk, it should be determined if the stunt could be modified, or if it should be done at all.  The participants in the stunt should also be chosen at this point.  Once these preliminary steps have been carried out, it is necessary to develop the actual procedures needed to carry out the stunt safely.

 

Risk Evaluation

The degree of risk depends on the nature of the action sequence, who could be injured, and the nature of the potential injuries.  For example, falling down a flight of stairs is inherently more dangerous than falling down on a level floor.  The first carries a high risk of severe injury and possibly even fatality, whereas simply falling carries a much lower risk of severe injury.  Note however, that both are stunts since even a simple fall can have a high risk of minor injuries such as sprained ankles, bruises, etc.

In both these instances, the likelihood of bystanders being injured is minimal under normal circumstances.  However, consider a high speed car chase in traffic.  The drivers and  passengers in the cars involved in the actual chase are obviously at high risk.  However, anyone in the cars that are part of normal traffic are also at high risk because of the chance of poor judgment on the part of the chase cars or traffic cars, which can result in an accident.  

The film crew itself can also be at risk.  In 1980, cameraman Rodney Mitchell was killed and several others injured when a car crashed into them while filming a car jump scene for the television series "Dukes of Hazzard."  This is just one instance of film crews or other non-participants being injured or killed during this type of action sequence.

 

Evaluation of the Stunt

In many instances, the basic questions should be asked " Is the stunt worth the risk?  Can it be simulated effectively?  Or modified?"  In 1987, stuntman Victor Magnotta was killed when he couldn't escape from a car that crashed into the Hudson River during filming of "Skip Tracer".  In 1985, stuntman Reid Rondell was killed while going back to the starting position after a helicopter stunt during filming of the television program "Airwolf".  Prior to the push for realism of the last couple of decades, many such stunts would have been faked without anyone being able to tell the difference.  Films such as "Star Wars" show what can be done today with modern special effects.

Other examples of stunts that could be eliminated or modified include use of live ammunition and explosives (which is common for film), real swords and knives in stage fights, dangerous helicopter sequences, etc.

 

Who Performs the Stunt?

In the car chase scene described earlier, anyone in a car in the scene is potentially at risk, which raises the following question: what qualifications are needed to participate in this scene?

Obviously, qualified stuntpeople should be driving all cars involved in the chase sequence, not just the stunt cars.  Everyone else in these cars (and even "pedestrians" in the area) should have relevant stunt training (e.g. how to survive a crash).  The use of extras as pedestrians and drivers in traffic in such scenes should be eliminated due to the inherent danger.  During the filming of "Cannonball II", Heidi Van Beltz was hired as a stunt person to be a passenger in a car crash, although she did not have any training or qualifications.  She was thrown out of the car and is now a paraplegic.  Professional stunt people should perform all stunts where there is a high risk of injury.

Untrained extras should never be asked to perform stunts.

In many less hazardous action sequences, actors can perform these scenes provided they have the proper training.  Stage fights, for example, require that actors be trained in stage combat by professional stage combat directors who actually choreograph the fight.  Actors should be trained how to fall for simple action sequences, such as running after someone or falling down.  Actors using stage firearms must be trained in their safe use.  Blank ammunition can still be dangerous, and caused the death of actor Jon-Eric Hexum during the television series "Cover Up" in 1984. 

    

Stunt Safety Procedures

Each type of stunt has its own detailed precautions, but there are some general guidelines that should apply to all stunts.

1. There should be adequate access to emergency medical care, fire protection, etc.  The extent of on-site emergency medical facilities and personnel depends on the distance to adequate hospital facilities, availability of emergency transportation, the number of people on location, and the degree of risk of the stunt.  In the case of stunts involving fire or explosions, fire permits must be obtained, and proper fire fighting equipment and personnel should be on hand.  These emergency facilities should be planned and coordinated with local authorities during the planning stage for the stunt.
2. Safety procedures for stunts should be in writing and discussed with all participating personnel (including the crew) well in advance.
3. Before actors or extras are hired, they should be made aware that a stunt sequence will be performed with trained professionals.
4. All stunts should be practiced several times without the risk factor, as required by Industrywide Labor Management Safety Bulletin #4.  Everyone involved should understand their roles in the stunt.
5. All nonessential personnel should be kept clear of the area where the stunt is being performed. 
6. Children must not be permitted to perform stunts or be in the area where stunts are being performed.  Failure to observe this rule killed two children during the 1983 filming of "The Twilight Zone".
7. Special procedures should be taken to protect the camera crew and others on the set.
8. There should be an absolute minimum number of repetitions of the stunt to avoid increasing the risk for an accident.  With stage productions where performers may have to repeat the stunt every night or twice for matinees, it should be determined whether the action sequence chould be shared by more than one stunt person.

 

Decision Making

One of the most important aspects of planning and carrying out a stunt is deciding who is responsible for the safety of the stunt.  As discussed, every stunt should go through a formal approval mechanism.  We believe that the industry should establish a stunt safety committee consisting of industry representatives, representatives of all unions whose members are at risk, insurance company representatives, stunt experts, and other relevant safety experts.  This committee would have the authority to approve all stunts and the safety procedures that must be followed.

On the set, the stunt coordinator should have absolute control over whether the stunt proceeds and over all safety procedures.  The stunt coordinator should not participate in the actual stunt since it is impossible to properly supervise all aspects of a stunt if that person has other responsibilities (such as driving a stunt car).

In conclusion, if we want to decrease the high fatality and injury rate in stunts, planning and carrying out stunts have to be formalized into standard procedures involving an approval mechanism and clear safety procedures.

 

* Sandy Richman is President of the Professional Stuntmen's Association, and National Co-Chair of the SAG/AFTRA Stunt Safety Committee.

Art Hazard News, Volume 11, No. 10, 1988

This article was originally printed for Art Hazard News, © copyright Center for Safety in the Arts 1988. It appears on CAR courtesy of the Health in the Arts Program, University of Illinois at Chicago, who have curated a collection of these articles from their archive which are still relevant to artists today.