Photography just like any other career path requires the company and employers to follow the ‘Health and Safety at Work Act of 1974‘. Photographers have to secure the health, safety and wealthfare of persons at work, this follows section 1a of the ‘Health and Safety Work Act of 1974′ employers and employees have to make sure that they are not putting themselves or anyone else in danger, this can be applied to photography by making sure there is no trailing leads/wires on the floor that will cause injury/falls. Trailing wires can also cause the equipment to fall on the floor and smash the glass bulbs in the lights,this can cause injury to the model or the photographer themselves. This scenario also relates to part 1b of the ‘Health and Safety at Work Act of 1974′ where the employers/company should ‘protect persons other than persons at work against risks to health and safety arising out of or in connection with the activities of persons at work’. If the model or a passer by gets hurt due to a trailing lead, battery being covered whilst charging or electrocution by a photographic light source this can be redeemed as a misuse of the ‘Health and Safety at Work Act’ because someone under the control of the employer has been injured.
Many photographers use the traditional printing method used in analogue photography. The photographer uses a dark room and this involves the use of many chemicals to develop the negative image in colour onto a larger piece of photography paper. Photography companies who use this technique of developing images have to follow the legislations set by the ‘Control of Substances Hazardous to Health(COSHH)’ law. The photography companies that use the dark room equipment would have to provide control measures on how to use the chemical substances such as silver nitrate. The control measures under the legislation would involve using protective equipment whilst using the substances that are hazardous to the skin. The company would also have to train the workers on how to use/behave around the equipment.
Many photographers take photographs that look dramatic this is because they take photos on the roof of buildings. Photographers who take their equipment outside have to follow the rules of the ‘Provision and Use of Work Equipment Regulations (PUWER) Act of 1998′. This requires the equipment to be ‘used only by people who have received adequate information, instruction and training’ the photographers can only use equipment that they are certain they know how to properly use without causing injury to the model or themselves. When using equipment on high buildings it is suitable that the owner of the equipment ensures that the ‘equipment is constructed or adapted to be suitable for the purpose is is used or provided for’ the equipment must be used exactly how it is meant to so tripods should not be suspended in the air/on the edge of a building for that are provided to have a city skyline behind the model.
The ‘Health and Safety(Display Screen Equipment) Regulations (1992)’ was put into place after they were surveys created that found out that a ‘high proportion of DSE workers reported aches, pains or eye discomfort’. The act relates to photographers who edit their photos after being on a photoshoot. DSE is a device or equipment that has an alphanumeric or graphics display screen. ‘The Health and Safety(DSE)Regulations Act 1992’ is there to protect the health of people who work with DSE products frequently. Photographers often spend hours editing their photographs so DSE is their to make sure precautions are taken to be more comfortable whilst working with DSE(Display Screen Equipment). There have been many precautions set in place for DSE these include:
- ‘User’s eyes should be the same height as the top of the screen’
- ‘Arrange the desk to avoid glare, or bright reflections’
- ‘Make sure there is space under the desk to move legs’
- ‘Keep wrists straight whilst typing on the keyboard’
- ‘Sit upright and close to the desk’
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