Sukriti Sobti
Posts by Sukriti Sobti:
New and Young Worker Orientation Checklist
WorkSafeBC requires that all employers must ensure that a young or new worker is given a health and safety orientation and training specific to his/her workplace before the young or new worker begins work.
To help employers in the film and performing arts industry come into compliance with these WorkSafeBC regulations (sect, 3.22-3.25), Actsafe’s fillable PDF checklist includes a brief overview of what the regulation is and how it pertains to the motion picture and performing arts industries. It summarizes each new section, provides tips for effective orientation and training, and includes an orientation checklist.
Workplace Inspections Checklists
Workplace inspections are important to keep everyone safe including employees, patrons, and volunteers especially in the performing arts and live entertainment industry. Having a checklist can help guide you and your team on what to look out for when conducting a workplace inspection. To keep work premises, equipment, tools, work methods and work practices safe, regular inspections are recommended.
Checklist | Download Options | |
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Multi Employer H&S Due Diligence Checklist | Fillable PDF | MS Word document |
Workplace Inspection Report and Guide | Fillable PDF | MS Word document |
Workplace Inspection Blank Checklist | Fillable PDF | MS Word document |
Workplace Inspection Catwalks and Tension Grids Checklist | Fillable PDF | MS Word document |
Workplace Inspection Lobby and House Checklist | Fillable PDF | MS Word document |
Workplace Inspection Shop Checklist | Fillable PDF | MS Word document |
Workplace Inspection Stage and Backstage Checklist | Fillable PDF | MS Word document |
Need help downloading?
If you are using a Chrome browser, the MS Word document will download to your computer automatically once you click on the link.
However, you must click on the download button manually after you click on the Fillable PDF link. The download button is located at the top right corner of the page.
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Need help filling out the PDF?
To fill out a fillable PDF document, all you need to do is click on areas that are shaded light grey, then start typing.
Sound Advice
This WorkSafeBC guide explains the requirements of a hearing conservation program. For general information on implementing a hearing conservation program, click the image or link below.
Identifying the ‘invisible injury’: What happens when concussion concerns enter the spotlight
Whether it’s on a movie set, backstage, off-camera, or during rehearsal, a concussion-causing event can occur. Due to the complex, high-pressure work environments of the motion picture, television, live event and performing arts industries, workers face situations every day that put them at risk for sustaining this traumatic brain injury.
– Shelina Babul, PhD, Clinical Associate Professor, University of British Columbia Associate Director and Sports Injury Specialist, BC Injury Research and Prevention Unit, BC Children’s Hospital
A concussion is the most common form of brain injury. Concussions occur when the head or body sustains a significant impact or jolt that causes the brain to move inside the skull. Concussion knowledge and education can help: minimize the risk of concussion, guide appropriate response to a potential concussion incident, properly manage symptoms, and support recovery.
What’s the problem?
It is estimated that 1 in 165 Canadian adults suffer a concussion each year. Concussion was the third most reported type of WorkSafeBC serious injury claim in 2016. Yet, experts suspect that concussions are under-reported and that these numbers are larger, including in the motion picture and performing arts industries. A recent cross-sectional survey among actors and theatre technicians in the United States determined that 67% had experienced at least one theatre-related head impact, 77% of participants reported 3 or more, and over 33% reported experiencing more than 5 theatre-related head impacts. Among those who sustained head impacts at work, 70% experienced concussion-related symptoms but continued to work, and nearly half of those did not report the incident.
How does it affect me?
Without appropriate education and support, the pressure to perform and tight production schedules can result in performers and employees returning to work prematurely, putting them at risk for re-injury and delayed recovery. It may even result in them not reporting their concussion at all, and workplace hazards can go unaddressed.
Most adults recover from a concussion within four weeks, but unfortunately approximately 30% experience persistent symptoms. After one concussion, the brain is more susceptible to sustaining another. With each subsequent concussion, there is a further risk of experiencing long-term physical, emotional, and psychological symptoms. Second-impact syndrome—although rare—is extremely dangerous and can result in death. This occurs when someone suffers a second concussion before the first concussion has time to fully heal. Quick recognition and action when a concussion incident occurs can go a long way in managing the recovery process and avoiding long-term disability.
In 2012, Actsafe commissioned a survey and review of BC film stunt performers and stunt related injuries, concluding that head injuries were frequent and widely under-reported. The main reason for not reporting an injury was a lack of recognition of the severity of the injury. Other factors included the sense that injury was a part of a job, the belief that reporting would harm future work prospects, and perceived difficulties in dealing with the regulatory
agency.
Additional industry-specific challenges include: fast-paced work environments; tight production schedules; working at multiple locations; jobs with high risk for injury such as stunt performers, dancers, and acrobats; repeated actions that can aggravate the initial injury; and long work hours with reduced sleep can also elevate risk of injury and high concussion rates.
What can I do to learn more about concussion?
The Concussion Awareness Training Tool (CATT, cattonline.com), a free online resource for medical professionals, coaches, parents, teachers, athletes, and working adults to provide the latest evidence-based information on concussion, was created in 2013. In collaboration with Lori Stewart, Health & Safety Performer Advocate at UBCP/ACTRA, Philippe Saucier at SportMedBC, and the Actsafe Safety Association, we developed an industry-specific resource: the Concussion Awareness, Response, and Management for the Motion Picture, Film & Live Performance Industries Pathway to improve concussion care among employees of this sector.
This flowchart outlines a pathway to guide the appropriate response and management of a suspected concussion. This resource outlines steps to follow immediately after a potential concussion-causing incident, identifies red flags (signs that immediate medical assistance is required), common concussion signs and symptoms, and suggestions for management. To learn more, the CATT e-learning course for Workers and Workplaces (CATT WW) is available free-of-charge and can help ensure that concussions are identified early and managed
correctly.
Remember! It is not a good idea to repeat the action that caused the potential concussion incident: it’s dangerous! Concussions can happen to anyone, anywhere, and at any time. Inappropriate response, ignoring, or mismanaging a concussion can make symptoms worse, lengthen recovery, and cause long-term consequences. Concussions aren’t visible, like a broken arm or bruise. It is everyone’s responsibility to know how to deal with this invisible injury.
Visit cattonline.com to learn more about concussions and access resources.
This article was written for our quarterly newsletter, Safety Scene. You can find a link to the full edition below.
Finding Answers for Questions Around Concussions
When I was first approached to write an article about concussions for Safety Scene I was tempted to discuss all the things that I know about concussions (which isn’t much alongside the experts who have graciously contributed to this edition). Then I realized that the questions I have about concussions might be shared by other readers, and so, here is a collection of my curiosities and the answers I found along the way.
– Will Heller, Performing Arts Safety Advisor, Actsafe Safety Association
What is a concussion?
A concussion is a brain injury. These injuries, considered mild to severe, occur as people react to a bump, blow, or jolt to the head – meaning you don’t have to receive a blow to the head to suffer a concussion. The result is a level of impairment that may be immediate or take hours to develop. One doesn’t have to lose consciousness (though if you do, it is considered a life-threatening injury), instead, it might affect your memory, balance, speech, vision, coordination, and/or other functions for some time.
Why is everyone talking about concussions?
To me, the prevalence of concussion discussion revolved around the NFL and a study that was conducted in 2005. After many unfortunate outcomes for retired football players, there was a published study in Neurosurgery that concluded that “the onset of dementia-related syndromes may be initiated by repetitive cerebral concussions in professional football players”. This was hard to ignore and brought concussion conversations to the forefront in the media and then workforces everywhere.
How does this relate to BC and the arts and entertainment industries?
Concussions are common in British Columbia with WorkSafeBC reporting in 2018 that concussions were the third-highest injury claim by type. In 2014, 1,980 concussions were first claimed whereas in 2018 that number had climbed to 2,700, a 36% increase. The statistics for the arts and entertainment industries make it clear that concussion is a major issue in our industries too. According to WorkSafeBC’s data, 6.6% of all injury claims in the arts and entertainment industries between 2014-2018 were concussions.
Where do these claims come from?
According to the Canadian Centre for Occupational Health and Safety, among industries with the highest rates of concussions, you will find transport and storage. The causes of workplace concussions range from falls, to being struck by objects, to motor vehicle incidents. Transport, storage, and motor vehicles are a part of our everyday work environment, whether we are sourcing props or costumes for our next show, or manually moving boxes, road cases, furniture, or set pieces around our stages, front of house, shops, and storage areas.
Last thoughts…
Concussions, like mental health, are often invisible injuries. Though they are the result of a physical force, the damage is within. If you feel like you have “had your bell rung”, “got the snot knocked out of you” or are “seeing stars”– its time to report to first aid, and follow the protocols highlighted elsewhere in this edition. Remember, the most important 6 inches in safety is between your ears.
This article was written for our quarterly newsletter, Safety Scene. You can find a link to the full edition below.
Concussions in Performing Arts: Have You Lost Your Mind?
Concussions are as much a performing artist’s concern as a football player’s, or hockey player’s, or rugby player’s. Few injuries are as well publicized in sport than concussions. It can be a scary injury, especially when we regularly see its unfortunate consequences. Yet, for all the voices raised to reduce head injury in sport, why is the auditorium virtually silent about the same injury in performing arts?
– Jeffrey A. Russell, PhD, AT, FIADMS, Ohio University
Are performers’ brains less important? A concussion is, after all, an injury to one’s brain. (In fact, another name for concussion is traumatic brain injury.) You know…your brain is the thing inside your skull that cannot be replaced and that controls almost everything in your body. Obviously it is quite an important organ, yet who advocates for our brains in theatres, studios, film sets, and concert venues? The only known research study on head injuries in theatre reported that two-thirds of theatre personnel have sustained a head impact in their career and more than three-quarters of those reported three or more. We are dealing with a big issue.
The subtitle of this article, “Have You Lost Your Mind?” is quite significant. Indeed the research is clear: you might truly lose it if you ignore appropriate care for a concussion. Too many athletes and performing artists avoid reporting their concussions in spite of the dangers of doing so, dangers like longer recovery, increased risk of subsequent concussions, longterm disability, or worse.
“The show must go on,” a lack of understudies, not wanting to appear weak, “I feel fine, it’s no big deal,” or other excuses are not sufficient reasons to willfully neglect the suitable management of a head impact. On the other hand, being out of work and, therefore, unpaid because of a concussion is a real dilemma. In short, performers and other workers in performing arts environments need caring, compassionate, dependable advocates, starting with those immediately around them.
Alright then, I hope you have decided to become more knowledgeable about concussions and their care. In that case, preparing yourself and your team members is essential. Here are some steps you should take:
1. Obtain and review the Concussion Recognition Tool (CRT5) that is available for free at http://bit.ly/concussiontool5. It is an easy to use one-page document for nonmedical professionals to help identify the signs and symptoms that may indicate a concussion. Laminate some copies and keep them in key locations at your workplace.
2. Take free online concussion training from my friends at cattonline.com. Their Concussion Awareness Training Tool is excellent, and they have a “Workers and Workplaces” module. In addition, cattonline.com exhibit at Actsafe annual conferences, so you’ll be supporting a supporter of Actsafe!
3. Ensure that first aiders who staff your venue have received training in managing concussions.
4. Identify medical personnel and clinics in your community who are equipped to manage concussions with current “best practices.”
5. Create a culture of “It’s okay to report head impacts” in your workplace and develop a method for reporting. Research shows that people understanding how and to whom they should report possible concussions increases the likelihood they will do so. Now let’s say that someone in your performing arts workplace receives an impact to their head. Use YOUR head to take care of THEIRS by following a few simple guidelines:
1. Implement the Concussion Recognition Tool to assess the individual’s status. Just follow the CRT5’s instructions. Remember, you are not making a medical diagnosis; rather, this step provides an initial evaluation of whether an individual should be referred for medical care.
2. Remove the individual from activity for the remainder of the day if the CRT5 suggests the possibility of a concussion.
3. Personally ensure that the injured person is evaluated by a qualified healthcare practitioner, keeping in mind that research shows that not all medical professionals understand how to direct concussion care. There are some excellent resources to guide healthcare workers.1 (These will have to be “translated” from the language of sports, however.)
4. Support the individual in any way possible—including connecting them to workers’ advocacy organizations—realizing that the road back from a head injury may have many twists and turns. With regard to the CRT5, you’ll see that it is designed for sports, including language like “game” and “who scored.” Do not be dismayed; we simply change those to “performance” or “event” or “who performed.” For example, one CRT5 memory assessment question is “What team did you play last week/game?” To apply that to a performing arts situation, we would ask someone who received a blow to the head, “What performance event did we hold last week?” or “Who was the lead performer in last week’s performance?”
In summary, enacting and staying focused on proper protocols when a head impact occurs at your worksite is crucial to everyone’s success and good health. EVERY impact to someone’s head is important so that we don’t lose any more minds.
This article was written for our quarterly newsletter, Safety Scene. You can find a link to the full edition below.
Washing Your Hands
This poster was created to provide step-by-step instructions for washing your hands to prevent the spread of COVID-19.
Controlling Exposure: Protecting Workers from Infectious Disease
This WorkSafeBC booklet describes common infectious diseases, how they are spread, and explains how workers can prevent disease transmission and protect themselves.