Wearing PPE: Personal Protection Equipment
Wearing PPE, well that’s something we are used to. All of our risk assessments advise dressing for climatic conditions, for example, lots of layers in cold conditions – sun cream in sunny conditions, life jackets on boats etc, and sometimes PPE. For example, filming on construction sites typically means steel toe-capped boots, high vis, hard hats, and sometimes safety specs and gloves. But our recent experience has involved going that extra mile in terms of dress code!
We recently found ourselves in some potentially dangerous (and scary!) locations. High up on an oil rig setting up a time-lapse camera was a first for us. Before even getting to the camera’s location, we had to jump from a platform onto a moving boat. There were many safety considerations: working at height and near water being just two of them but we had the correct clothing to go with the job.
Here is what our Post-Production Manager Chris Dewar had to say about the process:
“It was certainly one of the most unique shoots I have ever been on ( the highest too!) but the content we got was stunning and well worth it. You can’t get shots like that without a little risk! But where there is a risk, you can always mitigate it by taking sufficient precautions. Take your lead from the experts and remember, some shoots do require going that extra mile but I always think it is worth it in the end.”
Protecting Yourself, Protecting the Location.
During a couple of recent shoots, we’ve had to take further measures. On one project, we needed to protect ourselves against dangerous particles in the air. On another, we needed to protect the location from us and the effect our presence could have on the environment.
Filming at a mineral processing facility involved a bit more than five-point PPE. With our friends at Pushed, we needed to capture how minerals are extracted. This process of crushing ore creates hazardous dust which would be harmful if breathed in. You can see us below, that’s Pushed’s Dave Meadows on the left and our Managing Director Gareth on the right. Those are full-face respirators we are wearing, which provide filtered air to the mask.
Protecting the location
Another recent location that we worked in was a medicine production facility. The factory needs to be sterile, so requires a very high level of safety equipment, similar to what you’d wear in an operating theatre. Furthermore, any equipment you take in needs a thorough cleaning. So instead of the kit being cleaned after the event, which is what we normally do, this time it had to be meticulously cleaned before it entered the sterile area.
That’s Soundview’s Gareth again, below. And honestly, he said it was surprisingly comfortable to wear, even though the safety glasses did keep steaming up!
Of course, we only dress to impress like this occasionally. For many wearing PPE is just part of the day job. So let’s spare a thought for all the people wearing PPE every day. Be grateful that isn’t you! And to those that do, we salute you!
Checkout the results of our latest adventures
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