Reality check for Touchdown

Wednesday 12 May 2004

Touchdown Productions Limited was sentenced today in the Warkworth District Court and was ordered to pay $65,000 - the victim will receive $35,000 reparation.

The company pleaded guilty to the charge of "failing to take all practicable steps to ensure that no action or inaction of its employees while at work harms any other person".

OSH Operations Manager Mike Cosman says in July 2003, while the company was filming a reality television show Straight Lines, a contestant was severely burned as he went through a 'minefield' challenge, after a pyrotechnic device exploded beneath him, resulting in severe burn injuries.

He says that the company had originally planned to film the shot without a contestant in it but later decided to include the contestant without any extra planning to ensure he would be safe. This was a deliberate act in which a member of the public was exposed to very serious and unnecessary risks.

"This is the highest single penalty since the Health and Safety in Employment Act was amended last year and should provide a wake up call for production companies to have robust health and safety systems in place."

Mr Cosman says production companies need to plan carefully when filming reality and games show that are becoming more and more extreme. He says that programmes should only appear dangerous but in fact be safe.

"It is a tragedy when anyone gets hurt in an incident which could have easily been prevented with good health and safety systems.

"I know of individuals and their families that have suffered for the rest of their life from the physical emotional and financial effects of workplace injuries.

"At the end of the day everyone should be able to come home from work safe and well."