Customer Reviews

The Health & Safety Guide for Film, TV & Theater

5 star:		(3)
4 star:		(1)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

Workers in the performing arts will find Monona Rossol's Health & Safety Guide for Film, TV & Theater to be a fine assessment of health problems and issues unique to the entertainment industries. From the hazards of theatrical paints and solvents to working with existing health and safety laws both on the job and in the classroom, Health & Safety Guide for Film, TV & Theater is packed with practical advice.

I want to start by saying that I do believe in OSHA and the importance of safety regulation. After reading this book I find myself looking at things in the shops I work in differently. I'm thinking about the ways things could be made safer.
However- while there is a great deal of information here- I found it somewhat lacking in practicals. In a small shop at a tiny theater- it's simply not feasible to get trained in every new federal safety standard. The author offers very little in scaling, everything is given the same dire weight.
If I only have X dollars to improve safety in my shop- how can I make those go furthest. What are the most common, the easiest to fix, the most dangerous areas to be completely avoided? Where can I put my time and effort to create an environment where safe work gets done.
We all want to be as safe as we can- and in a perfect world we would follow every regulation and best practice. But until I can get a job in that world- I can't be paralyzed by all the things that might be hazardous.

Monona Rossol wrote an excellent book about theatre safety called "Stage Fright" a while back; this book is 100 times more complete. Her unique knowledge of the performing arts coupled with her real-world experiences make this a must-read. She even manages to take complex chemical situations and make it understandable for the lay man.

Monna really provides a lot of information in a small amount of space. A must read for anyone working in the theatre - students, teachers, actors, techs, managers, administrators. Highly Recommended. "Alas, poor Yorick. He didn't read the safety manual!"

This is an unusual book and I haven't seen another like it. There are similar books geared more specifically to the theater, but this reference has information specific to film and TV. I bought a couple of copies for co-workers in the TV studio I manage. Good reference.