Radio Safety Guide (RSG)

Safety is everybody's responsibility. We all have a duty to keep ourselves and others safe. This safety guide contains the collected knowledge of staff experienced in managing radio productions and also safety professionals who advise on radio productions and activities.

This safety guide contains a list of some of the common activities undertaken by radio production staff. The controls listed are based on a set of generic risk assessments undertaken by BBC Radio and BBC Safety. It is very important that the controls detailed in these generic risk assessments are implemented (where applicable) and monitored.

The generic risk assessments in this booklet can also be used be as a guide when you are attending recces and/or planning your programme/ activity/ events.

If you are travelling to a hostile environment or undertaking activities in the BBC High Risk Policy (e.g. covert filming, locations with ionising radiation, filming in riots) then you must contact the High Risk team.

Safety App

In areas of the business that issue staff with iPhones, the BBC Safety App can be used:

• to record changes to your risk assessment in a dynamic way.
• during a recce to record issues, hazards and controls which you need to cover in your risk assessment.

Further Advice and Feedback

If you can’t find what you are looking for or need more advice and are working on a BBC production, then please contact your safety advisor or the Safety Advice Line.

If you have any comments or suggestions for additional guide pages then please email the Safety Advice line. 

Getting Started

There are over 60 topics in this Radio Safety Guide. They are listed in an A to Z list with links to each page. All the pages have the same structure as outlined below.

Each guide page contains:

• Title
• Description: Scope of the topic/activity/location.
• What can go Wrong?/Hazards: In order of significance.
• Legal / BBC Requirements: Legal requirements (usually UK) and BBC requirements that are mandatory.
• Control Measures: List of controls for all the listed hazards; sometimes with sub-headings such as planning, location, documentation or similar.
• Division Specific Issues: Relevant specific risks or controls unique to a division or programme department.
• FAQs / Did you know?: Interesting facts and frequently asked questions about the topic
• Related Links: Links, on the right hand panel to related safety guide pages; other myRisks pages that may be relevant; other BBC pages that may be relevant; related external links.

General Safety topics

General safety topics can be found in the general part of the myRisks site, including:

• Risk assessment
• Training (including mandatory)
• Selecting and managing contractors
• First aid and welfare
• Accident reporting and investigation
• Monitoring and supervision
• High Risk topics and Country pages
• BBC Safety and Emergency contacts

Training

Mandatory Safety Training for those working in Radio

The Safety Training specified for people working in Radio, depends on the work they undertake. Below are some scenarios for various roles in Radio.

New recruit joins Radio who works in an office, but does not work in production:

• Complete the online “Display Screen Equipment (DSE)” (see note about DSE assessment below); and also complete the online “Safety at Work – UK Staff”.
• There is no refresher period for “Safety at Work”, staff only need to refresh “Safety at Work” if the BBC later produces a new version of this course.

New recruit joins Radio who works in production, but does not manage safety:

• Complete the online “Display Screen Equipment (DSE)” (see note about DSE assessment below); and also complete the online “Production Safety: Radio”. Staff must complete the following modules: Safety Matters, Responsibilities and Risk Assessment. 
• Staff must then also complete two of the most relevant case studies applicable to their work activities.
• There is no refresher period for “Production Safety”, staff will only need to refresh “Production Safety” if the BBC later produces a new version of this course.

New recruit joins Radio who works in production and they also manage safety, or they write/authorise risk assessments:

• Complete the online “Display Screen Equipment (DSE)” (see note about DSE assessment below); and also attend the relevant core competency health and safety face to face one day course. You should attend the course(s) which is/are most applicable to your work activities:
• “Safe Management of Radio Productions”
• “Safe Management of Events”
• “Safe Management of Productions (TV equivalent)".
• The refresher period for these face to face courses is 5 years. The refresher courses are a half day face to face course.

DSE Assessment (applies to all people):

• Once staff have completed the “Display Screen Equipment (DSE)” online training, there is no need to complete a new DSE Assessment unless:
•  the workstation is relocated
•  the nature of the work tasks changes considerably
•  major changes are made to the equipment, furniture, work environment or software.
• If a member of staff has a disability or any physical changes (such as pregnancy). 

Additional training

For those working for the BBC in countries designated hostile environments.

• Hostile Environment and First Aid Training (HEFAT), 6 days

H&S Training Courses

You can find links to all training offered through the BBC Academy via our safety guideline to 'Training and Competence: Safety'

A-Z Activities

A to Z list of activities that are in the Radio Safety Guide (RSG).

A - E 

• Animals: Displaying and handling for performance
• Asbestos Management on Location
• Batteries on Productions
• Boats: Working on
• Broadcast Vehicles
• Children and Young People
• Contractors: Safety management of
• Contributors Fitness to Participate
• Contributors: Working with
• Demonstrations, Protests and Crowds
• Display Screen Equipment (DSE)
• Door Stepping
• Driving
• Electrical Equipment and Systems
• Environment on Productions and Events
• Events: Working At

F - L

• Factories, Industrial and Commercial Sites
• Farms, Zoos and Animal Sanctuaries
• Firearms and Weapons
• First Aid and Welfare on Location
• Food Safety (Cooking and Catering) (incl cooking in studios)
• Freelancers: Working with
• Harassment and Stalking
• High Risk Guide
• Homes
• Hospitals
• Interactive Filming and Visualisation
• International Travel - Risks & Health
• Laser Lighting Effects
• Lone Working

M - R

• Manual Handling
• Medical Emergency Evacuation (Medevac from remote location)
• Method Statements
• Night Filming and Recording
• Noise at Work
• OB Venue Rigging
• Office Safety
• Personal Emergency Evacuation Plans (PEEPs)
• Pregnancy
• Pressure and Stress
• Psychological Trauma and PTSD
• Public Order
• Railways and Trains
• Roads and Streets: Working by

S - Z

• Schools and Nurseries
• Security of Productions on BBC Premises
• Security of Productions on Location
• Security of the Individual
• Self-Op Shooting
• Shift Working and Night Shifts
• Slips and Trips
• Sports Events: Recording or Filming
• Special and Physical Effects
• Strobe Lighting
• Temporary Stages and Rostra
• Tiredness and Fatigue
• Unmanned Aerial Systems (UAS)
• Vehicles: Recording in, from and around
• Violence and Aggression
• Vox pops
• Water: Working On or Near
• Weather Conditions
• Working at Height: General
• Working at Height: Gantries & High Level Platforms
• Working at Height: Ladders
• Working at Height: Ladder Pods
• Working at Height: Mobile Elevating Work Platforms
• Working at Height: Rope Access Techniques
• Working at Height: Scaffolding (tubular type)
• Working at Height: Tower Scaffolds