Safety Practices For Film And Equipment

The following is a list of practices for use of film and equipment during production and is based on recent insurance company claims. We hope you will find it useful in reducing various types of losses.

1. Treat exposed film and negative as if it were cash. Do not let it out of your sight. Don’t leave it in a taxi or car while you run an errand. Do not inadvertently leave it on the roof or trunk of your car.
   
   
2. Handle film very carefully. Striking another object even slightly can damage film.
   
   
3. Keep an eye out for equipment theft, especially expensive equipment. If you are more than 10 feet away from the equipment, or out of line of sight, it can be stolen. Take extra precautions while in foreign locations and airports, as equipment theft has increased dramatically.
   
   
4. Make sure there is adequate security for camera equipment at all times.
   
   
5. Everybody makes a mistake at one time or another. If someone makes a mistake and accidentally damages equipment or film, have them report it immediately. It’s better to take the heat for a mistake or an accident up front than for others to find out later that an accident was covered up.
   
   
6. After a black-out or brown-out or other disturbance in the electrical system or generator, check the electrical frequency with a frequency meter to ensure it is correct and will not cause a flicker in the film.
   
   
7. Be careful when loading and unloading magazines that film doesn’t get mixed and you don’t end up with one roll of blank film and one double exposed roll, especially when handling short ends.
   
   
8. Check the magazine for damage to ensure light cannot enter and expose the film.
   
   
9. Be sure that static build up is discharged from the magazine and assistants before or when opening a magazine so the static does not arc and damage the film.
   
   
10. Check the film changing bag for damage to ensure light cannot enter and expose the film.
    
    
11. Clean the camera after each reload, and check for emulsion build up.
    
    
12. Do a scratch test occasionally with short ends to make sure the camera is not scratching the film even though there appears to be no build up.
    
    
13. 13. Look through the barrel of the lens occasionally to make sure the iris is not stuck or broken.
    
    
14. Make sure that you get a receipt for film delivered to the processing lab and be certain that it matches what was sent or brought in.
    
    
15. Be aware that heat from lights placed near fire sprinklers can activate the sprinklers and damage camera equipment. Fire sprinklers normally are set to activate at 165 degrees.