Personal Protective Equipment

Overview

Film and television sets can be a dynamic place. Students should make sure they dress appropriately for the location each day of production occurs. Weather can seriously impact a crew’s ability to perform effectively and safe while in production. Each day’s forecast should be included in the call sheet, but that does not always guarantee that you will be dressed properly for what the day brings.

It is best practice to keep a bag with a change of clothes, shoes, hat, sunglasses, and rain gear in your vehicle as part of a personal set kit. You never know when you might need to change a shirt drenched in sweat for a dry one when moving from a hot exterior to a cold interior environment. Being prepared for variables in the environment means you will reduce the chances of you getting an uncomfortable rash or blister, sick, or worse.

Hand and Foot Protection

It is important that students protect both their hands and feet from the craftwork grind of filmmaking. Only closed-toe shoes should be worn when working on-set. Heavy stands and other equipment can easily break toes if they are not properly protected. Flip-flops, sandals, high heels, and five-fingered style shoes are not appropriate attire to be worn on-set by crewmembers.

Cast members, who must wear these types of shoes in scripted scenes, should do so only when on-camera. They should not spend much time wandering the set’s backstage areas with poor foot protection on.

Students are not permitted to wear open-toed shoes when they are on the sound stage or in studio.

Leather shoes with a rubber sole are the ideal shoe for set work as the leather protects the foot from scuffs and blows, the rubber provides solid traction and helps to isolate you from the ground when working with electrical equipment such as lighting fixtures and cables.

Water resistant or waterproof footwear is also beneficial as location shooting in Florida will eventually result in soaking wet feet.

Working with equipment can be very rough on the hands, especially if you are not accustomed to it. Students should invest in a set of fitted leather gloves that have been designed to offer enough heat protection from hot and heavy lighting gear while still providing enough dexterity to tie rope, use hand tools, and write notes with.

Gloves that have leather palms and fingers are ideally suited for working with hot lighting or heavy grip equipment. Do not use gloves that have synesthetic materials covering touch points as they will melt and could burn or stick to your hands.

Eye, Nose, Ear, Face, and Hearing Protection

When working on sets that have flying particulates and debris, hazardous chemicals, harmful light rays (e.g., lasers, UV, etc.), or loud or droning sounds (e.g., heavy machinery, factories) the appropriate eye, nose, ear, and/or face shield protection should be worn.

Helmets or hardhats should also be worn when there is a high-risk of impact trauma to the head (e.g., active construction or demolition sites).

Mitigating Ultraviolet Radiation

Students should carry sunscreen, sunglasses, and a hat in their set kit of personal protective equipment. Working long day-exteriors under the Florida sun can be taxing.

Take the necessary precautions to avoid burns to your skin and damage to your eyes. You are only young once.

Rain Gear and Spare Clothing

Students participating on productions should always carry rain gear, such as a rain jacket and water resistant or water proof footwear, in their personal set kit. Getting caught in the rain is a common occurrence in Florida. Always be prepared for wet weather. Keeping an extra set of clothes to change into is one of the best kept secrets of personal comfort on set. Having a light jacket or sweatshirt at hand is important when transitioning from sweaty exterior to air-conditioned interiors.

Even if rain does not fall, there is nothing like dawning on a fresh pair of socks and shoes after lunch.

Recommended Personal Items

Student crew members should have the following Personal Protection Equipment in their personal kits:

• Leather gloves
• Closed-toed shoes
• ANSI rated eye protection
• ANSI rated ear protection

Here is a quick list of items that students crew members also should consider packing into a bag to have available when working on location:

• Brimmed hat (e.g, ballcap, boonie, or straw hat)
• Sunglasses
• Sunscreen
• Rain jacket with hood
• Light windbreaker, sweatshirt or hoodie
• Heavy insulated jacket (if working in cold temperatures)
• Spare socks
• Spare pair of closed-toe shoes
• Spare underwear
• Spare pants or shorts
• Spare shirt