A production company has been fined after a stuntman suffered life-changing injuries during the filming of a Hollywood action movie.
Joe Watts had been filming a fight scene for Fast and Furious 9: The Fast Saga when his stunt vest became detached and he fell approximately 25 feet onto the concrete floor at Warner Bros. Studios in Leavesden on July 22, 2019.
Mr Watts, from Surrey, suffered a fractured skull and a severe traumatic brain injury, which has left him with permanent impairment and disability.
The Health and Safety Executive (HSE) said its investigation found several failings by FF9 Pictures Limited.
FF9 Pictures Limited’s risk assessment failed to address the potential issue of a rope snap or a link failure; there was no system for double checking that the link had been properly engaged and tightened.
There was also no system for checking the link for signs of deformation or stretching between takes, the manufacturer’s website stated that the link used was forbidden for use as personal protective equipment and shock loading should be avoided.
On top of that, six-monthly inspections of harnesses were required but Mr Watts’ harness had not been inspected in the last six months. FF9 Pictures Limited did not extend the crash matting needed to mitigate the consequences of an unintended fall following changes to the set and the sequence of the stunt.
FF9 Pictures Limited, based on St Giles High Street, London, pleaded guilty to breaching Section 3(1) of the Health and Safety at Work Act 1974. The company was fined £800,000 and ordered to pay £14,752.85 in costs at Luton Magistrates’ Court on Friday, November 24.
HSE inspector Roxanne Barker said: “Mr Watts’ injuries were life-changing and he could have easily been killed. In stunt work, it is not about preventing a fall but minimising the risk of an injury.”
This prosecution was brought by HSE enforcement lawyer Rebecca Schwartz and supported by HSE paralegal officer Gabrielle O’Sullivan.
Sentencing, district judge Talwinder Buttar stated Mr Watts is fortunate to be alive and added that she was astonished that the crash matting was not adequate.
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