Major studios have issued health and safety guidance to their producers in the sweltering European heat as union officials report an influx of members getting in touch.Some of the continent’s largest super-indies have sent out guidelines on taking breaks, drinking water, air conditioning, re-staging scenes, clothing and medical recommendations around spotting the signs of heat stroke amidst the hottest European temperatures on record, topping 100F today.In the UK, which in the past few minutes has hit its hottest temperature of all time, spokespeople for BBC Studios and ITV Studios said guidance has been shared with producers over the past few days.Deadline is yet to hear of a production that has had to pause due to the heat but one British union official told Deadline he had spent the entirety of yesterday fielding calls from concerned members, some of whom queried whether they had a right to refuse to come into work.The calls mostly came from people working in props or make-up departments, roles for which staffers have to be on their feet all day and are often based in small indoor rooms lacking air conditioning for long hours.Extras were also raising concerns, according to the official.
Some were taking part in shoots for which they had to don hot clothing, waiting hours for their scenes to film.ITV Studios’ recommendation package included five-minute hydration breaks between scenes, while BBC Studios urged producers to “move filming schedules around to avoid the hottest parts of the day as well as consider filming indoors or somewhere cooler.”Last week, UK broadcasting union Bectu issued a statement calling on employees “to have appropriate measures” in place to ensure a safe working environment.Rain and lower
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