Addressing Psychologically Unsafe Situations

Often, the arts and entertainment sector can require a person to be physically or socially distant from others such as family, friends or colleagues, which can leave workers feeling a sense of disconnect. Work periods can often occur during evenings and weekends, presenting some irregularities in schedule and making it more difficult for individuals to meet personal, caregiving or social responsibilities.

Certain jobs with limited access to communication tools or emergency support can leave workers vulnerable. Workers in arts and entertainment often work in pairs but may need to work alone depending on the task allocated. Communication between staff and supervisors is essential to ensure everyone remains safe and properly supported.

Steps to take:

• Assign a designated crew member to attempt a site walkthroughs and assessments to look for potential safety hazards

• Offer opportunities for workers to connect with one another outside of the role itself. Crew coffee breaks or extended down-time can provide a chance to check-in with staff and an opportunity to socialize and bring forward any concerns or issues they may be experiencing

• Ensure workers are provided with adequate time for breaks during their shifts, this is particularly important in longer days spent on shift. It is important for workers to have mentally rejuvenating rest points that provide a moment to reflect and reset. By focusing on one task at a time rather than task-switching, the feeling of cognitive overwhelm can be reduced.

• Communicate schedule plans and changes as early as possible and encourage workers to take breaks when they can get them. For longer shoot/project days, check in with your workers more often to see how they are doing.

• Consult the Canadian Centre for Occupational Health and Safety (CCOHS) website for insight and resources on fatigue management. Implementing a fatigue management plan ensure workers are well-rested and have the opportunity to connect with friends and loved ones

Tensions can arise in the workplace for a variety of reasons and workers may experience aggressive verbal or physical interactions, whether that be with colleagues or with the public. Workers in front-of-house roles, those enforcing rules and those working late-night shifts are particularly vulnerable. For example, a junior level PA managing crowd control on-set or amongst larger crews working late hours. Witnessing or experiencing violence or managing low-level aggression can contribute to cumulative stress and burnout.

• Establish robust safety protocols and behavioural expectations. Include a code of conduct that is applicable to all crew members and those they may interact with (patrons, public, other crew members). Crew should be made aware of these policies and trained on appropriate response

• Implement a comprehensive incident reporting system. Create and circulate a simple, accessible and confidential process for reporting bullying, harassment, violence or threats. Workers should be made aware of this through onboarding and ongoing staff meetings – Haven operate a harassment, anti-racism and violence emergency network for those working in the entertainment industry . The mental health support line can also be contacted at 310-6789.

• Prioritize support and recovery for affected workers. Offer immediate and ongoing support to any worker who experiences or witnesses’ violence. If applicable, connect workers with an EAP, provide debriefing sessions or modified duties.

• Increase visibility and staff presence in high-risk areas. Assign security or supervisory staff to areas where incidents are more likely to occur – such as near entrances, backstage corridors, bars and more complex sets. Connect and consult with the crew to ask them what the high risk areas are as it can be difficult to have full scope of all situations.

• Designate staff only areas. These are physically separate from public and performance zones. Identify potential safety concerns ahead of time and act as needed.

Workers may feel they are not provided with sufficient support from their management when there are no clear safety policies or procedure in place to guide and protect them. Short-term contracts can further intensify this challenge, as workers may hesitate to report concerns out of fear of jeopardizing future gigs. Similarly, the high turnover of project-based leadership can result in inconsistent communication and fragmented follow-through, leaving workers unsure of where to turn for support. When respectful workplace behaviours are not actively promoted or upheld, workers are at risk of feeling unsafe. Additionally, when staff report incidents or raise concerns and are met with dismissive responses, it can further erode trust in leadership and discourage future reporting, contributing to a culture of silence and a lack of openness.

Steps to take:

• Offer appropriate support measures and arrange 1:1s to invite conversation and discussion

• Conduct a review with staff after events or projects to gain feedback

• Provide workers with useful resources and information to encourage further education

• Offer support and arrange check-ins to ensure health and safety measures have been implemented successfully

• Create safe, confidential channels for reporting incidents or concerns without fear of reprisal

• Ensure that all required safety procedures and documentation is completed during the onboarding process and reviewed on an agreed basis

In the arts and entertainment sector, the workforce and duties of workers are subject to change on a regular basis with the potential for each shift to look entirely different. The presence of day workers or short-term contract workers means that there is often additional organization required to ensure that all workers are certain of their duties and know who to contact for help. Multi-hatting is also common, this can be demonstrated by theatre staff doubling up their role and taking on front-of-house responsibilities, which can blur role boundaries and expectations. At festivals, concerts and other short-term events, casual hires may be unfamiliar with the chain of command, while in film production, frequent crew rotations and shifting reporting lines can create uncertainty about where to raise concerns or seek guidance.

Steps to take:

• Provide orientation or quick onboarding for casual or short-term hires to better familiarize them with reporting structures

• Ensure that workers are provided with clear descriptions of the expected roles and responsibilities for the allocated shift and tasks

• Notify all workers of the management structure and reporting lines for supervision and assistance

• Clarify all policies and procedures with all workers on a given shift

• For those with more delineated roles, regularly consult with them about any planned changes to their role and responsibilities

• Monitor workload distribution to ensure multi-hatting does not compromise safety, communication or clarity of responsibilities