Programme Types
Common Questions

You can, but it complicates the issue of control and responsibility. Once you take contributors away from their every day actions and 'direct' them, we then assume responsibility and have to ensure that they are competent to do that activity. For example if the Director asks the contributor to liven up the diary and go ice skating with the camera, then the production is responsible for all aspects of the piece. However if the contributor decides to go ice skating under their own volition, having been trained in aspects of safe places and safe ways to film, then the responsibility lies to a much greater extent with the contributor.

That will depend on what we have done to ensure the safety of the contributor and the balance of responsibility will be ascertained from that. If we simply give the contributor a camera, a pat on the head and say off you go, get something exciting, them we will be in a very weak position. If we provide adequiate training, instruction and guidance, correct equipment, then we have fulfilled our obligations, if the contributor then decides to ignore our instruction and training and comes to harm, then we would have very good defence.

Yes. We are at work and so the law is there to protect us where ever we are. Even where people volunteer, the law still applies to them even if they are not being paid.  No exceptions are made because we are making TV or Radio.