The UK’s Health and Safety Executive (HSE) has said the production of Tomb Raider, the Amazon MGM-produced TV series, has breached UK safety laws at Shinfield Studios.
The ruling, which was obtained by Deadline, concluded that the production breached the Health and Safety at Work Act of 1974 and the Control of Substances Hazardous to Health Regulations of 2002. The reason? Improper protections for the crew when handling certain substances.
The HSE said the crew did not undergo the required “biological monitoring” necessary when spraying isocyanate paints, a leading cause of asthma. HSE’s guidance requires the wearing of protective equipment when spraying isocyanate paints. According to the report, the paints produce an “invisible mist” that could last for up to 20 minutes before clearing. As such, it is the employer’s job to learn the clearance time needed for the space where the substance is being sprayed.
Based on that, the HSE issued the production an “improvement notice” back in April, which the production responded to within a month and rectified the issue. As Deadline points out, HSE notices aren’t typically issued against TV productions in general, and especially not something of this stature. Tomb Raider is apparently the highest-profile production to be issued such a ruling in the last four years.
This is not the first time the Tomb Raider production has run into a snag. You may recall that in March, star Sophie Turner suffered an injury that forced production to pause. Filming reportedly resumed two weeks later after Turner recovered. These safety issues do not appear to be linked, but two high-profile instances of health issues on set don’t paint a positive overall picture.
The Tomb Raider TV series is created by Fleabag and Killing Eve’s Phoebe Waller-Bridge. A number of high-profile actors have already been confirmed for the show, such as Sigourney Weaver, Jason Isaacs and Keeley Hawes – Lara’s original voice actor in the games. The show does not yet have a release date, but seeing as filming only began in January, we may be waiting a while yet.
