The Risk of Blast Injuries in the Georgia Entertainment Industry

Georgia has a thriving film and entertainment industry, and the state goes to great lengths to attract TV and film projects from production companies. Georgia has one of the most competitive tax incentive packages in the country for film and entertainment projects along with a strong and well-established production infrastructure which includes a highly skilled industry workforce.

Last year, film and TV productions were halted for several months because of the COVID-19 outbreak, but they started to come back online late last summer. Currently, there are more than 50 TV shows and movies that are in production in Georgia, and the governor estimates that there will be around 75 production projects going within the next 18 months.

Georgia’s booming film and entertainment industry will provide an estimated 40,000 jobs for production workers in the coming months, providing a major boost for the local economy. But with all of these new jobs come the risk of injuries due to various hazards from working in the industry. One such hazard that can cause injuries to workers is explosion accidents.

Types of Blast Injury Risks in the Film and Entertainment Industry

Over the years, numerous actors, stuntmen, and crew workers have been injured or killed because of explosions and other various accidents that occur during a TV or movie filming. Blasts and explosions that go off at the wrong time or otherwise do not go as planned can result in some of the most serious and catastrophic injuries.

Blast injuries that could occur on the set can be divided into four general categories:

• Primary Blast: As the name implies, these are injuries that occur because of the direct impact of a pressurized blast. The blast wave can cause damage all over the body, and it can often damage internal organs. Some of the areas that are often affected include the lungs, abdomen, eardrums, eyes, and head.
• Secondary Blast: These happen not from the blast itself, but because of objects, materials, and debris on the set that is dispersed and strikes nearby workers. Hard and/or sharp objects can cause blunt force trauma or penetrate the skin and damage internal organs. Secondary blast injuries can often be severe and life-threatening.
• Tertiary Blast: These occur when an individual nearby an explosion gets thrown by the force of the blast and experiences a serious fall. Depending on how the person lands, they can end up with injuries ranging from fractures to amputations to traumatic brain injuries (TBIs).
• Quaternary Blast: These are caused by a blast that do not fit into any of the other three categories. Examples include severe burn injuries, crush injuries, and exposure to toxic substances.

Legal Options for Injured Film and Entertainment Workers in Georgia

The entertainment industry is known for using a lot of independent contractors for short-term TV and movie projects. There are also some workers who are direct employees, and there has been quite a bit of controversy in recent years about film companies who misclassify employees as independent contractors so they can get out of paying workers’ compensation benefits.

Whichever category an injured entertainment worker falls into, they may have the ability to recover compensation through a personal injury claim. This is true even of employees who qualify for workers’ comp if the explosion accident was caused by a party other than their employer.

For example, an incident might occur because of the actions of a third-party subcontractor who is working on the set. Or because of a defective or dangerous piece of equipment that was used during production.

A thorough investigation is needed to get to the bottom of what happened and determine all contributing factors and parties that may be responsible. Cases like these can be extremely complicated, however, so be sure to work with a firm that has extensive experience with workplace injury cases, and the proven ability to recover maximum compensation on behalf of their clients.

Injured in a Blast in Georgia? Contact Bailey, Javins & Carter, L.C. for Legal Help

If you are an entertainment worker who was injured in an explosion accident or you suffered a blast injury in any other workplace in Georgia, Bailey, Javins & Carter, L.C. is here to help. Call our office today at 678-981-5370 or message us online for a free consultation and case assessment with one of our attorneys.