Health & Safety Considerations When Working in the Creative Media Industries

There are various health and safety laws which have been implemented by the government in an attempt to prevent injury both physically and mentally for example when working in the workplace there is legal requirements which companies must provide all of their employees such as the office should be adequately well lit to reduce the eye strain when working on a computer.  A business is also required to provide at least 11 square metres of space for each employee; this is to prevent employees from being crammed into small work areas which would very likely increase the risk of getting injured.  In most I.T related jobs employees are required to undergo Health & Safety awareness training which educates an employee on how work as safe as possible. Employees would be taught thing such as; how to set up your desk (positioning) and ensure that all employees sit at their desk in the right posture.  There is a legal requirement stating that employees are entitled to a 15 minute break after working at a PC for more than 45 minutes. It’s important that a freelancer keeps themselves physically fit and the way in which you can keep yourself fit is by doing at least 1 hour physical exercise each day.

Mel Dixon. (2010). Health and safety for freelancers. Available: http://www.freelanceadvisor.co.uk/lifestyle-and-timeout/health-and-safety-for-freelancers/. Last accessed 4th Dec 2012.

When working as a freelancer in the creative media keeping healthy is very important as people who work as a freelancer aren’t entitled to sick pay which means that if you get sick and aren’t able to produce work for a client you aren’t compensated for time spent sick. It is wise if you are a freelancer to get in contact with professional friends who can help produce work for you when you get sick as the only thing a client cares about is that the project gets complete by the deadline. A freelancer could buy private health insurance which would insure them when they get sick although the average cost of private health insurance is £25 a month which is quite expensive and people who have long lastly health problems would likely find it very difficult to find a quote.

http://www.moneysavingexpert.com/insurance/healthcare-cash-plans

One of the most common causes of illness while at work is stress and obscene caused by stress can cost businesses a great deal of money as stressed related illnesses normally take considerably longer to recover from than physical injuries do.  Most businesses conduct employee satisfaction surveys which enable the business to see if the needs of the employees are being met and then the business make amendments based on that feedback.

http://www.cipd.co.uk/NR/rdonlyres/1B504994-F40F-4801-B93D-8FA4DE73E1FD/0/5233Stress_and_Law_guide.pdf

There are various legal rights which a freelancer should be aware of, for example as a freelancer you are basically self-employed meaning that you won’t be entitled to your client’s sick pay if you become ill although you are entitled to a safe and health work space the same as the employees of the client.

 http://www.freelanceadvisor.co.uk/resources/am-i-an-employee-self-employed-freelance-or-a-worker/


The Workplace, Health, Safety and Welfare Regulations 1992 is set of regulations set out by law which deal with the physical environment in which you everyone works in. This includes having toilet facilities, first aid ,drinking and  resting areas for employees, this ensures that the employees stay healthy.

When in full time employment an employee is entitled to at least 28 days paid holiday every year. Freelancers are not given holiday pay from clients so it's important when you are freelancer to manage your time effecitively.