These conditions occur on split shifts, where day is night and night is day, resulting in dangerous safety hazards.  This lack of sleep becomes the cause of many of the safety hazards listed by OSHA.

This workplace condition is aggravated by all the time spent getting to and from work.  Although this time may not fall under the specific purview of OSHA, it is part of the overall critical safety factor.

Police, the Auto Club, and insurance companies warn us to be aware that fatigue is a major cause of accidents.

Today, all over America, sometimes morning, sometimes night, sleep-deprived film workers are driving cars in a physical state equal to legal drunkenness. This condition not only threatens their health and safety, but the community at large.

OSHA may have requirements about the safe way to operate a crane control panel, but in the hands of a sleep-deprived worker that eight hundred pound crane becomes a danger to himself and any worker below him.

OSHA has a rule called Injury Prevention #7 listed in the Cal/OSHA Workplace Injury and Illness Prevention of 3/21/01.

No one shall knowingly be permitted or required to work while the employee’s ability or alertness is so impaired by fatigue, illness or other causes that it might unnecessarily expose the employee or others to injury.

There is abundant proof that film employees are required to work while their ability and alertness is impaired by fatigue, and that these conditions have exposed the employees and others to injuries and death.

The American people have mandated you to be concerned with our Occupational Health and Safety.  We believe an urgent statement about the dangers of sleep deprivation is critical.  At this time, specific abatement proposals may not be organizationally practical, but since it is an overriding health and safety concern, a strong statement by OSHA would be a major step toward realizing the OSHA pledge “to help workers come home alive and healthy at the end of the day.”

We understand that you will not mandate against excessive hours.  But if you publicly acknowledge that fatigue is an all-encompassing safety issue, perhaps other organizations representing the people can find ways to a remedy.

Sincerely,

Haskell Wexler, ASC

12on12off Foundation

THE DOCUMENTARY CHANNEL® PRESENTS THE EXCLUSIVE NETWORK PREMIERE OF “WHO NEEDS SLEEP?”

FROM OSCAR® -WINNING CINEMATOGRAPHER HASKELL WEXLER

Documentary Features Interviews With Hollywood Stars Including Tom Hanks, Julia Roberts, Annette Bening, Billy Crystal, Paul Newman and Tyne Daily, Among Many Others

NASHVILLE, Tenn. (June 1, 2010) — The Documentary Channel® (DOC) presents the exclusive network premiere of the critically acclaimed feature-length documentary “Who Needs Sleep?” from Academy® Award winner Haskell Wexler on Friday, June 25 at 8:30 p.m. ET/PT. Distributed by Chatsworth, Calif.-based Image Entertainment (NASDAQ: DISK), the

film features intimate interviews with some of Hollywood’s biggest stars, including Tom Hanks, Julia Roberts, Annette Bening, Billy Crystal, Paul Newman, and Tyne Daly, as they discuss health risks associated with long production work days surpassing the 14-hour mark.

This is the kind of change Mindful Media strives to achieve and is commensurate with our company philosophy. Central to this ethos is an emphasis on using strategic marketing and social media to help promote positive change. We create programs that have broad outreach potential, with campaigns that cross  platforms, targeting diverse audiences who have a desire for informative, constructive and engaging shows.

We invite feedback from our audiences and you can always contact us with comments and/or ideas at casper@mindfulmedia.com.au

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Several prominent directors speak out about the destructive nature of working long hours and the threat to our health and safety. This video along with other material will be presented to the Directors Guild of America to compel the DGA to re-affirm their commitment to this issue.

- Haskell Wexler

I found this interview which may be of interest to 12on12off. Not that we movie workers need confirmation of the debilitating effects of excessive hours. Check this out.

- Haskell Wexler

“As members of the ASC and as Directors of Photography, our responsibility is to the visual image of the film as well as the well-being of our crews. The continuing and expanding practices of working extreme hours can compromise both the quality of our work and the health and safety of others.”

- Conrad Hall

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