The Disney-owned Foodles Production, which built the hydraulic door that caused the accident, pled guilty to two charges of broken health and safety regulations. The court concurred with prosecutor Andrew Marshall that Ford faced a “risk of death” in the accident.
“It could have killed somebody,” Marshall told the court (via The Guardian). “The fact that it didn’t was because an emergency stop was activated.”
The door in question was part of the Millennium Falcon set, and in the movie it was meant to be an automatic door that slid up from the floor when it open. In actuality the door was operated by an actual person during the shoot.
Ford was injured when the door closed while he walked under it, but it allegedly would have been worse if someone — presumably the crew’s door operator — hadn’t hit the emergency switch. An investigation found that the door descended with the weight of a small car.
The defense saw things a little differently, with defender Angus Whithington taking issue with the level of risk Ford actually faced. Regardless, Foodles accepted the ruling in a public statement as it wait for the Aug. 22 sentencing.
“The safety of our cast and crew was always a top priority throughout the production,” a statement given to The Guardian read.
The Health and Safety Executive — the U.K. governing body that oversees employee safety and welfare — which conducted the investigation applauded the ruling in a separate statement.
The British film industry has a world-renowned reputation for making exceptional films. Managing on-set risks in a sensible and proportionate way for all actors and staff – regardless of their celebrity status – is vital to protecting both on-screen and off-screen talent, as well as protecting the reputation of the industry.
Ford’s widely documented injury halted production on The Force Awakens for two weeks, but knocked the 71-year-old actor out of commission for considerably longer than that.
Update: A spokesperson for Foodles Production (UK) Ltd. provided Mashable with the below statement.
“Foodles Ltd. has provided full cooperation throughout HSE’s investigation into the on-set accident that occurred in June 2014. The safety of our cast and crew was always a top priority throughout the production.”
[Source:- Mashable]
