A FILM production company has been fined
£1.6million over health and safety breaches after
Hollywood star Harrison Ford was crushed by a
hydraulic door on the set of the Millennium
Falcon spaceship while filming the latest Star
Wars movie.
Mr Ford, who was knocked to the ground and
pinned down by the heavy door, could have been
killed in the incident as he rehearsed during
shooting for Star Wars: The Force Awakens at
Pinewood Studios in Buckinghamshire on June
12, 2014, a court was previously told.
The then 71-year-old was reprising his role as
Han Solo when he was hit by the door, which
had been designed to mimic the action of a door
on the original set.
The Health and Safety Executive (HSE) said the
the power of the rapidly closing metal-framed
door meant Ford was hit with a power
comparable to the weight of a small car.
"If you have a risk assessment and
you do not communicate it, what is
the point of having one?"
Judge Francis Sheridan
Judge Francis Sheridan said: "The greatest
failing of all on behalf of the company is a lack
of communication, a lack because, if you have a
risk assessment and you do not communicate it,
what is the point of having one?
"That is the most serious breach here.
"If only they had included Mr Ford in all the
discussions, he might have at least been alert to
the dangers that he had to avoid."
The Judge went on to criticise the film
company’s “crazy approach” to health and safety
after it was revealed the door was operated by
someone who could not see the actor.
He added: ”Had the wrong button been pressed
it would have continued to crush down on Mr
Harrison Ford.
“It's just incredible that so much was left to
chance."
Foodles Production (UK) Ltd, which is owned by
Disney, admitted two breaches under health and
safety law at a hearing in July and will be
sentenced at Aylesbury Crown Court.
During the July hearing prosecutor Andrew
Marshall said that Mr Ford had gone through the
door with another actor and hit a button.
He started to walk back through the door,
believing the set was not live and that it would
not close.
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