Health and Safety in the Recording Studio

Health and Safety risks to be aware of:

-Trip Hazards- Naturally, there will be a lot of such hazards in a recording environment. Every microphone needs an XLR cable and will also most likely be on a stand with legs splayed out over the floor, guitars will have amp leads and each musician will probably be wearing a pair of headphones, which, like the XLR cables, will be trailing across the floor to the stage box.
How can this hazard be resolved/reduced?
When setting up, ensure that cables to the stage box are as short as possible and not trailing around all over the floor, to do this, you can coil any excess cable and place it underneath the microphone stand. Simply being aware of your environment is also beneficial, when setting up microphone stands and cables will probably be repositioned, ensure that you are alert of where you are stepping at all times.

- Hearing Damage- Recording instruments in a small environment can result in high air pressure levels and therefore hearing damage.
How can this hazard be resolved/reduced?
If you find yourself in the music studio often, then consider purchasing ear plugs/defenders or noise cancelling headphones in order to protect your ears.

- Electronics- Food and Drink- Liquids when spilt can pose a risk, not just of breakages and damage to the equipment, but possible electrocution also.
How can this hazard be resolved/reduced?
Don’t take/consume food or drink into the studio at all.

-Electronics- Fire Hazard- Due to the substantial amount of electronic equipment, overheating, therefore resulting in an electrical fire is unfortunately a constant risk.
How can this hazard be resolved/reduced?
Any small fires can be tackled with one of the fire extinguishers provided in the studio, there are also fire alarms. If undiscovered, there are also smoke detectors and a sprinkler system, which will result in the entire fire alarm system going off and the whole college being evacuated.

- Lifting- Due to the nature of the equipment, you may have to lift some heavy loads, therefore posing risk of injury, back injury can be the most common outcome.
How can this hazard be resolved/reduced?
To reduce risk of back injury, learning the technique to lift correctly is key, for example, squatting to the floor to pick up a load whilst keeping your arms short with the load close to your body.

-Computers- Computers can also damage your back and also damage your vision when using them for a long period of time.
How can this hazard be resolved/reduced?
This can be resolved by keeping and maintaining the correct posture when sitting at a computer. Taking breaks regularly can lessen the strain on your eyes and also your back.