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COMPANY FOCUS: 1ST OPTION
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1st Option is a safety services company specialising in the broadcast, film and television industries. Its growing client base includes all the main broadcasters as well as many independent production companies. Director Bob Forster talks to us about the serious business of keeping you safe.
What is the nature of your business?
We provide a health and safety consultancy tailored to the broadcast, film and television industries. This includes a variety of services, including online and telephone support; health and safety training; location recce and on-site production support; policy and systems development; audit; accident investigation and specialist support when dealing with insurers or the enforcement authorities. We're well placed to provide the professional and specialist support the industry needs, whatever the risk management challenge.
This covers quite a range of requirements. How do you cope?
We have three highly experienced health and safety specialists within the management team, supported by 18 associates. Each associate is a professionally qualified safety, health, fire, engineering and environmental specialist. They are all carefully selected for their ability to be production-friendly, capable and personable.
What has been your biggest job so far?
The biggest job may not necessarily be the most complex or demanding one. Programme-makers within the broadcasting environment can choose to film or record anything: from every natural phenomenon to a man-made disaster, as well as sporting, domestic and entertainment events, and civil unrest within war zones.
When they’re not recording what’s happening, they recreate events for documentaries or drama. Managing risks in this environment can sometimes seem like trying to hit a moving target. We face the full gambit of risks and so even relatively small production jobs can provide the biggest challenges.
What makes your company different from the competition?
There are two key elements. The first is the team: they are fully qualified and have many years experience of managing risk in television and film. All of them come from busy production environments and so completely understand the need for a practical balance between budget, timescale and effective safety management.
The second element is that we provide a comprehensive consultancy and operational support service focused on the production process, from programme commissioning to transmission. This includes a range of options from email and telephone advice, risk assessment review, site visits, to an internet subscription service, which provides online advice and guidance, vetted contractor lists, useful forms and checklists. The online service is backed up by a 24/7 telephone advice service for complex or urgent issues.
What have been the most significant industry changes you have witnessed?
Programme making is about taking creative and editorial risks and, for this reason, producers and editors are experienced at assessing and managing business risks. But health and safety has a higher profile and now, in progressive production companies, health and safety risk management is given appropriate consideration alongside the other business risks.
On a five-year plan for the company, what would be the most important headings?
To continue to grow our customer base whilst ensuring we maintain the first class service to our existing customers. To maintain a competitive pricing structure whilst providing excellent value for money.
What does technology mean to the business?
We operate within a technically literate industry. People use the emerging technologies within every aspect of their lives and expect information to be readily available using these technologies. We aim to keep pace and utilise these developments as they further evolve to maximise our customer service. This is critical to our success.
What is the single most important piece of advice you would offer to someone starting up in your line of business today?
Ensure you know what you are selling, have a clear understanding of your customer’s needs and the real market value of your service and product.
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