1.
Scope 1.1 This Code of Practice is
issued by the Entertainment Special Effects Licensing Authority (the
Authority). The purpose of this
document is to ensure that special effects operators, production companies
and other relevant persons are aware of their obligations with regard to
the safe use, storage and conveyance of special effects materials for the
production of entertainment special effects. It also provides guidance for good
practice so as to ensure that any person or any property is, as far as is
reasonably practicable, protected from any personal injury or unintentional
damage arising from the use of any special effects materials. 1.2 In this document, the
term “pyrotechnic materials” is used instead of “pyrotechnic special
effects materials” for simplicity.
In the context of this document, these two terms are
interchangeable. 2. Using
Special Effects Materials under a Stream A Discharge Permit 2.1
Introduction 2.1.1 Pursuant
to Schedule 1 of the Entertainment Special Effects (General) Regulation (the
Regulation), use of special effects materials for the production of
entertainment special effects is classified into two streams. This section deals with the use of
special effects materials under a Stream A discharge permit. A Stream A discharge permit is issued for
the production of special effects in films, commercials, television
episodes and programmes (excluding any stage or similar productions
performed before a proximate audience) and other similar productions. The use of special effects materials
under a Stream B discharge permit will be dealt with in Section 3. 2.1.2 The
operator-in-charge referred to in this section means the special effect
operator named in a discharge permit issued under section 11 of the
Ordinance. 2.1.3 Section 11 of the Regulation
stipulates that a discharge permit is not required for the discharge of
non-pyrotechnic special effects materials under certain conditions. Nevertheless, the guidance given in this
section is still relevant to such discharge, but any reference to the
operator-in-charge should then refer to the special effects operator(s)
responsible for the discharge of such non-pyrotechnic special effects
materials. 2.2 General
Obligation 2.2.1 Safety of the
public, performers, special effects operators and support personnel is the
prime consideration in all events involving the use of special effects
materials. In order to ensure the
safety of all concerned, the operator-in-charge named in a discharge permit
has the final decision in all matters pertaining to the discharge of the
special effects materials. 2.2.2 If unforeseen hazards
develop with regard to the people concerned, properties, weather
conditions, the firing venue or the special effects materials, the
operator-in-charge and his assistants have the responsibility to stop the
production of a particular special effect or all special effects until
safety is restored, regardless of the pressure from the production
personnel, performers or other sources. 2.2.3 Although the
operator-in-charge is responsible for the use of special effects materials,
including the final decision to discharge, under section 29(4) of the
Ordinance, the Authority and any officer referred to in section 29(1) of
the Ordinance may prevent or stop the use of special effects materials when
the circumstances under which such use is determined by him to be likely to
endanger life or cause serious injury to property. 2.2.4 Notwithstanding any
discharge permit issued by the Authority, before allowing special effects
materials to be used on any premises, the production company shall obtain
permission from the owner of the premises or his agent. In case of a vessel, the permission of
the master or person in charge of the vessel shall be obtained. The operator-in-charge responsible for
the use of the special effects materials shall verify with the production
company that such permission has been duly obtained prior to using the
materials. 2.2.5 The production company shall
give sufficient advance notice and details of the intended special effects
to the operator-in-charge to allow him to safely plan the special
effects. If significant changes are
made to these plans, then additional time must be provided to safely
accommodate the changes. 2.2.6 The production company shall
allocate sufficient time for the operator-in-charge and his assistants to
safely perform their work including the conveying, storing, assembling,
firing and disposing of all special effects materials. While handling such materials, they shall
not be interrupted or distracted by the production company from focusing on
their work, and shall never be pressured to hurry. 2.2.7 The production company shall
obtain permissions from the owner of the premises and/or relevant government
departments so as to enable the operator-in-charge to prevent unauthorised
persons gaining access to the discharge area until completion of firing and
the operator-in-charge has determined the area to be safe and secure. 2.2.8 The production company and
the operator-in-charge shall provide effective measures to reduce or remove
nuisance caused by the discharge of special effects materials. 2.2.9 The production company and
the operator-in-charge shall provide first aid facility at the firing venue
not less than those specified in the Occupational Safety and Health
Ordinance (Cap. 509). 2.2.10 The production company and all
special effects operators shall ensure that there is no breach of the
Dangerous Goods Ordinance (Cap. 295) and its subsidiary legislation with
respect to the use, storage and conveyance of non-pyrotechnic special
effects materials other than liquefied petroleum gas. 2.2.11 The
production company and all special effects operators shall ensure that
there is no breach of the Gas Safety Ordinance (Cap. 51) and its subsidiary
legislation with respect to the storage and conveyance of liquefied
petroleum gas (LPG), and shall observe additional requirements for the safe
use of LPG which are given in the Code of Practice on the Use of LPG for
the Production of Special Effects (CP2). 2.3 General Safety
Requirements 2.3.1 No special effects operators
shall use special effects materials while under the influence of
intoxicating beverages, alcohol, narcotics, prescription or non-prescription
drugs or other substances that can impair judgement or movement. The operator-in-charge has the
responsibility of ensuring his assistants to comply with this requirement. 2.3.2 The production company shall
ensure that any platform, pit or opening, or any container containing a
scalding, corrosive or poisonous substance located within a set or shooting
location must be fenced to a height of 900 mm or where it is not fenced, is
sufficiently well protected. 2.3.3 If the set is inside an
enclosure, the production company shall ensure that the area is adequately
ventilated by fresh air. 2.3.4 The production company and
the operator-in-charge shall ensure that the set is sufficiently well
lighted by natural or artificial lighting during the handling and
installation of special effects materials. 2.3.5 The production company shall
install at the set effective means for draining the set if any activity may
make the floor of the set wet or slippery. 2.3.6 No pyrotechnic materials
shall be left unattended. 2.3.7 Mobile
telephones, radio transmitters and other devices that may cause accidental
initiation of any pyrotechnic materials shall be kept away from the
pyrotechnic materials as far as practicable. The risk of accidental initiation of
pyrotechnic materials will much depend upon the strength and frequency of
radio frequency field of the transmitter and the antenna configuration
formed by the leg wires or circuit wires connected to the pyrotechnic
materials. The operator-in-charge
shall search for and identify any devices or sources of radio waves in a
firing venue, and confirm that these will not affect the pyrotechnic
materials to be used in the area. As
a general rule, mobile telephones shall be switched off at least within 3.5
m of the pyrotechnic materials. 2.4 Fire Protection and
Precautions 2.4.1 While special effects
materials are being used, the operator-in-charge shall ensure that - (i) at least two fire extinguishers
appropriate to the types of special effects materials used are readily
available and located within 15 m of the materials, unless specified
otherwise in a discharge permit; (ii) all fire hoses and additional fire
extinguishing equipment as required by the Authority are in working order
and readily accessible; and (iii) personnel who have a working knowledge of
the use of the above fire extinguishing equipment are present at all times
while the special effects materials are being used or removed. 2.4.2 The operator-in-charge and
his assistants shall ensure that smoking is not permitted within at least
7.6 m of the area where special effects materials are used. The operator-in-charge may, if he
considers it safe, allow smoking by performers as part of the act. The operator-in-charge shall ensure signs
bearing the words “不准吸煙”
and “No Smoking” are posted in suitable locations as close to the special
effects materials as practicable. 2.4.3 The production company and
the operator-in-charge shall maintain the set where special effects
materials are used in a neat and orderly condition, and free of any fire
nuisance that can create a fire hazard. 2.4.4 When the set is in use for
shooting, the production company shall keep all doors that provide egress
from the set for shooting unlocked or are otherwise fastened in such a
manner that they can easily be opened from inside the set. A clearly visible sign bearing the words
“出口” and “EXIT”
must be located at each exit from the set.
Such signs may be temporarily removed as necessary when the set
appears on camera but must be promptly replaced when filming of that set is
completed. Cleared areas for
emergency exits must not be blocked by persons or other equipment. 2.4.5 The production company shall
provide a clearly visible sign bearing the words “此路不通” and “NO EXIT” to identify false doors and similar set
pieces in the set which might otherwise be mistaken for exits in the case
of fire or other emergency. Such
signs may be temporarily removed as necessary when the set appears on
camera but must be promptly replaced thereafter. 2.4.6 The production company, the
operator-in-charge and his assistants shall ensure that all means of escape
from the set are maintained in a safe condition and kept free from
obstruction. 2.4.7 No person shall interfere
with any fire alarm systems or life safety systems or do anything to
prevent those systems from being used unless they are likely to be
mistakenly activated by the discharge of special effects materials. Prior to disarming or disengaging any
such systems, the operator-in-charge shall notify the Fire Services
Communication Centre (FSCC) at 2723 2233. The operator-in-charge shall restore all
disarmed or disengaged systems to normal operating conditions as soon as
the likelihood of false alarms from the use of special effects materials
has passed and shall inform the FSCC accordingly. 2.5 Safety Orientation
Meetings 2.5.1 Prior to any special effects
activity, the operator-in-charge shall hold safety orientation meeting with
all concerned personnel including the performers, stunt perfomers, support
personnel and special effects operators. 2.5.2 During the meetings, the
operator-in-charge shall discuss the planned events and the intended
effects, including all aspects and ramifications concerning safety issues
as they relate to the safe use of special effects materials. The meetings shall also cover the things
that might go wrong and the actions to be taken by various parties with
respect to fire fighting and rescue of people. All parties should also be briefed of the
fire evacuation plan when the fire is out of control. 2.5.3 When there is any change to
the planned events, the intended effects or the use of special effects
materials, the operator-in-charge shall hold another safety orientation
meeting. The production company
shall allocate sufficient time for the operator-in-charge to conduct the
meetings prior to the production of any special effects. 2.6 Electrical Firing
Circuits 2.6.1 All electrically fired
pyrotechnic circuits shall be tested before firing. They shall be tested with a blasting
galvanometer or other similar test devices in which the test current is not
capable of supplying more than 25 mA or more than one-fifth of the no fire
current, whichever is the lesser. 2.6.2 Connecting any electric
firing circuit to any power supply is prohibited until all special effects
materials in the sequence are connected to firing leads and the firing area
is clear of all unauthorized personnel. 2.6.3 Power sources for firing
special effects materials shall be restricted to batteries or individually
isolated, ungrounded generators used for firing purposes only. Commercial or house power may be used
provided the firing system is electrically isolated from the commercial or
house power through the use of such items as isolation transformers. Under no condition may commercial or
house power be used directly for firing purposes. 2.6.4 All firing systems shall be
designed to insure against accidental firing by providing a shunt or other
control method in which no firing power can be applied to any firing
circuits unless the special effects operator intentionally enables or arms
the firing system before applying firing power. 2.6.5 All pyrotechnic materials
set in or on the surface of water or other liquids shall be fired by a
separate, ungrounded and uncommon two-wire circuit. 2.7 Firing Prerequisites 2.7.1 All
pyrotechnic devices and other fire/fireball producing devices shall be mounted
in a secure manner to maintain their proper positions and orientations so
as to ensure that special effects are produced as intended when fired and
any fire, fireball or debris produced does not endanger human lives, result
in personal injury or damage properties.
Deliberate destruction of properties or portions of the set, where
destroyed as part of the special effects, shall not be considered as
property damage. 2.7.2 Pyrotechnic materials shall
be fired only from equipment specifically constructed for the purpose of
firing pyrotechnic materials. 2.7.3 Firing systems shall not be
left unattended while connected to pyrotechnic materials. 2.7.4 Where pyrotechnic materials
are placed on or in contact with a performer’s body, a means of shielding or
containment adequate to prevent any injury to the performer shall be
provided. This protection shall be
sufficient to protect against the normal functioning of the pyrotechnic
materials as well as any possible malfunction. 2.7.5 Converted electrical switch
boxes, lamp sockets, lamp holders, plug fuses, or other similar
thin-walled, brittle devices shall not be used for concussion mortars or
flash pots. 2.7.6 Binary systems pyrotechnic
materials shall be mixed and used in accordance with the manufacturer’s
instructions. 2.7.7 Binary systems pyrotechnic materials shall be mixed one unit at a time, and no more units than are needed for immediate use shall be mixed. These materials shall only be mixed in the bottles su |