Research into laser use in the entertainment industry has netted a BBC employee a £1000 prize from IOSH.
Sarah Davidson, health and safety advisor at the Corporation, was commended by the Institution as part of its ‘Bright Spark’ student research poster competition, which recognises and disseminates the work of up-and-coming researchers in occupational safety and health.
Sarah, who advises on health and safety for programmes including Top Gear, The One Show and Bang Goes the Theory, conducted the research as part of an MSc in occupational health and safety at the University of Salford.
She said: “I was really pleased to obtain recognition for the research and I feel winning has enabled the research topic to be more widely understood – and, of course, it has given me confidence and encouragement to further the work.”
As overall winner of the competition, Sarah scooped a £1000 prize and a pass to the IOSH 2013 Conference and Exhibition, which took place this week (26 and 27 February). Runner-up Garry McGauran received £500 and free pass for his research into building design.
Sarah’s study identified that there is limited information on the perceived risks associated with laser use in the entertainment industry. It found a wider trend for audience scanning in pubs and clubs and highlighted key barriers to the application of safe working practices.
She said: “My research gained positive feedback from the Health Protection Agency and the Safety Advisory Group in Entertainment.
“As a result, I have now been asked to contribute to a working group to advance current guidance on safe laser use.”
Mary Ogungbeje, research and development advisor at IOSH, said: “Research plays an instrumental role in improving occupational safety and health policy.
“Everyone loves the ‘wow’ factor when it comes to entertainment, so it was great to see a stunning poster as well as research into the very real and technical risks of using high-powered laser displays at events.”
The ‘Bright Spark’ competition is an annual event for which universities running IOSH-accredited BSc and MSc courses can put forward two of their best students. The judging panel takes into account the presentation of the posters as well as the context of the research, approach, methods used, results and conclusions made.
