The prop operators watched the filming from this workstation, using the laptop to operator the door. HSE contended that guarding should have been used to stop the door from closing on cast and crew members.Ford suffered a broken leg and deep lacerations when he was knocked off his feet and pinned to the floor of the Millennium Falcon set when a prop door closed on him. The Health and Safety Executive (HSE) investigated and found that there was no automatic emergency cut off to protect those on set, instead the filmmakers relied on the reactions of the prop operator(s) to bring the door to a stop.
The door’s steel frame was overlaid with sheets of metal and had a tapered edge. Its operation moved from ceiling to floor in a sharp downward motion. It did not have any automated safety mechanisms to cut out if a person was unexpectedly under the door.
“It was only the almost instantaneous actions of the prop operator in hitting the emergency stop that prevented the door from continuing to press down on Mr. Ford as he lay on the floor,” said HSE’s Divisional Director Tim Galloway. “I think everyone would accept that all the people who work in the film industry have a right to know that the risks they take to entertain us, including when making action movies, are properly managed and controlled.”
Aylesbury Crown Court heard how a combination of preventable events, starting with how the door was designed, led to the incident.
During dress rehearsals on June 12, 2014, Harrison Ford walked back towards the entrance ramp of the Millennium Falcon and pressed the prop door button to “close” the door. As the cameras were not rolling, he did not expect it to close. The production crew member who was operating the prop believed they were in full rehearsal and closed the door.
