The production company behind Amazon MGM Studios' Tomb Raider series broke UK health and safety laws during filming earlier this year. Britain's Health and Safety Executive, known as the HSE, confirmed the breach in a ruling that had not been previously reported.
According to Deadline, the HSE determined that Project Temple Productions Ltd, the special purpose vehicle through which the series is being produced, violated the Health and Safety At Work Act 1974 and Control of Substances Hazardous to Health Regulations 2002. The breach occurred during production at Shinfield Studios. Amazon MGM Studios declined to comment.
The specific violation involved the spraying of isocyanate paints, one of the leading causes of occupational asthma. HSE determined that the production company failed to ensure crew members underwent biological monitoring to confirm that adequate control measures were in place. HSE guidance requires appropriate personal protective equipment when spraying the substance and notes that an invisible mist can take up to 20 minutes to clear. Employers must know the clearance time for any space where spraying takes place.
The HSE issued Project Temple an improvement notice in April, requiring the company to take action to remedy the breach. Within a month, Project Temple had complied with the relevant regulations, according to a notice page on the HSE's website.
The health and safety citation was not the only setback for the production. Turner suffered a minor injury during filming that paused the shoot for approximately two weeks while the actor recovered.
HSE rarely issues notices against television productions. According to Deadline, only four productions have been cited by the watchdog over the past four years. Tomb Raider was the most high-profile of those.
The series is written by Fleabag creator Phoebe Waller-Bridge, who also serves as executive producer and co-showrunner alongside Chad Hodge. Jonathan Van Tulleken directs. Production began in January, when Amazon MGM Studios released a first-look image of Turner in the role of Lara Croft.
The cast includes Sigourney Weaver, Jason Isaacs, Martin Bobb-Semple, Jack Bannon, John Heffernan, Bill Paterson, Paterson Joseph, Sasha Luss, Juliette Motamed, Celia Imrie and August Wittgenstein. The series is produced for Prime Video with Crystal Dynamics.
