SANTA FE, NM (AP) – Workplace safety regulators in New Mexico on Wednesday issued the maximum possible fine of nearly $ 137,000 against a company producing films on firearms safety failures on the set of Rust, where cameraman was fatally shot in October by actor and producer Alec Baldwin.
The New Mexico Bureau of Health and Safety says Rust Movie Productions must pay $ 136,793 and spread a scathing account of safety failures in violation of standard industry protocols, including evidence that production managers took limited or no action to address with two mistakes on the set before the fatal shooting. The bureau also documented complaints about gun safety from crew members that went unnoticed, and said gun specialists were not allowed to decide on additional safety training.
“What we had, based on the findings of our investigators, was a set of obvious dangers to employees in terms of the use of firearms and the inability of management to act against these obvious dangers,” said Bob Jenoway, head of the Security Bureau. Labor, before the Associated Press.
On a ranch on the outskirts of Santa Fe on October 21, 2021, Baldwin aimed a gun at cameraman Halina Hutchins in a small church in preparation for stage filming when she exploded, killing Hutchins and injuring director Joel Souza.
Baldwin said in a December interview with ABC News that he aimed the gun at Hutchins on her instructions on the set of a western film in New Mexico when it exploded without him pulling the trigger.
A new occupational safety report confirms that a large-caliber revolver was handed over to Baldwin by assistant director David Halls without consulting with weapons specialists on set during or after loading the gun. Regulators note that Halls also served as a safety coordinator and that he witnessed and witnessed two accidental shootings on the set and that he and other managers who knew about the misfires did not undertake investigations, corrections or disciplinary action. The crew members expressed surprise and discomfort.
“The safety coordinator was present on the set and did not take direct action to address safety concerns,” the report said. “Management was given many opportunities to take corrective action and chose not to do so. As a result of these failures, director Joel Souza and cinematographer Halina Hutchins were seriously injured. Halina Hutchins died of her injuries. “
A spokesman for Rust Movie Productions said he would challenge the findings and sanction them.
“Although we appreciate the time and effort of OSHA in the investigation, we do not agree with its findings and plan to appeal,” said Stefan Friedman. Any appeal will be heard initially by the State Commission for Health and Safety at Work.
Baldwin’s lawyer was not immediately available.
The state fine is for a film with a budget of about $ 7 million. Baldwin received a $ 250,000 salary as an actor and producer, and may have invested some of that money back in production.
At least five lawsuits have been filed for the shooting, including a wrongful death lawsuit filed by the Hutchins family against Baldwin and other filmmakers. The trial on behalf of the widower Matt Hutchins and his 9-year-old son claims that there was “gross” neglect in the face of complaints about the safety of the set.
James Kenny, secretary of the Department of the Environment, which monitors occupational safety, said the agency has devoted 1,500 hours to its investigation, reviewed hundreds of documents and conducted at least a dozen interviews with actors and crew members.
Investigators found that production managers had placed severe resource constraints on a small team that controlled weapons on the set and failed to address concerns about a gun left unattended twice.
Gunsmith Hannah Gutierrez Reed, the daughter of a sniper and film production consultant, was limited to eight paid days as a gunsmith to oversee weapons and training, and was otherwise assigned to lighter duties as a prop assistant. As her time as a gunsmith expired, Gutierrez Reed warned a manager and was resisted.
Gutierrez Reid is both a plaintiff and a defendant in fatal shooting lawsuits. In a statement Wednesday, her lawyer emphasized the findings that the gunman “was not given enough time or resources to do his job effectively”.
Safety investigators also note that the manufacturing company has not developed a process to ensure that ammunition is not brought to the set, in violation of industry safety protocols. Security meetings were held, but weapons were not used every day as required.
Kenny said individual investigations into possible criminal charges are still ongoing. The Santa Fe County Sheriff and the local prosecutor’s office had no immediate comment.
Kenny said his agency did not receive direct safety complaints from actors or crew before the fatal shooting, although anonymity was suggested.
“This tragedy, this loss of life, it could have been prevented and we want people to say something,” he said.
Kenny was appointed in 2019 by Democratic Gov. Michel Lujan Grisham, a staunch defender of the film industry who raised the state’s ceiling on industry incentives shortly after taking office.
New Mexico competes with non-Hollywood manufacturing sites in states such as Georgia, Louisiana and New York. Film productions have flowed into New Mexico in recent years to take advantage of the diverse nature of the outdoors, moderate costs and generous government incentives, including a discount of between 25% and 35% on state spending on video production that helps young and old alike. film directors take credit for their work.
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This story has been updated to adjust the state’s occupational safety fine to $ 136,793 instead of $ 139,793.
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