Performing arts: Occupational risks emerge from behind the scenes

An exploratory study on occupational risks in the performing arts sheds light on the impact of organizational modes of productions, cultural enterprises and sectors of activity on the health and safety of artists and artisans. The study, which was conducted by the Institut de recherche Robert-Sauvé en santé et en sécurité du travail (IRSST), forms part of the work of the Table de concertation paritaire en santé et sécurité du travail pour le domaine des arts de la scène (“joint table on occupational health and safety in the performing arts”), a body created in 2005 by the Commission de la santé et de la sécurité du travail (CSST) to follow up on measures put forward in Pour mieux vivre de l’art, the action plan implemented by the ministère de la Culture et des Communications.

New insights on occupations

Among the results obtained by the researchers is a description of enterprises and occupations in the performing arts sector. They identify risks to the health and safety of the artists and artisans, and the various causes of accidents. The study highlights inclusion, in the practices of cultural enterprises, of formal and informal experiences that can have a very positive effect on the health and safety of artists and artisans, despite the fact that prevention is sometimes perceived as a constraint on creative activity. The study also suggests that “participatory approaches” (approaches based on worker participation), which emphasize the need for prevention in occupational health and safety (OHS), depend on workers having positive experiences with these approaches. What also emerges is that artists, since they are passionate about their art and for reasons relating to the work environment, often choose to remain silent about their pain and hide their injuries. Furthermore, there is a marked trend among numerous stakeholders toward more open consideration of the realities of occupational injuries.