From dancers breaking bones to camera crews forced to take terrible risks, stage and screen jobs can be hugely hazardous, says a scathing new report. We meet workers who feel ‘disposable’ – and the groups pushing for change

‘Every time I think about starting a new job,” says Lucy, a documentary maker, “I feel triggered. Because every job I’ve done in the last five years, bar maybe two, I’ve had some kind of absolutely horrendous experience. I now expect to be put in danger at work.”

Lucy (not her real name) is by no means an isolated case. According to new research into “the human toll and economic impact of injury”, nearly 80% of cast and crew members working in stage or screen productions have been injured at some point in their careers. The survey, conducted by the Injury Prevention Consultancy and shared with the Guardian, found that almost half of stage and three-fifths of screen performers have been placed in unsafe situations. Among crew, nearly three-quarters said that adhering to a show’s creative vision had compromised their safety, while only a quarter felt their wellbeing was regarded as a priority.