About This Service
Film production in Georgia is not only a creative field but a sphere of labor relations: the health and safety of people working on a set are protected by the Law of Georgia on Labor Safety. This page explains the norms that matter most to production organizers: registration of activity corresponding to heavy, harmful and dangerous works involving increased risk (Article 4), employer obligations (Article 5), prevention and risk assessment (Article 6), and the classification of a workplace accident (Article 14). These requirements operate within the general labor-safety regime, and their breach carries legal consequences for the employer.
Registration of Hazardous Works
Every person carrying out heavy, harmful and dangerous works involving increased risk, as defined by a resolution of the Government of Georgia, must register the corresponding activity in the Register of Economic Activities (Article 4). On starting, conducting or ceasing the activity, or on any change in the registered data, an application for amendment is filed with the National Agency of the Public Registry under the Ministry of Justice. The law states directly: conducting such activity without registration in the register is prohibited. The procedure and conditions of registration are determined by an order of the Minister of Justice. For a production company, shooting processes tied to hazardous works require registration first and only then a start.
Employer Obligations in the Production Process
Taking into account the size of the enterprise, the number of employees, working conditions and the relevant risks, the employer must observe the legal safety norms; prevent harm to the safety and health of employees and other persons present in the workspace; manage physical, chemical and biological hazard factors; record accidents, occupational diseases and dangerous incidents; and provide information on request to the employee or their representative (Article 5). Training and instruction are conducted in a language understandable to employees and cover safety norms and principles, the safe use and repair of equipment, emergencies and evacuation, and existing risks and control measures. Training must be provided on hiring, before work begins; on transfer to another workplace; before introducing a new technological process or equipment; and repeatedly, according to plan. Trainings are held during working hours, missed days count as excused absence and are paid proportionally, and they are free of charge for employees.
The law protects vulnerable groups specially: a person under 18 may not be employed on work that may harm their health or safety; pregnant and nursing women may not be employed on work harmful to the mother or child or involving particular risk (Article 5). Where employees of several employers work together, each must cooperate, coordinate activities, and exchange information on risks. At workplaces involving increased risk the employer must, at its own expense, insure the employee against accidents during the working period, and it bears all costs of safety and sanitary-hygienic measures. Appointing a safety specialist or engaging an external service does not release the employer from liability. The employer escapes liability only where the accident was caused by circumstances impossible to foresee or beyond its control — and the burden of proving this rests on the employer.
Prevention and Risk Assessment
Article 6 obliges the employer to assess, at every stage of work, the risk of harm to health, renew the assessment document, and take measures: avoiding risks; assessing unavoidable ones; reducing danger including eliminating its source; replacing hazardous factors with safe ones; building a consistent prevention policy; and drawing up a written document of measures, with deadlines, implementers and funds. Collective protection takes priority over individual protection. Responsibilities are defined in writing; only trained persons are admitted to risky workplaces; hazardous workplaces are identified and recorded; protection systems run continuously; individual protective equipment is free of charge; preliminary and periodic medical examinations are held where legislation so provides; and a person under intoxication is not admitted to work.
Classification of a Workplace Accident
Article 14 classifies an accident in the workspace by its results and by the number of persons injured at once:
- light — a light injury without loss of working capacity, or with loss of capacity for no more than 3 days;
- of medium severity — an injury with loss of working capacity from 3 to 40 days;
- severe — permanent incapacity or severe damage to health and/or temporary incapacity for more than 40 calendar days;
- fatal — the death of a person at the workplace or within 1 year of the accident;
- mass — injury to 3 or more persons, including 1 severe or 1 fatal accident.
Frequently Asked Questions
Does film production with hazardous works require registration?
Yes — activity corresponding to heavy, harmful and dangerous works involving increased risk is prohibited without registration in the Register of Economic Activities (Article 4).
Who bears the cost of training, and when is it held?
The employer. Training runs during working hours, missed days are excused and paid proportionally; it is held on hiring, on transfer, before new technology is introduced, and repeatedly (Article 5).
May a person under 18 be employed on hazardous work?
No — employing a minor on work that may harm health or safety is prohibited; parallel restrictions protect pregnant and nursing women (Article 5).
How is an accident on set classified?
By outcome and number of persons injured: light (up to 3 days), medium (3 to 40 days), severe (over 40 calendar days or permanent incapacity), fatal (death at the workplace or within 1 year) and mass (3 or more injured) (Article 14).
How We Help on Legal.ge
We will assess whether the works of your production fall within the statutory hazardous categories and assist with registration of the activity; explain the employer obligations — training, insurance, individual and collective protection, medical examinations and risk assessment; and prepare documentation for the recording and classification of workplace accidents. Contact us and protect both your crew and your project in legal terms.