The New Mexico Environment Department’s Occupational Health and Safety Bureau has determined that Rust Movie Productions, LLC failed to observe national film industry standards for firearm safety which led to the death of Halyna Hutchins, the film’s director of photography, and wounded Joel Souza, the director when actor Alec Baldwin fired the fatal shot according to the Albuquerque Journal.
The state agency found that the production company knew it was not following safety protocols “and demonstrated plain indifference to employee safety by failing to review work practices and take corrective action.”
The criminal investigation is still being conducted by police but the Environment Department’s Occupational Health and Safety Bureau had fined Rust Movie Productions, LLC nearly 137,000 in civil penalties according to the press release issued by the agency.
Also in that statement Cabinet Secretary James Kenney stated, “Our investigation found that this tragic incident never would have happened if Rust Movie Productions, LLC had followed national film industry standards for firearm safety, This is a complete failure of the employer to follow recognized national protocols that keep employees safe.”
