What are the risks and safety challenges in practical special effects?

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Practical special effects carry real safety risks, even with strict protocols and precautions
Practical special effects involve handling real materials and effects such as fire, smoke, and rain, which remain unpredictable on set. Even when crews follow strict safety protocols, accidents can still happen, including a fatal incident in Chennai involving diesel tanks and a separate injury during a scene using 1,200 litres of petrol on Shah Rukh Khan’s upcoming film King. Tyagi also points to production-time pressure in Bollywood, where crews are often expected to deliver Hollywood-scale results with far less preparation time.
Safety protocols can reduce but not eliminate danger from real hazards
Tyagi’s crew uses strict safety protocols on sets, including restrictions on mobile phones and walkie-talkies because they can trigger detonations. Despite those precautions, risks remain because practical effects require working with real elements rather than purely simulated visuals. He has described real-world unpredictability in effects involving fire, smoke, and rain as part of the challenge.
Unpredictable conditions increase the chance of accidents during stunts
Tyagi frames the core safety challenge as dealing with nature, saying fire, smoke, and rain are natural elements that are unpredictable. In this context, even controlled setups can still produce dangerous outcomes when conditions shift during filming. This unpredictability is presented as a reason technology cannot fully replace practical effects in the way crews execute them.
Past incidents show fatalities and injuries can occur during practical effects
A recent accident on a set in Chennai resulted in one worker being killed when diesel tanks exploded. Tyagi also reported being injured while executing a scene on the set of King, which involved 1,200 litres of petrol; he said the heat from the explosion burned his hand despite precautions. He described continuing to treat each day as a learning process after such incidents.
Shorter preparation windows in Bollywood add pressure on safety planning
Tyagi says Bollywood often expects special effects crews to deliver Hollywood-scale results with only a fraction of the preparation time, contrasting this with productions like Spectre, which took weeks of planning and testing. He summarised the working reality as being “always on gas,” meaning crews have less time for the kind of extended testing that can reduce uncertainty. In that environment, even strict protocols may not fully counterbalance the risks created by limited preparation time.

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What are the risks and safety challenges in practical special effects?

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