The CIISA Standards make it clear: screen sector businesses must comply with UK whistleblowing law. This note explains what that means in practice:
What counts as whistleblowing
What the Public Interest Disclosure Act 1998 (PIDA) requires
What ACAS recommends businesses do
How this affects screen sector businesses like production companies and studios
Whistleblowing is when a worker (“Worker” is a defined legal term – see below for details) raises a concern that affects other people, including instances of wrongdoing, misconduct, or health and safety risks. In the screen sector, this could include:
Dangerous working environments on set
Harassment or bullying
Misuse of public funds
Fraud, bribery or cover-ups
The CIISA Standards Framework (Standard 3: Open and Accountable Reporting Mechanisms) requires businesses to ensure that individuals working in the screen sector, including freelance and contract workers, have clear, accessible, and trusted ways to raise concerns about harmful behaviour or misconduct. Businesses must actively promote these mechanisms and ensure that concerns are taken seriously and addressed appropriately.
Under the Public Interest Disclosure Act 1998, workers are protected if they make a “protected disclosure”. In summary:
The disclosure must relate to issues like crime, legal breaches, safety risks, or financial malpractice
The worker must believe it's in the public interest to raise the concern
Disclosure can be made internally, to a prescribed person, or, in some cases, to the media
Anyone who qualifies as a “worker” under an extended definition in the law. That includes:
Employees
Freelancers
Contractors
Agency workers
Even company directors, members of partnerships and charity trustees may be protected.
Although certain groups such as volunteers, interns, and unpaid background actors may not always be covered by whistleblowing legislation, businesses are strongly encouraged to extend their whistleblowing procedures to these groups to promote an open and safe working environment for everyone.
No minimum service time is needed, and there’s no cap on compensation.
Because the industry relies heavily on freelancers and informal networks and short term contracts, many workers may:
Be unsure who to report concerns to
Fear losing future work for speaking out
Lack trust that issues will be handled fairly
It’s the business’s job to remove these barriers and show that anyone reporting a concern is safe and supported.
Create a clear whistleblowing policy
Your policy should:
Define whistleblowing and how it differs from personal grievances
Provide clear reporting routes
Guarantee confidentiality and protection from retaliation
ACAS: Having a Whistleblowing Policy
Make it accessible to all
Include the policy in crew packs, onboarding docs, or call sheets
Highlight it during inductions or production briefings
Train team leads and managers
Show them how to respond to concerns appropriately
Emphasise that dismissing or retaliating against whistleblowers may be unlawful
ACAS: Responding to a Whistleblowing Disclosure
Support freelancers and casual workers
Make sure your policy and reporting routes cover non-permanent staff
Provide options for anonymous reporting or third-party escalation where needed
CIISA sets the standard. The law sets the rules. But it’s businesses that create the culture.
Supporting whistleblowers isn’t just about legal compliance, it’s about building safer, fairer, and more sustainable working environments in the screen industry.
For further guidance, businesses can refer to: