"The Top Gear production crew already had health and safety concerns about the show before presenter Richard Hammond was critically injured yesterday attempting to break a British land speed record. The crew were planning to air their concerns at a meeting scheduled for last night.
A source who works on the show told Broadcast that senior crew members had "very, very serious concerns" about health and safety. In a separate recent incident members of crew are understood to have narrowly escaped injury when a high performance car skidded of a test track during filming.
The source said: "The test driver wasn't happy about the position of the crew but they are just expected to get the shots that are needed. People working on the show have been really concerned about health and safety and having to work from dawn until desk."
The BBC denied the incident had taken place, and a spokesman said the planned meeting had been called by Top Gear executive producer Andy Wilman to "discuss improved camera techniques, use of rigging and use of mini-cams. It was categorically not about health and safety issues."
The spokesman added: "All BBC programmes, including Top Gear, take health and safety extremely seriously. The meeting was not called for health and safety reasons. If people were going to raise health and safety issues at the meeting it is the first we have heard of it."
Hammond was understood to be driving at 280mph when the jet propelled car flipped onto its roof and skidded al ong the York airfield.
Top Gear is an in-house BBC production. "
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Top Gear crew already had safety fears.
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