According to multiple reports, several crew members protesting what they perceived to be poor working conditions walked off the set of the film Rust and quit their jobs just hours before Alec Baldwin fatally shot the film’s cinematographer and wounded its director with a prop gun, and employees said that “corners were being cut,” contributing to an overall lack of safety on the set.

According to the Los Angeles Times and Deadline, which both cited anonymous employees, at least six camera workers left the set in Sante Fe, New Mexico, early Thursday to protest what they called unfair working conditions: shoot days were long, there was a lack of gun safety, and crew members were forced to drive 50 miles to work every day from Albuquerque.

“Corners were being cut — and they brought in nonunion people so they could continue to [shoot],” an unnamed crew member told the Los Angeles Times. “There was a serious lack of safety meetings on this set.”

Alec Baldwin’s Film Camera Crew Walked Off job to protest safety concerns Hours Before Shooting

Seven camera crew members working on the film “Rust” walked off the set several hours before actor Alec Baldwin fatally shot and killed a cameraman, according to The Associated Press.

One anonymous camera crew member told The Associated Press that those working on the upcoming Western raised concerns about issues ranging from safety procedures to their accommodation before Thursday’s accident, which killed cinematographer Halyna Hutchins, 42, and left director Joel Souza, 48, in critical condition.

When the fatal tragedy occurred, the team was on the 12th day of a 21-day schedule for the film Rust. It happened at the Bonanza Creek Ranch west of Santa Fe, a prominent filming site.

According to the Los Angeles Times and Deadline, hours before the disaster, members of the “Rust” camera crew packed up their equipment and walked off the job, only to be replaced by nonunion crew members.

According to the Times, Hutchins was also among those who expressed worries about her team’s safety. However, a source who talked with the Times said that prior to the tragedy, there were two misfires on the prop gun on Saturday and one the previous week, and that one person told the Times that there was a “serious lack of safety meetings on set.”

The film’s production company stated that it was unaware of any weapons safety issues.

Rust Movie Productions told the Times and Deadline that the “safety of our cast and crew is the top priority of Rust Productions and everyone associated with the company.”

“Though we were not made aware of any official complaints concerning weapon or prop safety on set, we will be conducting an internal review of our procedures while production is shut down,” the company said. “We will continue to cooperate with the Santa Fe authorities in their investigation and offer mental health services to the cast and crew during this tragic time.”

A former coworker of the assistant director who reportedly handed Baldwin the gun, Dave Halls, told NBC News in a statement that Halls had not previously maintained safe working environments.

“Sets were almost always allowed to become increasingly claustrophobic, no established fire lanes, exits blocked … safety meetings were nonexistent,” prop maker Maggie Goll, who previously worked with Hall on Hulu’s “Into the Dark,” told NBC.