THIRD PARTY PRODUCTION SAFETY

This information and any forms are being provided below are for informational purposes only. They do not constitute legal advice and are not to be considered material provided by Paramount or any of its affiliates or subsidiaries pursuant to any indemnity agreement. Please talk to your lawyer before using any form or information in these documents in determining the appropriate steps to take to mitigate production risk.

Introduction to Production Safety

Productions safety is a serious matter. Every person on the production, from the UPM/Line Producer down to the freelance Production Assistant needs to be responsible for their actions while on set. The responsibility falls on the production to maintain a safe and healthy work environment and to follow all laws, rules and regulations. Some risks may not be as obvious, so the, "Identifying Safety Risks Cheat Sheet" may help you identify uncommon risks.  
Note: this cheat sheet is NOT all inclusive and many other risks may not be in this short list.

OSHA Compliant Documentation Templates

As you know, all entertainment productions in California are required to implement, maintain, and document an “Injury and Illness Prevention Program” (IIPP).   Even productions not in California should have access to a readily available Production Safety Program Manual (Manual) to keep productions safe.   Should your production not already have an IIPP, Manual, and/or Hazard Communication program please see templates below for your review.

*The material in the below IIPP and Manual is intended to provide assistance and guidance to productions in providing workplace protection for everyone on set and to reduce losses resulting from accidents and injuries. It is not intended as legal interpretation of any federal, state or local standards.

Third Party Template IIPP.docx

*Note, the IIPP must be signed by the person in charge of the production who is responsible for safety. This should be determined by the third-party production.
IIPP Template includes the following templates:

  • General Health & Safety Guidelines/Code of Safe Practice (Appendix A) must be available on all production sites.  Ways to make it available include: posting them on normal paper size at crafty or printing hand-outs to sit on the credential table, or stapling them to call sheets or emailing them to everyone working on site.
  • Safety Posting (Appendix I) must be filled out and posted (preferably blown up to poster size) with contact information of who to call on working stages or locations (soundstages, permanent sets, long shoots like award shows, reality shows that film at the same location daily).
  • Hazard Notification - (Appendix B)  Your employees should be encouraged to express any concerns regarding health and safety to the Safety Program Director without fear of reprisal.  You can use this form or any other you create.  Many shows create "anonymous boxes" for workers to submit safety concerns.   NOTE: All already known safety and hazard information must be communicated to employees (e.g. at safety meetings).
  • Emergency Action Plan and Fire Prevention Plan (Appendix H) need to be filled our for each location and POSTED (normal paper size)  Further, the EAP    and FPP information needs to be communicated to employees at morning safety meetings.
  • Incident Investigation Report (as found in Appendix D) should be used for the investigating and reporting of all workplace injuries and illnesses.
  • OSHA 300 Form - in addition to the Incident Investigation Report above, those injuries and illnesses that require treatment beyond ordinary first aid are to be recorded using the OSHA 300 Form
  • OSHA Rights Posters by State   - There must be an OSHA Rights Poster at each working stage (soundstages, permanent sets, long shoots like award shows, reality shows that film at the same location daily).

Third Party Template Production Safety Program Manual.docx

Production Safety Program Manual Template includes the following templates:

  • General Health & Safety Guidelines/Code of Safe Practices (Appendix A) must be available on all production sites.  Ways to make it available include: posting them on normal paper size at crafty or printing hand-outs to sit on the credential table, or stapling them to call sheets or emailing them to everyone working on site.
  • Safety Posting (Appendix I) must be filled out and posted (preferably blown up to poster size) with contact information of who to call on working stages or locations (soundstages, permanent sets, long shoots like award shows, reality shows that film at the same location daily).
  • Hazard Notification - (Appendix B) Your employees should be encouraged to express any concerns regarding health and safety to the Safety Program Director without fear of reprisal.  You can use this form or any other you create.  Many shows create "anonymous boxes" for workers to submit safety concerns.   NOTE: All already known safety and hazard information must be communicated to employees (e.g., at safety meetings).
  • Emergency Action Plan and Fire Prevention Plan (Appendix H) need to be filled our for each location and POSTED (normal paper size) Further, the EAP and FPP information needs to be communicated to employees at morning safety meetings.
  • Incident Investigation Report (as found in Appendix D) should be used for the investigating and reporting of all workplace injuries and illnesses.
  • OSHA 300 Form - in addition to the Incident Investigation Report above, those injuries and illnesses that require treatment beyond ordinary first aid are to be recorded using the OSHA 300 Form.
  • OSHA Rights Posters by State   - There must be an OSHA Rights Poster at each working stage (soundstages, permanent sets, long shoots like award shows, reality shows that film at the same location daily).

OSHA Rights Posters by State (Must be posted at each worksite)

Click HERE for an example of how to fill out an OSHA 300 form.

 

Additional Program Templates

Hazard Communication Program Template

**Hazard Communication Program Training

   Note:  Productions producing shows for Paramount may have access to Safety Data Sheets (SDSes) through 3eonline. 
   Username: paramount  

   Password: msds123  

   Phone: 1-800-451-8346

Fall Protection Program Template

First Aid Program Template

Heat Illness Prevention Program Template

Lockout/Tagout Program Template

Confined Space Program Template

Kids and Activities Program Template

Unmanned Aircraft Systems (AKA "Drones")

 

Safety Meetings

Safety meetings are the best way to prevent accidents and injuries at production locations.  Below are documents to assist with conducting safety meetings and documentation thereof.

Third Party Safety Meeting Guidelines.doc

Safety Meeting Documentation Report Template

 

Trainings

The employer has a legal obligation to identify potential hazards and either mitigate the hazard or train to the hazard. Some activities (e.g. forklifts and aerial lifts) require certifications of such training. Examples of those training certifications can be found here. As with all training, completion of training should be documented, including the collection of training certifications any time employees are using forklifts or aerial lifts.
 

Guidelines after a serious accident, injury or illness

All workplace injuries and illnesses are to be reported to the on set Safety Program Director or Safety Coordinator so they can be investigated, and documented on the Incident Investigation Report (please reach out to Sharon Brennan for the current version of the form).  In addition, those injuries and illnesses that require treatment beyond ordinary first aid are to be recorded using the OSHA 300 Form, as well as on the Incident Investigation Report.  
Each company should lay out a program that designates who from that company is an Authorized Representative to contact OSHA on behalf of the company or direct other response actions on behalf of the company.  The Guidelines provided here are generic and should be tailored as your company sees fit.
Out of courtesy - Paramount requests that the following people be notified of any OSHA visit, impending OSHA visit or contact with OSHA:

  1. Paramount Media Networks' Vice President of Production Safety, Chris Velvin: (c) 424-280-9674

  2. Paramount’s VP, Production Safety, Jonas Matz: (w) 323-956-8239

  3. Risk Management, Barrie Wexler: (w) 212-846-7201; William Tran; (w) 310-752-8610

  4. Business & Legal Affairs show representative

 

Documents to send to the Paramount Safety Department at the end of the production:

A Production Checklist can help you make sure everything has been done that needs to be done.  A Production Checklist Template can be found here.
 
Copies of the following documents MUST be sent in ONE EMAIL to abel.horwitz@paramount.com:
 
In the Subject line of the Email, please note a) the date of the production, b) the name of the show, c) the channel it appears on and d) the name of the safety consultant on set if applicable.

 
EXAMPLE:  3/29 I Love Myself Show, MTV, Safety Consultant Final Documents.

  1. Copy of signed IIPP or Production Manual with filled out Emergency Action Plan(s)
  2. PPE Certification Form (for each location or job)
  3. Facility Inspection Form(s) for each facility.
  4. Any Incident Reports
  5. OSHA 300 Log (even if blank)
  6. Training records (e.g. Safety meetings log of participants, toolbox talks, copies of forklift/ aerial lift certifications from crew etc.)
  7. Any Hazard Notifications or safety complaints received or a log of such
  8. Copies of any notices or citations from a regulatory agency

 

Safety Bulletins

Copies of all industry standard Safety Bulletins may be found on the Contract Services Administration Trust Fund (CSATF) website and are available for a wide range of subjects relevant to filmed entertainment production.  The Safety Bulletins are researched, written and distributed by the Industry-Wide Labor-Management Safety Committee for the Motion Picture and Television Industry.  The Safety Bulletins are guidelines. They are not binding laws or regulations.  Where applicable, Federal, State and/or local requirements supersede the information or practices included in the Safety Bulletins.  PLEASE VISIT CONTRACT SERVICES WEBSITE FOR THE CURRENT INDUSTRY WIDE SAFETY BULLETINS: WWW.CSATF.ORG

 

Safety Consultants

Below is a list of Paramount approved safety consultants in alphabetical order by last name.  

((**Please note, Stunt Coordinators are not Safety Consultants.  Stunt Coordinators/Riggers are well versed in stunts/rigging but not in all of the areas that a safety consultant may need to advise in.))

Name

Email

Phone

Rate

Adam Attalla (CA)

(626) 625-3624

$125/hour or $1250/day

Bobby King (CA)

(323) 864-9876

$100/hour or $1000/day

Chris Silveira (FL)

(407) 775-1308

$100/hour or $1,000/day

Fernando Hernandez (NV)

(702) 544-7866

$100/hour or $1,000/day

Neil Larson (CA)

323-359-3827

$100/hour or $1,000/day

Ryan Roby (FL)

(312) 543-8202

$100/hour or $1,000/day

Skip Moore (CA)

310-962-6705

$100/hour or $1,000/day

Tony Galuppi (CA)

(310) 256-9038

$100/hour or $1,000/day

Jeff Rodgers (CA)

(818) 943-5859

$100/hour or $1000/day

John Ross (GA)

(310) 710-1632

$100/hour or $1000/day

Josh Russell (FL)

(702) 358-1287

$120/hour or $1200/day

Steve Neild (MD)

(240) 793-8083

$125/hour or $1100/day

If you have a specific consultant you prefer to use who is not on the above list, please provide the name of the safety consultant and his/her CV (resume) to VMN/VIMN and BET's Director of Production Safety, Chris Velvin at Chris.Velvin@paramount.com for consideration.

 

Paramount Contacts:

 

Name

Title

Email

Phone

Chris Velvin

Vice President of Production Safety for VMN/BET/VIMN

(w) 310-752-8593
(c) 424-280-9674

Jonas Matz

Senior Vice President, Production Safety

(w) 323-956-8239
(c) 310-901-4648

Barrie Wexler

Executive Vice President, Risk Management (Insurance)

(w) 212-846-7201
(c) 917-838-9643

William Tran

Senior Vice President, Business & Legal Affairs
Labor & Employment, Production Risk Team

(w) 310-752-8610

Abel Horwitz

Assistant to Chris Velvin & PRT Team
Production Safety/ Production Risk Team

(w) 310-752-8531