Health and Safety News

A Special Announcement from Contract Services

Each year, during the North American Occupational Safety and Health (NAOSH) Week, organizations across the United States, Canada and Mexico raise awareness about the importance of preventing injuries and illnesses at work. NAOSH Week runs from Sunday through Saturday the first full week of May. Contract Services proudly joins NAOSH in promoting the importance of workplace safety.

For over 50 years, Contract Services has partnered with producers, labor unions, guilds and employees to carry out the vital behind-the-scenes tasks that help keep the entertainment industry working safely, smoothly and efficiently.

Promoting workplace safety for the benefit of all industry professionals is a critical priority of the motion picture and television industry. Approximately 60,000 motion picture and television professionals have successfully completed Contract Services' widely recognized Safety Pass Program, where industry veterans share the latest safety guidance and best practices for a wide and growing array of relevant crew classifications, from special effects to electrical, rigging and set building. The result is an industry workforce that is trained to a high and consistent safety standard.

Industry unions and producers have also negotiated Refresher Training - a requirement to retake contractually mandated Safety Pass courses on a periodic basis - because they agreed that maintaining current knowledge of industry-related safety practices is important.

That training is already underway with the "A" - General Safety/IIPP and "A2" - Environmental Safety courses that are being offered online, furthering the education of workplace health and safety to industry workers.

Additionally, industry unions and producers negotiated Harassment Prevention training. Early in 2017, Contract Services rolled out the two-hour "HP2" - Harassment Prevention 2 course, designed to assist individuals with supervisory responsibilities to identify behaviors that create or contribute to unlawful harassment, discrimination and retaliation in the workplace. The course also offers information on how to assist in preventing and responding to incidents of harassment in the workplace. The one-hour "HP1" - Harassment Prevention 1 course, for individuals without supervisory responsibilities, will be made available later this year.

Safety Bulletins, produced by an Industry-Wide Labor-Management Safety Committee and made available to the public, provide guidance for a myriad of topics specific to motion picture and television production.

In support of safe workplaces, Contract Services also features the signatory employers' Studio Safety Hotlines on its website and in its safety course materials, enabling employees to report safety concerns to their employer in a timely manner.

Contract Services is proud of its 50 years of partnership with producers, labor unions, guilds and employees. We commend NAOSH and its goal "to focus employers, employees, partners and the public on the importance of preventing injury and illness in the workplace, at home and in the community."