HOD General Health & Safety Responsibility

For Department Heads, Keys, Supervisors, Foremen, Best Boys, Charges, and Leads.

The HODs are each responsible for the health and safety of all employees under his or her direct supervision. They are responsible for ensuring their crews are made aware of all known or reasonably foreseeable health or safety hazards in the areas where they work and that their crew conducts work in compliance with all applicable health and safety rules and regulations. HODs are responsible for the enforcement of safe work practices and the administration of disciplinary measures for employees engaging in unsafe work practices.

Become thoroughly familiar with the Production’s Safety Program

Ensure that Production Management’s commitment to health & safety and expectation of a safe production is effectively communicated to all department personnel.
Receive, read, and implement the Safety Program.
Attend a preproduction safety meeting with all department heads (HODs) and key production personnel conducted by Production Management.
Become completely familiar with the Production Safety Manual and ensure that a physical or electronic copy is at all production worksites at all times.

Ensure that all members of your crew have completed the necessary safety training for the work that they perform and the equipment that they operate

All employees of the your crew should be properly trained to operate any specialized equipment they are utilizing or tasks they are performing, such as aerial lifts, cranes, forklifts, powder-actuated tools, etc. The production should obtain copies of training records for employees utilizing these types of equipment and upload copies of the records to Prodicle. It may be necessary for the production to conduct additional training sessions to ensure that all employees a properly trained.
Ensure that in the Los Angeles area, all applicable represented crew members are on the Industry Roster, eligible for employment, and have completed their required CSATF Safety Pass Training. This can be accomplished by inspecting employees’ Safety Pass documentation or by using the Safety Pass online roster at csatf.org.
If tight fitting respirators are required or utilized, employee training, medical screening and fit testing are needed. See the Production Safety Manual, Section 10 Respiratory Protection.
Hazard communication training should be conducted for all crew prior to any use of chemicals (paint, thinners, adhesives, foams, etc.). See the Production Safety Manual, Section 2 Hazard Communication Program.

Conduct Safety Meetings with Your Crew

Ensure that an initial safety meeting is conducted for all of your department crew members on the first day of work. The following should be included:
- Briefly explain the IIPP.
- Discuss the safety aspects of the planned production activities and any particular hazards.
- On stage and interior sets, identify the location of emergency exits, equipment, telephones, etc. Explain emergency procedures such as fire evacuation plans or other Emergency Action Plans (EAP).
- Discuss the precautions to be followed around any specialized equipment that may pose a potential hazard (scaffolding, aerial lifts, paints and chemicals, etc.).
- Any crew member not present for this initial safety meeting should be briefed by the HOD or Supervisor (Best Boy, Foreman, Lead, etc.).
Ensure that additional safety meetings are conducted for any of the following:
- Anytime the crew is exposed to a new potential hazard (chemicals, paints, new equipment, confined spaces, high voltage equipment and lines, any other site concern, etc.).
- Whenever a new crew member or independent contractor arrives on site.
- Anytime there is a change in work site or multiple work sites.
Ensure that all departmental safety meetings are properly documented. Meeting records and sign-in sheets should be uploaded to Prodicle.

Conduct inspections of your work area(s) daily

Before work begins, verify that all work areas have been inspected to ensure that they are free from hazards and ensure that any potential hazards identified are resolved.
Complete the Construction, PreRigging, & Strike Safety Compliance Report (Form 3) to document the inspection(s). This task can be delegated to the general foreman or site supervisor, however, the HOD retains the overall responsibility.
Ensure that necessary personal protective equipment (PPE) is provided to your crew and being used properly (earplugs, fall protection equipment, eye protection, etc.).
Ensure that all tools and equipment are inspected and have the proper safety features. All necessary guards must be present on tools and machinery and in working order. In addition, electrical cords that are frayed, patched or missing grounding prongs are prohibited.
Ensure that all safety concerns are handled promptly and that any unsafe conditions are corrected in a timely manner.

Deal with serious incidents and emergencies

Ensure that the elements of the production’s Emergency Action Plan (EAP) such as the location of emergency exits, equipment, evacuation procedures, assembly areas, and emergency communication are being effectively communicated to all employees at all production locations, including stages.
When notified of production emergencies and serious incidents (serious injury, death, major property damage, hospitalization, spills, events that create imminent danger, etc.), ensure the following:
- Summon emergency medical assistance immediately;
- Clear the area and protect the cast and crew from further injury;
- Follow the production’s EAP;
- Preserve evidence for further investigation;
- Immediately notify your Safety Program Director, UPM, Production Executive and Production Safety Consultant;
- Ensure that Incident Report Forms are completed and uploaded to Prodicle.
If a government regulatory inspector/officer arrives at the set or production office (OSHA, EPA, etc.), ask for identification and the reason for their visit, then do not discuss issues until your Production Safety Consultant and Production Executive have been consulted.

Ensure that applicable safety program documents are distributed to your crew including:

General Safety Guidelines for Production should be provided and completed by all crew & cast, including all those who report directly to the site for hire, such as casual hires, independent contractors, etc. Completed Health & Safety Policy, IIPP Orientation and Safety Guidelines Acknowledgement Forms (Form 1) should be returned to the POC for upload into Prodicle. (Note: these guidelines and form may be included as part of the Start Paperwork package).
Industry Wide Safety Bulletins relating to specific hazards as they occur should be distributed and/or attached to the call sheet.
Safety Data Sheets (SDS) for all chemicals must be on hand and immediately available to any crew or cast member upon request.

Hazardous Materials Management and Hazardous Waste Disposal

All hazardous materials and hazardous waste must be stored and disposed of properly in accordance with all applicable rules and regulations. Generally, an EPA Identification Number is required to legally transport and dispose of hazardous waste.

If any spill or release of hazardous materials occurs, measures should be taken to protect individuals from exposure, isolate the spill and prevent the material from entering a storm drain or waterway. The production should have a spill kit or other spill supplies available for small spills. Larger spills must be cleaned up by trained professionals. Contact ESIS On Call at (855) 913-2784 for assistance with emergency spill response and to coordinate any necessary regulatory notification(s). Notify the Production Safety Consultant in the event of a hazardous materials spill.

Fall Protection

All employees on platforms and working surfaces over six feet in height must be protected by fall protection systems. These systems can include adequate guard railing, personal fall arrest systems, or other approved measures. In addition, all employees utilizing fall protection equipment must receive adequate training on the use of these systems. It is the HODs responsibility to enforce this requirement.

Heat Illness Prevention

The Production is responsible for determining what specific strategies will be implemented to prevent the onset of heat related illness for all production personnel. A sufficient supply of drinking water and shade equipment must be provided to meet the needs of all crew at all locations. Employees must be provided with adequate training to prevent heat illness, recognize the signs and symptoms of heat illness if it occurs, and how to seek appropriate medical treatment as required.

High Visibility Traffic Safety Vests

Appropriate high visibility safety vests are required to be worn by all employees when working on active public roadways. This includes activities such as prep, rigging, filming, striking, etc., unless the production has obtained full closure and control of the roadway. Safety vests are also required when directing traffic or locking up during partial lane closures where intermittent traffic control is utilized. Other conditions or locations such as working on or near a railroad may also require the use of appropriate safety vests.