Read Hollywood’s 22-Page Back-to-Work Safety Plan Sent to NY, CA Governors
Zack Sharf
The Alliance of Motion Picture and Television Producers (AMPTP) has sent a 22-page back-to-work safety plan to the offices of New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo and California Gov. Gavin Newsom. The document, which Deadline has published in its entirety, was drafted by a task force of around 50 participants put together by the Industry-Wide Labor-Management Safety Committee. Major Hollywood studios such as Disney and Netflix, representatives from guilds such as the DGA and SAG-AFTRA, and unions such as IATSE were all involved in the creation of the safety plan sent June 1 to Cuomo and Newsom, in conjunction with advice from medical professionals.
The back-to-work plan begins with an introduction that reads: “The Industry-Wide Labor-Management Safety Committee Task Force (the ‘Task Force’) respectfully submits the following guidelines for consideration and adoption for the resumption of motion picture, television, and streaming productions in an environment that minimizes the risk of contracting or spreading COVID-19…While these guidelines and protocols address many elements of production, productions must consult applicable state and local public health orders as well as applicable federal and state OSHA guidelines. These recommendations are intended to address the circumstances under which production can safely resume.”
The back-to-work plan stresses that “limiting face-to-face contact with others is the best way to reduce the spread of COVID-19” and stresses that “cast and crew must practice physical distancing whenever possible.” All cast and crew on set must be tested for coronavirus before production resumes. The document also includes a recommendation for actors to wear personal protective equipment.
“The number of people involved in close proximity with a performer should be kept to a minimum whenever possible,” the paper states. “If a performer requires work by more than one make-up artist/hairstylist, make-up artists/hairstylists should observe appropriate PPE requirements, and both performer and make-up artist/hairstylist should observe hand hygiene practices immediately after completing the task.”
More importantly, the document finds the AMPTP urging productions to hire one or more “autonomous COVID-19 Compliance Officers” that “have specialized training and responsibility and authority for COVID-19 safety compliance.” The paper reads: “COVID-19 safety plan oversight and enforcement shall be the principal responsibilities of the COVID-19 Compliance Officer(s), provided they may be assigned additional responsibilities related to workplace safety.”
As IndieWire reported May 21, Gov. Newsom has been drafting his own guidelines to allow film and TV production to begin in some California counties. Until now, these guidelines were being put together without the input of the AMPTP. It’s important to stress that the 22-page document sent today is written specifically for Newsom and Cuomo. More highlights from the white paper can be found here.
