INDUSTRY NEWS

Voluntary but essential guidelines 

The COVID-19 safety guidelines presented here are designed to provide predictability and consistency to the production process. As conditions and government policies evolve, we will continue to establish new recommended policies and practices for maintaining a safe working environment for all productions. While adherence to the guidelines is voluntary, they shall, in the absence of any negotiations which result in alternative guidelines, be presumed to be in effect on productions carried out by Oregon media industry members. It is the responsibility of the parties involved to come to an agreement prior to the commencement of production concerning situations not covered in these guidelines. It is also the responsibility of the parties to ensure state and federal law is being followed. 

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Following state and other restrictions

*This section was fully replaced with updated information on 5/20/21.*

Federal and State restrictions have been recently relaxed, but it is our intention to create guidelines that can be applied to traditional film shoots that minimize the risk of transmission of COVID-19 — while allowing work to continue under any federal, state or local restrictions and distancing measures, which may still be in place.

According to new guidance released by the Oregon Health Authority, Oregonians will no longer be required to wear masks in public outdoor areas, regardless of their vaccination status. However, the state is still recommending that people wear masks in crowds and large gatherings, especially if they are unvaccinated or at high risk for COVID-19.

All businesses and employers are required to continue to apply and enforce the mask, face covering, and face shield guidance, and physical distancing requirements in state COVID-19 guidance to all individuals unless a business or employer:

• Has a policy for checking for proof of vaccination status of individuals; and
• Requests proof of vaccination status from each individual; and
• Reviews each individual’s proof of vaccination prior to entry or admission.

See full OHA Guidelines issued in May, 2021.

How the guidelines were developed

These guidelines were developed by the OMPA in coordination with Oregon Film, the local chapters of unions and guilds, local department heads and equipment vendors in the industry. They have also borrowed from guidelines offered by sources like AMPTP, Joint Unions (IATSE, DGA, SAG-AFTRA, Teamsters), BECTU, Nordic Film Guide, the EU and others. We have also tried to be as comprehensive as possible by incorporating the thoughts, suggestions and concerns of our Oregon cast and crew.

This document is meant to augment—not override—other union, guild, Government agency or local jurisdiction guidelines, or guidelines and regulations from insurance companies, production companies and studios & networks. These protocols should be used as guidelines to protect the safety of all those who work on media projects and will be updated and adjusted as more guidelines are identified and new state and federal guidelines are adapted. 

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Assign COVID-Specific Personnel

It is strongly recommended that every production should include some form of dedicated COVID-19-specific Health & Safety Personnel that manages new production protocols required to keep crews safe in a post-pandemic world. The IATSE-DGA-SAG-Teamsters-AMPTP Protocols calls this a Health Safety Supervisor. In addition, a written and agreed to COVID-19-specific health and safety policy needs to be in place on all shoots. This is a requirement for projects utilizing the state incentive programs and by some permitting agencies.

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• Employees should not be required to show negative tests to return to work. Guidance on Returning to Work from OSHA (PDF).
• Encourage the employee to communicate and cooperate with contact tracers when called. This is our best strategy for stopping the spread. 
• Resources for employees: When to seek care, protecting your household, cleaning and disinfecting guidance, preventing spread.
• COVID-19 positive results are automatically reported to the local public health system. The public health staff will immediately interview the infected person to identify possible worksite exposures.

If the production is in a remote location and/or any sick employee would not be able to go home, identify a place that will serve as an isolation space for sick employees, and prepare a plan for transport and/or housing of sick employees.

Ensure that everyone necessary on the production is aware of this EAP. Keep all personal medical information private and confidential at all times.

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• *new 5/20/21* OHA: Interim Guidance for Fully Vaccinated Individuals
• CDC’s Interim Guidance for Businesses and Employers to Plan and Respond to Coronavirus Disease 2019.
• CDC’s COVID19 Symptoms & CDC’s “How COVID-19 Spreads”
• CDC Activities and Initiatives Supporting the COVID-19 Response and for Opening America Up Again
• CDC Workplace Signage
• Gov. Brown’s “Social Distancing” Restrictions for Oregon, COVID-19 Resource Page and General Guidance for Employers.
• Gov. Brown’s 3 Phase Plan for Reopening Oregon
• Oregon Health Authority COVID-19 Page.
• EPA’s list of disinfectants to use against C-19
• OSHA, Guidance on Preparing Workplaces for COVID-19, 3/2020
• OSHA: COVID-19 Updated Page
• OSHA: Oregon COVID-19 Policy Resource page
• OSHA: Revised Enforcement Guidance for Recording Cases of Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19)
• OSHA: Fact sheet related to Voluntary Respirator Use in the workplace
• OSHA: Consultation Service

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Local OSHA Outreach Specialist Available For Entertainment Industry Specific: Site Inspections, Job Hazard Analysis, and Health & Safety Plan Development/Review. Rickey Lepinski is a 25 year veteran of the Entertainment Industry. Besides his OSHA Outreach Specialist Certification he has extensive training in OSHA protocols and guidelines. He is available for in person, physically distanced, site inspections and for consultation and development of your production Health & Safety Plan as well as respirator training. Hourly fee is $60 per hour and fees are on a sliding scale for non-profits and low-budget productions. Please call or email for a free consultation: rickeylepinski@comcast.net / (503) 943-9580.

Occupational Safety and Health Administration laws assign employers a general duty to provide a safe and healthful workplace. This is the basis for the need for the adoption of COVID-19 policies by any film productions lucky enough to be moving forward during this pandemic.

Submit policy or compliance questions directly to Oregon OSHA’s technical section at tech.web@oregon.gov or by calling 503-378-3272

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Antibody Testing

The Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) has agreed that daily temperature screening can be one tool to help stop the spread of COVID-19, as can be testing for COVID-19 when the circumstances warrant a more aggressive approach. However, the EEOC has issued further guidance clarifying that while employers may continue to test for COVID-19 itself, employers may not test for COVID-19 antibodies. The guidance says that antibody tests are not “job related and consistent with business necessity,” and therefore cannot be used as a basis for allowing employees to return to work or as a proxy for COVID-19 immunity.

Stay safe and be well 

Thank you for reviewing and adopting these guidelines.

Have questions or suggestions? Email info@ompa.org.