Job Description

Position Information

Position Title Production Safety Advisor Position Type Regular Job Number SA96724 Full or Part Time full-time 40 hours weekly Fair Labor Standard Act Classification Exempt Anticipated Pay Range $72,384 - $75,000 Pay Range Information

Chapman University is required to provide a reasonable estimate of the compensation range for this position. This range takes into account a variety of factors that are considered in making compensation decisions, including experience, skills, knowledge, abilities, education, licensure and certifications, and other business and organizational needs. Salary offers are determined based on the final candidate’s qualifications and experience, as well as internal equity and other internal factors. The anticipated pay range is not a promise of a particular wage.

Position Summary Information

Job Description Summary

Under the general supervision of the Production Operations & Safety Manager, the Production Safety Advisor oversees safety compliance and risk assessment for assigned Dodge College student productions. The Advisor works directly with student productions to identify hazards, evaluate safety plans and documentation, determine appropriate safety measures, authorize production activities, conduct regular set visits and safety audits, and ensure compliance with university policies, applicable regulations, and established industry safety practices.

The position serves as a day-to-day production safety resource for students and works collaboratively with faculty, staff, production personnel, and third-party vendors. The Safety Advisor exercises independent judgment and decision-making authority within their assigned scope, contributes to safety policy and program development, and escalates matters requiring broader institutional oversight to the Production Operations & Safety Manager. The Production Operations & Safety Manager retains final authority over productions and overall responsibility for the production safety program and its associated policies.

Responsibilities

Student Production Safety and Risk Review

• Review scripts, Safety and Risk Plans, locations, production proposals, and related documentation to identify production hazards and required safety measures.
• Meet with student productions during pre-production and attend Green Light meetings as assigned to communicate safety requirements and track required follow-up.
• Review productions involving elevated-risk or restricted activities, including stunts and physical action, prop weapons, special effects, open flame, atmospheric effects, vehicles, generators, intimacy, minors, animals, challenging locations, and other production-specific hazards.
• Review required safety documentation and qualifications of third-party safety personnel and specialty vendors, including Intimacy Specialists, as assigned.
• Provide students with guidance regarding established production safety procedures, risk mitigation, production paperwork, locations, equipment safety, insurance requirements, and other operational safety matters.
• Work closely with Production Management, Production Support, and other relevant Chapman University and Dodge College stakeholders to support student productions, coordinate safety requirements, identify and address production risks, and ensure consistent communication throughout pre-production and filming.

Safety Compliance and Incident Support

• Maintain production safety documentation, records, forms, and tracking systems.
• Assist with investigations of accidents, incidents, significant events and emergencies conducted by productions to ensure compliance with company policies and applicable laws and regulations. Advise production of changes to prevent recurrence.
• Support communication and follow-up with students, faculty, Production Management, Production Support, and other university personnel regarding production safety matters.
• Assist with specialized safety reviews and inspections, including approved prop weapons activities, as assigned.
• Support operation and coverage of the Production Safety Hotline and related communications.
• Assist with biannual and annual comprehensive safety reports to review incident log data and identify trends, recommend safety program development and/or training to aid in the reduction of safety violations, ensure compliance, and prevent recurrence.

Training and Production Safety Support

• Serve as a day-to-day resource for student production safety questions and established safety requirements.
• Participate in production safety orientations, workshops, demonstrations, and training activities.
• Assist students in understanding the safety responsibilities of production positions.
• Maintain current knowledge of applicable production safety regulations, industry safety bulletins, SAG-AFTRA requirements, and established motion picture and television safety practices.
• Administer and track production safety training online Learning Management Systems (LMS) to ensure core competency and successful completion of training modules to assigned users.
• Perform other production safety duties as assigned by the Production Operations & Safety Manager and Director of Production and Technical Operations, as needed.

Set Visits and Safety Audits

• Conduct regular on-set safety visits and operational audits of student productions at local and distant filming locations.
• Assess adherence to approved Safety and Risk Plans, university policies, applicable requirements, and established production safety practices.
• Work directly with 1st Assistant Directors and production leadership to review safety meetings, emergency procedures, crew organization, site conditions, and implementation of required safety measures.
• Monitor higher-risk production activities and identify unsafe conditions or deviations from approved production plans.
• Document set visits, safety concerns, corrective measures, and required follow-up, and conduct follow-up visits when necessary.
• Immediately pause activities presenting an imminent safety hazard and promptly escalate the matter to the Production Operations & Safety Manager.

Required Qualifications

• Bachelor’s degree or equivalent combination of education and relevant professional experience.
• Motion picture, television, commercial, or comparable production experience.
• Working knowledge of production processes, organizational structure, equipment, locations, stunts and physical action, special effects, prop weapons, and other common production hazards.
• Knowledge of production safety principles and applicable occupational health and safety requirements.
• Ability to identify production hazards, assess safety concerns, and clearly communicate established safety requirements.
• Ability to conduct on-set safety visits and work effectively with production personnel in active filming environments.
• Strong written, verbal, organizational, and interpersonal skills.
• Ability to manage multiple productions and priorities, work independently within established procedures, and recognize matters requiring escalation.
• Ability to use tact and diplomacy and maintain confidentiality in both oral and written communication.
• Ability to work evenings and weekends and travel to local and distant production locations as required.

Desired Qualifications

• Previous professional experience as a 1st Assistant Director (1st AD).
• Currently enrolled in, actively completing, or successfully completed the Contract Services Safety Advisor Training Program.
• Previous production safety experience, including set visits, safety assessments, or on-set safety oversight.
• Experience with productions involving stunts, prop weapons, special effects, fire, vehicles, minors, animals, intimacy, or other elevated-risk activities.
• Familiarity with SAG-AFTRA safety requirements and Industry-Wide Labor-Management Safety Committee Safety Bulletins.
• OSHA 30 certification or comparable occupational safety training.
• First Aid/CPR/AED certification.
• Experience working with student productions or in an educational environment.

Special Instructions to Applicants

At Chapman University, we believe collaboration thrives through in-person engagement. This position is fully on campus, and employees work alongside colleagues, faculty, students, and staff each day to support our vibrant university community.

Chapman University is an equal opportunity employer that provides equal employment opportunities to all individuals, regardless of their protected characteristics. All qualified applicants and employees are encouraged to apply and will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, religion, age, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, gender expression, national origin, ancestry, citizenship status, physical disability, mental disability, medical condition, military and veteran status, marital status, pregnancy, genetic information or any other characteristic protected by state or federal law.

Applicants for Staff and Administrator positions must be currently authorized to work in the United States on a full-time basis.

The offer of employment is contingent upon satisfactory completion and outcomes of a criminal background screening and returning to the Office of Human Resources a signed original acceptance of the Chapman University Agreement to Arbitrate.

Minimum Number of References 2 Maximum Number of References 3