479 NEWS
The Growing Importance of Safety Training
Training requirements for new applicants are important for all members
In February of 2019, two safety training classes, provided online through the IATSE Training Trust, were added as mandatory requirements of the application process for new members of Local 479. These classes have only recently been made available to IATSE members working under the Area Standards Agreement (ASA). Now that our members have the ability to take them, we decided that the best way to ensure that newest members got off on the right foot and had a basic understanding of set safety was to require their completion.
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Vigilance Personal Safety Class a Success
On Sunday, January 27th IATSE Local 479 welcomed our members and their families, as well as our friends from the local film industry to a situational awareness workshop presented by experts from The Vigilance Group.
Retired military experts Moose Moore, Russ Bohlinger, and Patrick Terry worked with participants to outline the precepts of living safely in a dangerous (more…)
Local 479 Offers a Wide Variety of Training Classes
This month IATSE Local 479 observes the 4th anniversary of the launch of its education department, a program created in anticipation of an increased demand for trained crews for projects shooting within the local’s jurisdiction.
Over the past year Local 479’s education program has rolled out a number of new courses that provide students with hands-on experience with craft-essential tasks, led by veteran department heads and (more…)
Observant Medic Helps Crewperson Get Life-Saving Surgery
Last week Set Medic Teresa Hardie was approached by a crewmember complaining of localized discomfort. The symptoms were significant enough to prompt Teresa, a Licensed Practical Nurse (LPN), to urge the crewmember to go to the hospital. While the crewmember was at first reluctant to leave set, Teresa was doggedly persistent and eventually convinced them to take her advice.
This insistence undoubtedly saved the crewperson’s life, because once at the hospital it was confirmed that the patient was in peril, and surgeons moved quickly to (more…)
2017 Education Report: A Year of Expansion
WOW… What a Year!
The Education Department began 2017 with a mission to exceed its performance from the previous year, which had been its biggest yet. With the enthusiasm of our members, the mentorship of our experienced members, and the guidance of our outside professionals and equipment providers we have not only met those 2017 goals, we have surpassed them.
More than 2,400 people attended at least one (more…)
Local Holds First A & A2 Live Training Trust Event
Time is running out for a special opportunity to take the A and A2 training classes at Local 479 with assistance and direct oversight from the Local 479 Education Team and a representative of the IATSE Training Trust Fund (TTF). This event will allow you to register, enroll & complete your online courses all in one day. Feel free to drop by anytime to register & enroll in the courses. An IATSE TTF representative will have your (more…)
Faced with Life or Death on Set: When Seconds Count
It was a typical late June afternoon in Riverchase, a bustling community in the Birmingham suburb of Hoover. With temperatures climbing steadily toward the nineties, traces of future storm clouds began to dot the far horizon.
A group of trucks were parked just outside the Rooms To Go store on Chapel Lane and a steady stream of people had been ferrying equipment in and out of the building all morning long, the telltale indication of an active commercial shoot.
A number of the shooting crew from Atlanta had arrived in town the previous night and the Key Grip, Roger Sherer, was animatedly telling his friends about a local restaurant he’d found that featured great food and live music. A musician himself, Roger wanted to get a group together and (more…)
Thank You President Loeb
Thank You President Loeb!
Your leadership has inspired the members of Local 479 to achieve excellence over the past decade and since the last convention we have been actively implementing the 4 Pillars of Success. (more…)
Education Department Adds Administrative Assistant
This month Local 479’s Education department welcomed on board its first dedicated administrative assistant, Felicia Smith. The continuing growth of the local’s education and training programs and an upcoming expansion of the education facilities prompted this staff addition, and Felicia’s strong administrative experience will allow her to (more…)
Online Safety Training Now Available
Director of Education Kevin Amick wants to remind members that they are eligible to take the first two modules offered under the Safety Pass system:
A and A2 Safety Pass courses are now online and ready for your application. This training is provided to you at no charge and upon completion you will receive a Safety Pass Card for these courses. Just follow the directions and submit your application today.
– Kevin Amick
Sign up today at www.iatsetrainingtrust.org/asa
Course Descriptions
A: GENERAL SAFETY TRAINING/INJURY AND ILLNESS PREVENTION PROGRAM (IIPP)
This course explains safety orientation, employee/employer rights and responsibilities, hazard communications, use of personal protection equipment, proper lifting techniques, emergency action procedures, and general production safety procedures. The course takes an average of one hour to complete. You do not have to complete the class all at once.
A2: ENVIRONMENTAL SAFETY
This course covers a wide range of subjects, including studio lot & location safety, heat illness, severe weather, disaster/emergency response, environmental awareness, transportation of dangerous goods, electrical safety, and workplace cleanliness. The course takes an average of three hours to complete. You do not have to complete the class all at once.
History
The Safety Pass Program was conceived by the Motion Picture and Television Industry-Wide Labor-Management Safety Committee as a means of addressing the Occupational Safety and Health Administration’s (“OSHA”) requirements that employees be trained (and the training documented) in the safe use of equipment and work practices on their job. Because of the freelance nature of many motion picture and television assignments, the Safety Pass Program provides valuable assistance in meeting the training needs of the Industry by (more…)