Complete Crewing “SEE” Safety Awareness Training Program
Accidents happen. They can be small (spilling wine over your new carpet) or big (leaving a forklift parked on a dock plate), but they do happen. They don’t have to happen though, and it’s up to each one of us in the AV labor and production world to minimize both the occurrence, and the level of catastrophe. A live event often has as many elements as a construction project. If you aren’t constantly on your A-game, accidents can happen. This is why it is paramount to develop a corporate culture of safety and maintain safe work practices in order to protect our crew and our clients. Everyone we work with is family, and we don’t want anything bad happening to family.
So, what are we doing about it? We’re glad you asked. Complete Crewing already works to maintain and adhere to OSHA protocols. We are an ETCP (Entertainment Technician Certification Program) recognized employer and an affiliated supporter of the Event Safety Alliance (ESA). Through our participation in these programs we reinforce our commitment to provide safe working conditions and awareness within our workforce. We love those programs and we’ve learned a lot from them. Now we want to take our proactive measures farther.
We’re excited to announce the creation of our SEE (Safety in Events and Entertainment) Safety Awareness Training Program.
Why SEE? Because, the best way to create a safe workplace is to prepare all event crews to “SEE” potential safety risks and correct them before any incident occurs – and that’s exactly what we are setting out to do. We’re developing SEE to aid our managers and employees in providing the safest workplace possible for everyone: crews and co-workers, clients, and event attendees.
Our new program has three parts:
1-Complete Crewing’s OSHA 10 Outreach Training
2-ESA’s Event Safety Access Training (ESAT)
3-Newly created Complete Crewing Safety Awareness Modules
SEE starts with a mandatory 10-hour OSHA outreach training for all our job site coordinators as a foundation. While OSHA mandates some parts of the curriculum, it also allows for tailoring. We’ve worked with the Health & Safety Institute, our online learning partner, to design our online OSHA 10 training to align with the OSHA 10 Outreach Curriculum used by major trade unions and professional associations in the event and entertainment industries, like IBEW, IATSE, Chicago Projectionists, and Chicago Stagehands. Our elective modules deal with important topics like Scaffolding and Mobile/Powered Work Platforms, Electrical Safety, and Fall Protection.
Next, our supervisors complete ESA’s Event Safety Access Training to supplement the program and cover any material that those working in an event environment need to know. ESAT course units cover Event Injury Hazards and Controls, Personal Protective Equipment, and other important health and safety concepts.
Finally, we’ve created several original modules to further enhance safety awareness. We’ve used our extensive experience in the production and events industry to provide the information we see as being most beneficial in helping our crews minimize safety risks to themselves and others. For example, one of our modules covers Ergonomics, Material Handling, & Safe Loading. No matter your role in the industry, one or more of these topics matters to you and your health.
As we continue developing and strengthening our program, we look forward to attending this year’s annual Event Safety Summit, hosted by the ESA. Our affiliation with ESA has contributed greatly to our SEE program, and we know this year’s event will be incredibly valuable for all attendees, and us, as it is every year. The 2019 Summit features nearly 30 presentations and workshops, along with networking opportunities that explore how each individual’s safety responsibilities influence an event’s overall environment. We’re excited to have our team attend a wide variety of presentations and incorporate what we learn into further development of our SEE program.
We encourage you to take a look, and send someone from your company to benefit from this worthwhile event.
Bottom line: safety awareness requires the commitment of us all. When it comes to taking care of yourself and creating a safe working environment, we’ve got your back.
