Production Safety Advisor

Chapman University; Orange (CA); On-site; USD 72,000 - 75,000; Full time

Job summary

Chapman University in Orange, California, seeks a Production Safety Advisor to oversee safety compliance and risk assessment for student productions. You will identify hazards, evaluate safety plans, authorize activities, and conduct set visits and safety audits under supervision of the Production Operations & Safety Manager.

The role collaborates with faculty, staff, production personnel, and vendors, exercising independent judgment within defined scope.

Qualifications

• Bachelor’s degree or equivalent combination of education and relevant professional experience.
• Motion picture, television, commercial, or comparable production experience.
• Knowledge of production safety principles and occupational health and safety requirements.
• Ability to identify production hazards and clearly communicate established safety requirements.
• Ability to conduct on-set safety visits and work effectively with production personnel.
• 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 work evenings and weekends and travel to local and distant production locations as required.

Responsibilities

• Review scripts, Safety and Risk Plans, locations, production proposals, and related documentation to identify 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 productionsafety procedures, risk mitigation, production paperwork, locations, equipment safety, insurance requirements, and other operational safety matters.
• Work closely with Production Management, Production Support, and other 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.

Skills

Safety compliance

Hazard assessment

On-set safety

Communication skills

Organizational skills

Interpersonal skills

Evenings/weekends

Travel flexibility

Independent judgment

Education

Bachelor’s degree

Job description

Posting Details

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 ofthe compensation range for this position. This range takes intoaccount a variety of factors that are considered in makingcompensation decisions, including experience, skills, knowledge,abilities, education, licensure and certifications, and otherbusiness and organizational needs. Salary offers are determinedbased on the final candidate’s qualifications and experience, aswell as internal equity and other internal factors. The anticipatedpay 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 safetycompliance and risk assessment for assigned Dodge College studentproductions. The Advisor works directly with student productions toidentify hazards, evaluate safety plans and documentation,determine appropriate safety measures, authorize productionactivities, conduct regular set visits and safety audits, andensure compliance with university policies, applicable regulations,and established industry safety practices.

The position serves as a day-to-day production safety resource forstudents and works collaboratively with faculty, staff, productionpersonnel, and third-party vendors. The Safety Advisor exercisesindependent judgment and decision-making authority withintheirassigned scope, contributes to safety policy and programdevelopment, and escalates matters requiring broader institutionaloversight to the Production Operations & Safety Manager. TheProduction Operations & Safety Manager retains final authorityover productions and overall responsibility for the productionsafety program and its associated policies.

Student Production Safety and Risk Review

• Review scripts, Safety and Risk Plans, locations, productionproposals, and related documentation to identify production hazardsand required safety measures.
• Meet with student productions during pre-production and attendGreen Light meetings as assigned to communicate safety requirementsand track required follow-up.
• Review productions involving elevated-risk or restrictedactivities, including stunts and physical action, prop weapons,special effects, open flame, atmospheric effects, vehicles,generators, intimacy, minors, animals, challenging locations, andother production-specific hazards.
• Review required safety documentation and qualifications ofthird-party safety personnel and specialty vendors, includingIntimacy Specialists, as assigned.
• Provide students with guidance regarding established productionsafety procedures, risk mitigation, production paperwork,locations, equipment safety, insurance requirements, and otheroperational safety matters.
• Work closely with Production Management, Production Support,and other relevant Chapman University and Dodge Collegestakeholders to support student productions, coordinate safetyrequirements, identify and address production risks, and ensureconsistent communication throughout pre-production andfilming.

Safety Compliance and Incident Support

• Maintain production safety documentation, records, forms, andtracking systems.
• Assist with investigations of accidents, incidents, significantevents and emergencies conducted by productions to ensurecompliance with company policies and applicable laws andregulations. Advise production of changes to preventrecurrence.
• Support communication and follow-up with students, faculty,Production Management, Production Support, and other universitypersonnel 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 Hotlineand related communications.
• Assist with biannual and annual comprehensive safety reports toreview incident log data and identify trends, recommend safetyprogram development and/or training to aid in the reduction ofsafety violations, ensure compliance, and prevent recurrence.

Training and Production Safety Support

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

Set Visits and Safety Audits

• Conduct regular on-set safety visits and operational audits ofstudent productions at local and distant filming locations.
• Assess adherence to approved Safety and Risk Plans, universitypolicies, applicable requirements, and established productionsafety practices.
• Work directly with 1st Assistant Directors and productionleadership to review safety meetings, emergency procedures, creworganization, site conditions, and implementation of requiredsafety measures.
• Monitor higher-risk production activities and identify unsafeconditions or deviations from approved production plans.
• Document set visits, safety concerns, corrective measures, andrequired follow-up, and conduct follow-up visits whennecessary.
• Immediately pause activities presenting an imminent safetyhazard and promptly escape the matter to the ProductionOperations & Safety Manager.

Required Qualifications

• Bachelor’s degree or equivalent combination of education andrelevant professional experience.
• Motion picture, television, commercial, or comparableproduction experience.
• Working knowledge of production processes, organizationalstructure, equipment, locations, stunts and physical action,special effects, prop weapons, and other common productionhazards.
• Knowledge of production safety principles and applicableoccupational 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 effectivelywith production personnel in active filming environments.
• Strong written, verbal, organizational, and interpersonalskills.
• Ability to manage multiple productions and priorities, workindependently within established procedures, and recognize mattersrequiring escalation.
• Ability to use tact and diplomacy and maintain confidentialityin both oral and written communication.
• Ability to work evenings and weekends and travel to local anddistant production locations as required.

Desired Qualifications

• Previous professional experience as a 1st Assistant Director(1st AD).
• Currently enrolled in, actively completing, or successfullycompleted the Contract Services Safety Advisor TrainingProgram.
• 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, orother elevated-risk activities.
• Familiarity with SAG - AFTRA safety requirements andIndustry-Wide Labor-Management Safety Committee SafetyBulletins.
• OSHA 30 certification or comparable occupational safetytraining.
• First Aid/ CPR / AED certification.
• Experience working with student productions or in aneducational environment.

Special Instructions to Applicants

At Chapman University, we believe collaboration thrives throughin-person engagement. This position is fully on campus, andemployees work alongside colleagues, faculty, students, and staffeach day to support our vibrant university community.

Chapman University is an equal opportunity employer that providesequal employment opportunities to all individuals, regardless oftheir protected characteristics. All qualified applicants andemployees are encouraged to apply and will receive considerationfor employment without regard to race, color, religion, age, sex,sexual orientation, gender identity, gender expression, nationalorigin, ancestry, citizenship status, physical disability, mentaldisability, medical condition, military and veteran status, maritalstatus, pregnancy, genetic information or any other characteristicprotected by state or federal law.

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

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

Minimum Number of References

2

Maximum Number of References

3

Pre-screening Questions

Required fields are indicated with an asterisk (*).

Applicant Documents

Required Documents

1. Resume
2. Cover Letter
3. 3 References Listed on One Page

Optional Documents

1. Letter of Recommendation 1
2. Letter of Recommendation 2