Issue link: https://digital.copcomm.com/i/987068
6 FROM THE PRESIDENT WE RECEIVED A COPY OF THIS MEMO FROM LOCAL 695 FORMER DIRECTOR AGAMEMNON ANDRIANOS. It was created by the Local 600 Safety Committee and we want to share it with our members as well. We encourage Local 695 members to have your eyes and ears open to the safety issues described in this memo and share your concerns with us so we can advocate for safe working conditions on your behalf. We would like to start by thanking those of you who completed the recent driving survey that was sent a few weeks back. Your answers and more specifically, your comments, verified that the problem of handheld filming in vehicles driven by actors and others ("free driving") is a growing safety issue that needs to be dealt with. Members of our committee have been speaking with experts in the field of crash technology for the past month and we would like to share the following information with you: What We Have Learned So Far • While a crash is the most obvious concern in a free driving situation, airbag deployment is the greatest specific danger that we must consider. • Airbags can deploy due to sudden deceleration in vehicles traveling as slow as 8 mph or even if something gets lodged underneath the vehicle's frame. • Airbags can deploy at speeds comparable to 200 mph within 1/20th of a second, leaving no time to react. • The passenger-side airbag is physically larger and deploys with more force than the driver-side airbag which is situated farther away from the occupant. • The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) guidelines state that sitting within ten inches of an airbag is dangerous. • Most vehicles now have weight sensors in the seats that help determine how much force an airbag should use to deploy. Sitting with a camera on a shoulder will therefore result in a higher weight reading and cause the airbag to deploy with greater force than necessary. • Anything unsecured in a vehicle, including a handheld camera, will act as a projectile when propelled by an exploding airbag. • Acting while driving falls within the NHTSA criteria for distracted driving, so operators and assistants are not the only crew members at risk. • Dealing with driving shots on the day is the worst time to do, so as it can hold up production and limit options, and as a result, may not yield safe alternatives. Discussing these shots as early as possible in prep is the time to communicate your concerns so that they can be addressed properly. What We Continue to Work On • Communicating with federal regulators, engineers and lawyers, as well as crash test experts to determine the safety of this practice and if there are any precedents we can cite to move forward. • Connecting with the DGA, SAG, Stunts and Grip Locals to devise specific guidelines for shooting in moving vehicles that are being free driven by actors. • Sourcing OOPS (Out of Position Simulation) crash test videos that will show the effects of projectiles (dash cams, etc.) in vehicle crashes that are more specific to our situation. • Providing our Business Representatives (BRs) with guidelines to use when speaking to production about these types of shots, and how best to handle free driving situations when they are reported. What We Suggest at This Time • Use the Safety App to report ANY driving shot THE MOMENT YOU SEE IT IN A SCRIPT OR LEARN ABOUT IT! Any and every Local 600 member should report these shots so that nothing is missed. • As early as possible in your shoot or prep, discuss the issue of free driving with the AD, Key Grip,