MANILA, PHILIPPINES, OCTOBER 2, 2021 — A total of 46 Safety Advocates have successfully undergone the fourth Safety and Health Officers Training Seminar (SHOTS) organized by the Safe Filming Program of the Film Development Council of the Philippines (FDCP) in partnership with the Department of Labor and Employment-Occupational Safety and Health Center (DOLE-OSHC). 

SHOTS is a free online 40-hour Basic Occupational Safety and Health (BOSH) Training for the Audiovisual Industry that deals solely with the nature and conduct of film and audiovisual activities. 

Since April 2021, the Safe Filming Program and DOLE-OSHC have been conducting the free SHOTS accumulating a sum of 184 graduates from its four batches. The participants received a Safety Officer 2 (SO2) Certification from DOLE-OSHC and were designated as Safety Officers by their respective audiovisual companies. 

The fourth batch of the online seminar was facilitated by actor & EMR instructor Jeffrey Santos, safety and event security professional and trainer Rico Santiago, safety and resilience professional and OSH Accredited for Mass Media Martin Aguda, Jr., and OSH Accredited Consultant, Engr. Frumencio “Ming” Tan.

“Safety and health is paramount in this time of the pandemic. It’s a great honor for me to help the audio-visual industry in training our safety officers and push for the practice in OSH in a very unique workplace setting of ours,” said Aguda on the importance of SHOTS. 

Santos emphasized the significance of creating a culture of safety: “We not only achieved our goal, but also built a community of audiovisual workers with the language to communicate what needs to be done properly.”

The SHOTS covered topics on the Roles of Safety Officers in Audiovisual Activities, Health Hazards, Safety Hazards in the Workplace, Risk Assessment, Workplace Emergency Preparedness, Accident Investigation, Employees Compensation, and COVID-19 and the Workplace.

“In less than a year, SHOTS was able to equip 184 safety officers for production shoots in the new normal. As we slowly build the culture of safety by protecting our workers, we are also contributing to the development of our film and audiovisual industry towards the future,” said FDCP Chairperson and CEO Mary Liza B. Diño.

The latest batch of graduates will undergo a masterclass with the Industry Facilitators in October 2021. The fourth SHOTS is part of the very first celebration of Philippine Film Industry Month headed by FDCP. 

For inquiries and other concerns, you may contact the Safe Filming Program through the SF hotline at (+63) 917 7233 111 or [email protected].