On January 1, 2025, a new training requirement took effect in California for employees handling firearms on set and who may work in proximity to firearms on set. See California Labor Code Section 9516, which provides:

Every employer shall require that any employee responsible for handling, or in proximity to, firearms on set completes a Contract Services Administration Trust Fund (CSATF) Firearms Safety Course for the Entertainment Industry, or an equivalent training, as determined by the Industry-Wide Labor-Management Safety Committee. This training requirement shall be paid for by the employer and is not limited to crew or guild members.

Contract Services offers two online safety courses to help the motion picture industry comply with this new requirement:

• The S course (Firearm Safety for the Entertainment Industry) for employees responsible for handling firearms on set, and
• the S2 course (Firearms General Safety Awareness for the Entertainment Industry) for employees working in proximity to firearms on set

About the Courses

The S course is a required for the Local 44 Property and Property Master classifications on the Industry Experience Roster, as well as certain classifications represented by the DGA. It is an approximately 90-minute self-paced, online training course that covers the following topics:

• The regulations and rules that apply to firearms and ammunition in the entertainment industry
• Types of firearms and ammunition used for entertainment purposes
• Safe practices when firearms of any type are used on set

The S2 course is required for a wide range of employees who may never handle a firearm but who may work on a set where firearms are handled by others. Many Industry Professionals working in classifications that appear on the Industry Experience Roster, or who work in “non-roster” classifications and whose training records appear on the Contract Services Industry Hub, are required to complete the S2 course as part of their Safety Pass training requirements. The S2 course is an approximately 30-minute self-paced, online training that covers the following topics:

• Safety information and protocols regarding firearms, blank rounds, dummy rounds, and prop firearms on set
• Property master responsibilities
• Production responsibilities
• Safety meetings

Course Availability

For Industry Professionals:

The S and S2 courses are available to eligible Industry Professionals through the Contract Services Industry Hub. If you are an Industry Professional on the Industry Experience Roster, or if you work in a classification that has training requirements through Contract Services, you should visit thehub.org and log into your Portal to see whether the S or S2 course is required for your classification. (Generally speaking, this applies to Industry Professionals working under the IATSE Basic Agreement and West Coast Studio Local Agreements as well as the Basic Crafts Agreements.)

If either course is required for your classification, it will be available for you to complete through your Portal. Visit your Portal Dashboard and click on your classification to view your training requirements.

If you are an Industry Professional who does not appear on the Industry Hub (because, for example, you do not work in a classification that appears on the Industry Experience Roster), you may be assigned to complete the S or S2 course by your employer through the Contract Services Training Referral Platform. If so, you will receive an email from the Platform informing you that your employer has enrolled you in training.

For Employers:

Employers can search the Industry Hub (thehub.org) to see whether Industry Professionals have completed the S or S2 course. Generally speaking, the records available on the Hub include Industry Professionals working under the IATSE Basic Agreement and West Coast Studio Local Agreements as well as the Basic Crafts Agreements.

If you are a motion picture employer that wants to assign the S or S2 course to your other employees (meaning, to employees who are not on the Industry Experience Roster or do not work under the collective bargaining agreements referenced above), both courses are available for purchase through the Contract Services Training Referral Platform. Using the Platform, eligible motion picture industry employers can purchase and assign these courses to their employees. 

Frequently Asked Questions

As an employee, how do I take the S or S2 course?

If you have a Portal account with Contract Services and your classification is required to complete either the S or the S2 course, you can complete your training by visiting thehub.org and logging into your Portal.

If your employer has assigned you to take the S or S2 through the Training Referral Platform, you will receive an email from the Platform informing you that your employer has enrolled you in training. From that email, you’ll click on the link to launch the training. After you complete the course, you’ll receive a completion certificate by email.

The S and S2 courses may be completed on smartphones or other mobile devices, or by using a web browser on a desktop or laptop computer. If you need assistance using a computer, you may also visit our computer lab. Appointments are encouraged, so please call 818.565.0550 ext.1200.

As an employer, how can I assign the S or S2 course to my employees who are not listed on the Industry Hub?

In general, Industry Professionals working under the IATSE Basic Agreement, West Coast Studio Local Agreements, Basic Crafts Agreements, and some classifications represented by the DGA, should already have access to the S or S2 course. (Note that many classifications are required to complete the S2 course, but the S course is required only for the Local 44 Property and Property Master classifications.) This means you generally do not need to assign these individuals to complete the training, because they are already required to complete it as part of their requirements of their classification. (As an employer, you can verify whether they’ve completed their training by searching for them on the Industry Hub. Visit thehub.org and click “Search Industry Professionals.”)

However, if you’re an employer who wants to assign this training to an employee who does not work under those collective bargaining agreements and does not appear on the Industry Hub, you can purchase and assign training to your employees through the Training Referral Platform. Eligible motion picture industry employers may use the Platform to purchase and assign training to their employees who do not already have access to Contract Services training. Click here for more information about how to apply for access to the Training Referral Platform.

As an employer, how can I verify whether someone has completed the course?
The training records of many Industry Professionals are publicly available on the Contract Services Industry Hub. Visit thehub.org, and click “Search Industry Professionals.” This will allow you to search the training records of Industry Professionals who work in roster or “non-roster” classifications under the IATSE Basic Agreement, West Coast Studio Local Agreements, and Basic Crafts Agreements. You can also ask them to provide you with a copy of their Compliance Report, which they can download by logging into their Portal.

For employees whose training records do not appear on the Hub, if you’ve assigned your employee to complete either course through the Training Referral Platform, you’ll be notified by Contract Services whether they have completed the course or not.

Any employee who completes the S or S2 course will also receive a course completion certificate by email. As an employer, you can always ask an Industry Professional to provide a copy of their course completion certificate.

For additional help click here or contact us at gro.f1740745536tasc@1740745536sc1740745536 or 818.565.0550. ext. 1100.