Film Career · Production
Health and Safety Officer
Production · Varies by market
- Union
- Varies
- Day rate
- ~$500–$1,200/day
- Experience
- 3–7 yrs
What does a Health and Safety Officer do?
Dedicated safety officers assess risks, enforce protocols, and document compliance, a role that expanded across the industry after 2020. On stunt-heavy or effects-heavy productions they work alongside the stunt coordinator and SFX supervisor on every hazardous setup.
What does a Health and Safety Officer make?
- Day rate about $500-$1,200, roughly $90K-$180K a year.
- A post-2020 role; production size and department scope drive the rate.
Film work is gig based, so crew are paid a day or weekly rate rather than a salary. These are realistic 2024-2025 ranges grounded in union rate cards and industry data; actual pay swings with budget tier, market, overtime, and reputation.
Sources & how we estimate pay
Union scale is the floor; the ranges above also reflect market day rates above scale. They are grounded in the following 2024–2025 sources:
Union rate cards & wage schedules
Official guild scale — the floor each craft is paid from.
- IATSE — 2024 Basic Agreement wage scales (PDF) ↗
- IATSE Local 600 (International Cinematographers Guild) — camera rate cards ↗
- DGA — minimum salary rate cards (director, unit production manager, assistant directors) ↗
- WGA — schedule of minimums (writers) ↗
- SAG-AFTRA — theatrical & background rate sheets (cast, stunts, background) ↗
- Teamsters Local 399 — basic feature wage rates, 2024–27 (transportation, locations, wranglers) (PDF) ↗
On the job
- Assess risks across locations, stunts, effects, and daily set operations
- Write and enforce safety protocols that fit how sets actually work
- Run safety meetings and document compliance for insurers and studios
- Advise the 1st AD, stunt coordinator, and SFX on hazardous setups
You’ll like and be good at this job if:
Hard skills
- You can assess risk and write and enforce safety protocol
- You know the relevant regulations and first-response basics
Soft skills
- You are vigilant and calm
- You would rather protect people than be liked in the moment
Career progression
The role draws from occupational safety professionals entering the industry and from experienced crew members formalizing their safety knowledge with certifications. Studio safety departments and dedicated consultancies both hire, and senior officers oversee multiple productions.
A typical path, from entry to the top of the craft. Times are rough and vary by market, luck, and how steadily the work comes.
- Production Assistant· entry
~$35K–$55K/yr
- Health and Safety Officeryou are here· certified role
~$90K–$180K/yr
How do you become a Health and Safety Officer?
Occupational safety credentials plus set literacy is the combination. Crew experience in any department gives you the vocabulary; OSHA-track certifications give you the authority. Studios maintain safety rosters, and post-2020 demand has kept them growing.
Covered by a union? The joining a film union guide explains how each one takes members.