SPOTLIGHT ON SAFETY; TECHNICIANS TEACH WORKERS HOW TO SURVIVE ON THE SET.

Byline: Enrique Rivero Daily News Staff Writer

In his nearly 20 years as a Hollywood chief lighting technician, Dwight Campbell has become adept at teaching himself to safely use the increasingly sophisticated electrical equipment on studio productions.

Working on effects-laden productions like Universal's ``Backdraft,'' 20th Century Fox's ``Alien 3,'' and some second-unit work on ``Titanic,'' he has had to turn to other experts, or rely on his own ingenuity, to use the equipment safely and efficiently.

So any chance for some formal training is welcome, which is why he signed up to be among the first batch of students in the new Safety and Training Program offered by the Studio Electrical Lighting Technicians Local 728.

``I may know the majority of the information, but even I have learned something new in every class I've attended,'' said Campbell, 42. ``And lots of times the conversations that come up help everyone understand aspects of our jobs better, so we can make our jobs safer and more efficient.''

It often seems that everyone gets formal training when new equipment is introduced except for the most important employees - the people who actually use it, according to Earl Williman, supervising instructor for the program. The course is intended to fill that gap by providing a set of standard safety techniques and training that everyone can use.

``We feel it's way past due that we should train these people in the safe handling of this equipment, because it is very dangerous equipment,'' he said.

Since 1995, the state Department of Industrial Relations has investigated five accidents involving studio electrical technicians. Three resulted in citations for safety violations.

The issue of safety on movie sets has been in the spotlight recently as a result of the death of Matthew Gordy, a 31-year-old grip from Woodland Hills who was electrocuted Feb. 25 when the camera boom he was handling hit a 12,000-volt power line on the San Bernardino County set of the Walt Disney Co.'s film ``Dinosaur.''

His wife and children on April 13 filed a wrongful-death suit against Disney and crane manufacturer Chapman/Leonard Studio Equipment Inc. Encino resident David Riggio, a co-worker who was injured in the accident, also filed suit against the two companies.

While that tragedy involved workers from a different union, it still raises serious safety issues of concern to the electricians, Williman said.

``This is a very hot issue at this point,'' he said. ``We work on a daily basis with potentially lethal electricity.''

And having such a program is particularly important given that so many new technicians are entering the field all the time. Of the local's 1,760 members, about 775 have four years or less experience, he said.

``With this huge influx of new people, all these people wind up on the same sets together and you see there is the likelihood of accidents with the lack of experience,'' he said. ``They're basically apprentices.''

The program covers everything from liability to safety, general rigging to parts and hardware, and even has a section on tying safe knots. Technicians who complete the program will receive Safety Qualified Technician status, Williman said.

The intensive six-week course, which started in February and is offered in four sessions over 24 weeks, is taught in donated space at Burbank-based Hollywood Rental Co. Inc., a division of Matthews Studio Equipment Group, on Saturdays from 9 a.m. to 4:30 p.m.

Now a pilot program, it will be reviewed in May for possible continuation, Williman said. About 140 union members are now taking the program, and 60 are on a waiting list.

The class is approved by the International Alliance of Theatrical Stage Employees, which controls the craft unions in the United States and Canada, and by the Alliance of Motion Picture and Television Producers, Williman said.

Of the approximately $90,000 budget, about $50,000 is covered by Local 728, with the rest coming from the producer's Contract Services Administration Trust Fund, which is set aside in part for union training programs. Though set up by producers, Contract Services is not part of the AMPTP and has its own board of directors.

The trust fund offers some much-needed cohesive safety training, said Hugh Rose, vice president of the Encino-based AMPTP and co-chair of the industrywide safety committee.

``Electrical safety is certainly of concern and should be of concern to all people working on the set,'' he said. ``We felt that a formalized program that provided continuity and consistency was an important element in the day-to-day safety on the set.''

A number of the 23 unions and guilds servicing the entertainment industry have had or now have some type of training program, he said. And the Contract Services trust is funding a new industrywide Safety Passport Program that started Saturday and addresses state-mandated safety requirements.

``The intent of it is to make it one cohesive package for the motion picture production end of the industry,'' Rose said.

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Photo: (Color) Darren Hart, center, demonstrates proper handling of a xenon light during the Safety and Training Program for studio lighting technicians in Burbank.

Gene Blevins/Special to the Daily News