What's New?
MyCast&Crew now includes an option to designate an emergency contact to be notified in the event of an emergency. This enhancement helps productions comply with California Senate Bill 294 (SB294) while ensuring a timely notification to a designated person during emergency situations.
Understanding SB294
Q: What is SB294?
A: California Senate Bill 294 is legislation that requires employers to collect specific emergency contact information from employees, including whether they want their designated emergency contact to be notified in an emergency. This helps ensure that emergency response procedures respect the preferences of their employees.
Q: Why is Cast & Crew adding this feature?
A: We're committed to helping productions stay compliant with labor regulations while making it easy for crew to manage their personal information. By building this directly into MyCast&Crew, we've made compliance seamless—no additional paperwork or separate forms required.
Q: Does this apply to me?
A: SB294 applies to work in California. If you work on US-based productions, you'll see this feature in MyCast&Crew. This feature is not available for Canadian productions, as the legislation doesn't apply there. If you have questions about whether your employer must comply with SB294, we recommend speaking with your production's HR or payroll team.
Using the Feature
Q: What do I need to do?
A: Log into MyCast&Crew, navigate to your Emergency Contact section, and update your emergency contact information. You'll see a new checkbox that allows you to indicate whether your emergency contact wishes to be notified in an emergency. Update your information and save.
Q: Where do I find this in MyCast&Crew?
A: Go to Profile > Emergency Contact in MyCast&Crew. You'll see the new notification preference option directly in the emergency contact form.
Q: When do I need to complete this?
A: You can update your emergency contact information at any time.
Q: What if I don't have an emergency contact?
A: We strongly recommend adding emergency contact information to your profile. In the event of an emergency, having this information helps ensure you receive appropriate care and that your designated contact can be reached if needed.
Q: Can I update my emergency contact information later?
A: Yes. You can update your emergency contact information at any time by logging into MyCast&Crew and navigating to your Emergency Contact section.
Q: What happens to my existing emergency contact information?
A: Your existing emergency contact information remains unchanged. This update simply adds one new field to capture notification preferences. All your previously saved information is still there.
For Production Teams
Q: How do we access this information?
A: Emergency contact information, including notification preferences, is available through the existing Start+ emergency contact export via Manage Crew. The export now includes one additional column with the notification preference data.
Q: Does this change our current workflows?
A: No. This is an additive feature that enhances your existing emergency contact data. Your current processes for accessing and managing emergency contact information remain the same—we've simply added one new data point to your export.
Q: Who is responsible for notifying emergency contacts?
A: The production is responsible for emergency contact notifications in accordance with their policies and procedures. Cast & Crew provides the tools to collect and store this information, but does not perform emergency contact notifications on behalf of productions.
Need Help?
If you have questions about updating your emergency contact information in MyCast&Crew, please contact our support team at employeehelpdesk@castandcrew.com.
For questions about SB294 compliance requirements for your production, please speak with your production's HR or payroll team.
For more information about California labor laws, visit the California DIR website.