Industry Code of Conduct
The Industry Code of Conduct is a mandatory commitment that organisations in receipt of Screen Ireland funding sign up to. It sets behavioural standards across the production — bullying and harassment, discrimination, equality and inclusion, professional conduct on set.
It is not a single document — it's a family of code-of-behaviour instruments operating across the Irish screen sector:
- Safe to Create Code of Behaviour (the primary reference — see Safe to Create + Minding Creative Minds)
- Screen Producers Ireland (SPI) Code of Behaviour
- Screen Guilds of Ireland member codes
- Screen Ireland's own organisational Code of Conduct
Producer companies attest to operating under this family of codes as a condition of Screen Ireland funding.
The Section 481 reference
The Section 481 application form asks producers whether they have signed up to the Safe to Create Code of Behaviour. The producer commits to:
- Implementing the Code in production policy
- Cascading the Code expectations to cast, crew, contractors
- Maintaining grievance and reporting channels per the Code
- Reporting incidents per the Code's requirements
What the Code covers
| Area | Commitment |
|---|---|
| Bullying | Zero tolerance — defined behaviours, reporting channels, sanctions |
| Harassment | Including sexual harassment — same zero-tolerance framing |
| Discrimination | Across the protected grounds — age / sex / gender / disability / race / religion / family status / civil status / sexual orientation / membership of Traveller community |
| Bystander obligations | Witnesses to inappropriate behaviour have an obligation to raise concerns |
| Mental health and wellbeing | Reasonable accommodation, signposting of support (e.g. Minding Creative Minds) |
| Working hours | Compliance with the Organisation of Working Time Act 1997 — see Mandatory online courses — Bullying, Bystander, Unconscious Bias |
| Pay | Compliance with the National Minimum Wage Act and any sector minimum agreements |
How the Code is evidenced
| Evidence | What it is |
|---|---|
| Signed adoption letter | The producer's commitment to the Code, signed by a director / authorised signatory |
| Policy documents | Bullying & harassment policy, dignity at work policy, complaints procedure |
| Mandatory courses | Completion certificates for Bullying & Harassment, Bystander Intervention, Unconscious Bias — see Mandatory online courses — Bullying, Bystander, Unconscious Bias |
| Reporting channels | Named contact for reporting, plus the SI / SPI confidential channels |
| Skills compliance reporting | Reports back to SI on incidents (anonymised) as part of the Tab F / QA Compliance Report cycle — see Skills Development Plan (Tab F) |
Mandatory training
Three online courses are mandatory for Screen Ireland-funded productions:
- Bullying and Harassment
- Bystander Intervention
- Unconscious Bias
Senior management must complete at least 2 of the 3. All crew must achieve 80% completion across the three. Certificates are valid for 3 years. See Mandatory online courses — Bullying, Bystander, Unconscious Bias for the detailed completion thresholds.
Pitfalls
Adopting the Code is not enough. Screen Ireland's compliance reviews ask for evidence the Code is implemented — not just signed. Producers who sign the adoption letter but cannot evidence active policy / reporting / training / signposting fall short at compliance review.
The reporting obligation is real. Producers are expected to report incidents (anonymised) to Screen Ireland through the skills-compliance report cycle. Productions running clean don't have a problem; productions with concealed incidents that surface later face funding-eligibility consequences.
How Togra supports this
The Cúram compliance pack carries the Industry Code of Conduct as a structured artefact set: signed adoption letter, dated; bullying & harassment policy on file; complaints procedure on file; mandatory-course completion tracking via Skills Courses (see Mandatory online courses — Bullying, Bystander, Unconscious Bias); reporting log. The Section 481 Health Check preflight catches projects where the Code adoption isn't recorded against the producer company before application.
Related
Sources
- · Screen Ireland Sustainability + Inclusion Plan (Industry Code of Conduct provisions)
- · Safe to Create — Code of Behaviour for the Irish Screen Sector