Things that go Bump in the Dark

Boom-Boom, Out Go The Lights! (Stray Cats covering Pat Travers covering Little Walter)  Well, that's what happens when you bonk your head really hard (yet another reason to wear a hard-hat!).

Maybe this will help:  Knuffi (www.knuffi.com) soft edge bumper guards are a product that is available in both  Photoluminescent  and  Fluorescent.  These foam wedges, angles, and rounds are designed to fit over beam edges and around corners.  They have self-adhesive tape backing so that you can peel-and-stick them to clean surfaces.




You can get these from:

American Permalight (https://americanpermalight.com/safety-bumper-guards/), or

Knuffi. (www.knuffi.com)

These create a personal crumple zone around low-lying beams, shelves, brackets, conduits, air ducts, or other junk stickin'-out around the theatre.  Don't be bonkin' your noggin'!

Bangin' heads in the workplace

(OzMuseum.com)

At this time of year, football seems to dominate the the national attention as the Superbowl approaches.  Many types of sports present the performers (players) with opportunities for severe head injuries.  It seems like concussions have shown up in every corner of the football world over the past year:  on the field, on locker room posters, in Congressional hearings, in labor negotiations. There's even a blog devoted to them.  Whenever you talk about concussions, you inevitably end up talking about helmets.

Working in theatres is no different. We encounter low-lying beams, pipes, conduit, all-thread, the sharp edges and corners of stage lighting instruments, and the occassional metal flange or rebar sticking out where we least expect it. Of course, we also spend an inordinate amount of time around other people (Remember them? They are the most dangerous thing in the theatre!) that may not be watching where they are going with that oversized chunk of wood, scenery, ladder, or scaffolding.

Wearing a hard hat doesn't make you a geek. Get over the concern about making a fasion statement.  In fact, many theatres REQUIRE that they be worn.

The nature of our work in the theatre causes many of us to spend alot of time bent over working on stuff, so keeping a hard hat on your head can be a bit of a problem.  There is an easy fix for this:  Get a chin strap to keep your hard hat in-place.m  they cost very little and they can keep you from calling HEADS! from the catwalk as your hard hat plumets to the floor below.

One thing to keep in mind when purchasing a chin strap is to look at the clips that attach to the hard hat.  Some products only have a bent metal 'U', while others have a clip type attachment like show here.  These are much easier to keep in place and are highly recommended.

 

ANSI standard OSHA approved hard hats are fairly inexpensive (usually under $10) and the chin straps are even less.  These shoudl be fairly easy to justify for your budget, as a football helmet cost between $50 and $400.

Get a new leash on life

Sometimes you need this:

when the folks above you don't have this:

You can get yours from:

www.setwear.com/ToolLeash.html

Painting the town

As wonderful as glow-in-the-dark photoluminescent tape is, sometimes it is just easier to paint something.  Odd shaped or textured surfaces, or just bulk application frequently makes it more economical to do this, too.  Another reason to paint rather than stick, is that the finish is more permanent.  Tape-based products vary in the type of base material they are made from, and adhesive backing provided.  In high traffic areas (for hands, too, not just feet) tapes can sometimes snag on the edge and either create a trip hazard and/or a peeling problem.  Curious vandals may want to re-appropriate your carefully applied glow-tape, too.

When looking for glow-in-the-dark photoluminescent paints, it is highly recommended that you verify that the products meet ot exceed the New York City MEA 451-05-M-2 Standard for LL26 Safety Evacuation Markings.  These aren't the only certification for products, but it is one of the most common and well publicized references out there.

Also, note that some products don't use the Stontium Aluminate (SrAl) based pigments, either.  The products by GloNation, although very cool and helpful for special effects, use phosphorescent dyes; and the Rustoleum 214945 'Glow-in-the-Dark' Latex paint, which uses zinc sulfide (ZnS).  Many of the cheaper photoluminescent Low Location Lighting (LLL) systems in use today are based on zinc sulfide (ZnS) as the main pigment. The advantage is relatively quick charging, but these products have a limited 'storage' life and the ZnS corrodes over time (2-4 years lifespan).  It also doesn't glow as long or brightly after being charged. However, the introduction of Stontium Aluminate (SrAl) as a pigment, has provided a much higher level of performance. Although it takes slightly longer to charge, it can 'store' more light, making it much more suitable for use in locations where ambient light levels are low, or dark for extended periods.

Lastly, in order to get a good bright glow paint treatment, it is very important to follow the manufacturer's directions (you know: RTFM! ).

• Most of them require a bright white base coat so that there is a reflective surface behind the paint to assist the glow.  If you paint the glow material over a dark surface, then the glow that emits from the back-side of the coating will just be absorbed into the background instead of reflected back out through the nominally transparent glow paint coating.
• Apply several coats of the material to build-up a few mils of  paint thickness.  One thing you will notice with most photoluminescent products is that the brightness of the product is related to the thickness of the product (it is also related the formulation).
• Apply a clear coating to protect the photoluminescent coating.  Otherwise it will eventually scrape-off or wear-off.  This stuff ain't cheap, so make the effort to keep it intact.

You can also apply traction grit additives to the coatings.  Ask your vendor what they recommend, and whether it should be mixed into the photoluminescent coatings, or into the clear over-coat.

Resources:
American Permalight (http://www.americanpermalight.com/) - Spray paint, Acrylic Wall paint, and 2-part Epoxy & Polyurethane paints
EverGlow (www.everglow.us/?everglow=&photoluminescent=6&signs=coatings-paints)
GloBrite (http://www.globriteltd.com/coatings.asp)
GloNation (www.glonation.com/pigmented-glow-paint.html)
GloTech International (www.glotechint.com/paint.htm)
KanKote (http://www.kankote.com/)
KryptaGlow (http://www.krypta-glow.com/)
GBC Coatings (www.gbcsafetyglow.com/glow-polyurea-photoluminescent-glow-in-the-dark-safety-floor-marking-coatings/industrial-photo-luminescent-floor-striping-and-coating.html)
Metal Safe Sign International (www.mss-int.com/prod01.html)
ProLayer Inc. (http://www.prolayerinc.com/)

Get samples.  Apply.  Test - for a really long time - say . . . 12 hours.  Buy the one that works best.

Things that Glow-In-The-Dark

"Glow-Tape" is a staple of any theatre operation.  Its great for making all those things that are shin-busters, head-bangers, and fall-hazards.  How many times have you run-around five minutes before a show with a flash-light 'charging-up' the glow-tape?  Crazy, isn't it?  Especially if you have to do it again between each act.  And after awhile, it just won't 'take a charge' and you have to repace it.  What a pain.

Technology marches forward, and we in the theatre industry benefit from it.  Cool.  The problem is, what if no-one told you there was a better way?  Introducing high-tech glow tape that really does the job.  Strontium-Aluminate (SrAl) is a chemical compound that is non-toxic, non-radioactive, and generally safe to work with.  It has the ability to be 'charged-up' (activated with UV light) and maintain it's glow for 8, 12, 24, even 48 hours (depending upon the exact formulation) after it is activated.  Some products will glow for up to 45 days.  Wow.  Good Stuff.  Very Good Stuff.  This ain't your father's glow tape.  Uh-uh.  And get this: A quality Strontium-Aluminate based product will typically last 20-30 years.  Oooh.  Ahh.  (And the crowd cheers.)

Over the next few posts I'm going to provide information about some of the great benefits and products that are out there that are extremely applicable to the performing arts environment.  Glowing stuff is not just for backstage, it's for many locations around your facility.

For starters, lets look at the great literature that is available.  Check out these web sites for some very good reading material:

PSA (Photoluminescent Safety Association): http://www.plsafety.org/
Check-out their various tabs, particularly the 'Codes' section.

PSPA (Photoluminescent Safety Products Association) http://www.pspa.org.uk/
Download their "PSPA Guide to the Use of Photoluminescent Safety Markings Part 1 Egress Markings in Stairwells" document on the Technical | Standards tab - it's a treasure trove of recommendations.

And for a commonly used reference in the US, visit the New York City Department of Buildings web site to get "Reference Standard 6-1 - Photoluminescent exit path markings"
www.nyc.gov/html/dob/downloads/pdf/rs_6-1.pdf

Could you sharpen that stick a little bit more - I'm not sure it will fully pentrate my skull!

All-thread rod that protrudes below the air duct mounting bracket - cut an an angle to ensure damage to anyone that dares to come near . . . yet another reason to wear a hard-hat!

Rollin', Rollin', Rollin' - Raw Hide! (Well, at least Raw Brain)

I found this steel microphone base up on the elevated locking gallery in this theatre. The gallery has no kick-plate around it's perimeter to keep heavy things from rolling or sliding-off onto the unsuspecting crowd below (which is a whole 'nother issue), and is about 10 feet above the stage floor.

Not setting round rolly things on edge over people's heads would qualify as a "no-brainer" to most folks. But you can never tell what somebody else might do. So, to keep from becoming a 'no-brainer' - always wear a hard hat around places like this. Pick one up at the local hardware stor or safety supply - they are less than $10 bucks and could save your life.

Pardon me while I trip over this pipe and impale myself...

This is a good example of where NOT to have a fire sprinkler pipe installed: Running right across the floor of a walk-on wire tension grid. Not only is it a huge trip hazard, but the hold-down calmps they used were left with bolt ends sticking up far enough to impale someone. Clearly, the bolts should be trimmed-off and the pipe maked with a bright yellow / black OSHA hazard marking tape.

Poor coordination in the design and installation phases cause things like this to happen. In reviewing the site, it was obvious that the sprinkler contractor just took the easy way through, as there was plenty of room overhead to run the pipes above even the tallest person working on the grid.

Not seen in the picture: right above the pipes were 2'x4' fluorescent work-lights that were suspended with the bottoms at about 5-8" above the grid deck. So, while you were busy looking down to keep from tripping, you hit your head on the sharp metal corners of the light fixtures (painted black to hide them). Yet another good reason to wear a hard-hat in the theatre!