Nightclub in Bucharest Gutted by Fire - 41 Injured

January 21, 2017 - Bucharest, Romania.  A fire, believed to be started by sparklers on drinks and / or patrons smoking that ignited the roof decor, gutted the Bamboo Nightclub and sent at least 41 people to the emergency room.  No deaths have been reported.  About half of the victims were transported by Emergency Vehicles, while others made their way there on their own.  Reported injuries included smoke inhalation, hypothermia because they ran from the burning building into outdoor temperatures of -12°C (-10°F) leaving their coats behind, and sprained ankles or broken bones because they jumped from the second floor of the building to escape.

(Image ISU via AP)

One witness said that waiters were serving bottles of drinks with sparklers stuck in the tops.  Fireworks and smoking are both illegal in nightclubs and public places in Romania.  Prosecutors have begun an inquiry about the building construction, permits, staff training, insurance, inspections, and other concerns.

(Image Andreea Alexandru via AP)

The Bamboo Club was originally opened in 2002, but was destroyed by a fire in 2005, and then rebuilt.

There is no information available at this time about the building being equipped with fire sprinklers, fire alarm system, or other fire fighting equipment.

Also See:
theatresafetyblog.blogspot.com/2015/11/nightclub-fire-in-romania-kills-27.html

OSHA issues fines for Stage Manager killed in blast

2016-02-03 -Last summer we reported about an incident in west Texas where a Stage Manager was killed when a pyrotechnics storage bunker for an outdoor show exploded  (http://theatresafetyblog.blogspot.com/2015/08/fireworks-storage-building-explodes-and.html)

OSHA has now investigated the incident and issued a statement:  “A 21-year-old worker, with three months of work experience under her belt, lost her life because Texas Panhandle Heritage Foundation failed to provide appropriate training and protective equipment to workers handling pyrotechnics.”

That was the assessment of Elizabeth Linda Routh, OSHA’s area director in Lubbock, Texas, after a young worker was fatally injured last summer while taking an inventory of the pyrotechnics for an outdoor musical production at the Palo Duro Canyon State Park in Canyon, Texas.

After an inspection following the fatality, OSHA issued six serious citations for failing to train workers on the use of explosives, provide fire retardant clothing, perform a hazard assessment and develop a written hazard communication program.

Proposed Penalties: $42,000

Texas Panhandle Heritage Foundation is a performing arts employer.

------------------

Although $42,000 may not seem like much for a human life, this assessment of the situation opens the door for civil litigation so the victim's family can pursue further compensation.

Check yourself.

 

Don't expect others to do it for you.  You are your best first defense against stupid - or worse.

Orchestra Pit Cover Collapse During Performance Injures 28

Anaheim, California 2014-03-10 - Students performing an energetic dance routine on the extended forestage at Servite Catholic High School were injured when the stage collapse into the Orchestra Pit below.  The auditorium was originally constructed in the 1980's and the stage extension / pit cover was added in 1996.  Images from the accident scene show what appears to be a modular structure that was built by the school, not a commercially available staging system.

Local Police and Emergency Rescue were called to the scene to extract injured performers and transport them to the hospital as needed.  Some injuries were minor scrapes and bruises, and sprained ankles, while 24 students were transported, some on back-boards with possible neck and back injuries, and a report of broken bones.

Looking into the Orchestra Pit after the Stage Extension Collapsed
(Photo Courtesy of the Anaheim Police Department)

The structure will be inspected to discover the exact nature of the failure.  Although persons interviewed by local papers said that the collapse was unforeseeable (blogger comment: not likely), and later comments (in the follow-up section of this post) show that there was some forewarning (visible sagging) prior to the floor giving-way.

The Anaheim Fire Marshal and Building Inspectors were on scene Sunday investigating what caused the collapse, said Lt. Tim Schmidt of the Anaheim Police Department.  “It looks like, on its face, that too much weight was on the stage than what it was originally built for,” Schmidt said Sunday night.

The high school's platform stage was previously permitted for use, Schmidt said.  Now investigators will be rechecking that permit to see if it included a weight restriction or a limit as to the number of people who could safely be on the stage at one time.

Schmidt said he expected the investigation, which is being led by the Anaheim Fire Department, to take up to two weeks.  He added that Servite has been cooperative in the investigation.  “They want to find out what happened as much as we do.”

Follow-up 2014-03-14:

A news article by the local NBC4 I-team reveals that no permits were ever made for the stage extension addition.  Also from the article we quote:

Carly Yates, a former ballet student and a current NBC4 intern, had danced on the stage for years.
 
She said she and her fellow dancers were always concerned about the safety of the stage.
 
“There was something wrong it,” says Yates.
 
She says dancers would wait below the stage until it was their turn to perform.
 
"When you were underneath the stage in the [make-shift] Green Room [(orchestra pit)], you saw the boards were flimsy," she said.  "They would bend and down as the dancers on top if it danced on it."

What's actually dangerous (besides your theatre)?

The folks at ComplianceAndSafety.com put together this interesting infographic:

 

You are more likely to die falling into the orchestra pit.

 

You are more likely to die falling from a truss or catwalk.

 

You are likely to be injured in the shop.

ZERO Excuses - Campaign for Hand Safety

Looking back at the shows I've done and the poor choices I've made about PPE over my life, I'd have to say that getting a 3" (75mm) long wood splinter jammed into my hand had to be one of the most painful experiences I've encountered.  The wood shard entered the mid-palm of my hand and traveled under the skin up into my wrist.  Ouch! doesn't begin to describe it.

It happened one day when I was unloading some plywood sheathing from a van.  I had to go to the emergency room, miss the show, and then be interrogated by my employer about the unexpected medical bill he received.  Luckily, the plywood was mostly new and had not been too abused, so it was mostly one big clean skewer that broke-off in my body.  Had the plywood been covered with paint, old and softened due to regular abuse, it might have shattered into many dirty and chemically contaminated splinters.  Lucky me.

A special web site has been set-up by EHS Today magazine and one of their advertisers.  The site has numerous articles and downloads, and will be growing it's content, so check-back in regularly.

www.Zero-Excuses-Protection.com

The theatre work environment is a very hazardous place, and we continually put our hands at risk:

• Stage rigging has heavy counterweights to handle, ropes to pull, and wire rope ends that may not be properly seized.
• Stage Lighting Instruments can be very hot and burn you.
• Moving platforms and wood can expose you to splinters.
• Metal parts can have sharp edges.
• Dry Ice used for atmospheric effects can super-cool your skin and kill it (ice burns).
• Shop chemicals can burn the skin or accelerate the development of skin diseases / cancers.
• Even non-hazardous grime can be a real problem to clean-off, so stains can last for weeks.

Who knows what might be behind that platform frame when you reach around it to lift it . . .
Nail points?  Splinters?  Spiders?

 Just remember to remove your gloves when working with rotary power tools like planners, lathes, drills, saws, grinders, and sanders - should your glove fabric get snagged in the tool, it can draw your hand or body into the device as it gets entangled.

An often overlooked consideration about gloves in scene shops is the sanitary aspect of shared tools.  DON'T SHARE YOUR GLOVES.  They are sweaty, grimy, fabrics that harbor germs and skin diseases.  Mark your gloves with your name so they are easily identifiable.  Change your gloves frequently.

Fan injured by unsecured canon equipment sues promotor

William Mueller Jr. sued Live Nation and others, in St. Louis County Circuit Court in March 2013.  Mueller claims he suffered injuries to his groin and upper thigh and suffered pain, mental distress, and temporary loss of consortium (see below).  Mueller says he attended the KISS concert at Verizon Wireless Amphitheater on August 27, 2012 when a cannon was discharged during the band's final song.

He claims he was standing at his assigned seat when the cannon "exploded and with great force launched a metal ratchet tie-down strap" that hit him.  "(P)rior to this incident plaintiff had been diagnosed with a rare brain cancer (Esthesioneuroblastoma) and had experienced major surgeries and intense radiation therapy," he says in the complaint. "At the time of his injury, plaintiff's body was in a weakened and vulnerable condition.  Defendants owed to plaintiff the duty to exercise the highest degree of care for his safety.  [The] Defendants actions, conduct, or omissions were negligent, negligent per se, or both and were not those of a reasonably prudent person."


While the band KISS is known for outrages theatrical performances from raised platforms amidst fireballs, canons, smoke machines, and pyrotechnics, it would be reasonable to assume as an attendee of the concert that there would be precautions taken to ensure the audiences' safety.

Mueller seeks actual and punitive damages for negligence.  He is represented by David Diamond of St. Peters, Missouri.

The band KISS is not a party to the complaint.  The defendants are Contemporary Group Acquisition, Live Nation Worldwide, Live Nation Entertainment, All Access Staging & Productions, and Live Nation general manager Leslie Ramsey.

**********************

Loss of consortium is a legal principle that awards monetary compensation for the damages that an individual had to suffer because of family member being injured or for being deprived of a normal family relationship. Damages can mean the loss of love, emotional relations and other services offered by a family member or spouse, if he/she had not been injured. The injury may also have occurred because of assault and battery, wrongful death, false imprisonment, medical malpractice, negligence, sale of addictive drugs and the like.

According to the loss of consortium definition, the basis for awarding these damages is simply the inconvenience of having an injured spouse. This can also be when this injury or act has a devastating effect upon the individual filing the consortium lawsuit or if the injury can directly affect the individual’s personality such as getting depressed or general unpleasantness.

The term consortium encompasses a wide variety of meanings to include all the benefits that a person receives from another family member such as affection, companionship, cooperation, and financial support.

Video Display Falls On Family, 1 Killed, 4 Injured

On Friday, March 22, 2013, a family returning home from a spring vacation in Florida had a stop-over in Alabama at the Birmingham-Shuttlesworth International Airport that had tragic consequences:  A Video Display showing Flight Arrivals for the airlines toppled-over without warning and trapped a Mother and four children under it.  One of the children, a 10-year-old boy, did not survive.

Passersby rushed to lift the multi-screen video display off the family, and it's estimated weight of 300-400 pounds required six people to lift it up.  ABC News coverage can be found here:
http://abcnews.go.com/US/large-airport-sign-falls-family-kills-boy/story?id=18797015#.UVLNIzebVrs

Witnesses described the display to be a free-standing assembly that was not anchored to the wall behind it.  It appeared that the structural integrity of the floor, although concrete, may not have been sufficient to support the weight of the front-heavy unit.  Investigators are working to determine if the framework failed, or the floor failed.  The accident occurred only weeks after the airport had completed a $201 million dollar remodeling.

Update 2013-03-27:  The City of Birmingham has stated that the cabinet that contained the video monitors is considered furniture and was not under their jurisdiction to inspect because it was not a structural component of the building.  The cabinet was a freestanding item, and descriptions by witnesses say that it appeared to be attached to the floor with construction adhesive, with no bolts or other fasteners.  The Alabama Department of Transportation and the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) have also said that the device was not under their jurisdiction.

Update 2013-03-31:  Luke Bresette, 10, was killed by the falling sign, while his 5-year-old brother Tyler suffered a concussion, and his 8-year-old brother Sam had a broken leg and nose. The boys’ mother, Heather Bresette, had broken ankles, a crushed pelvis and was in intensive care in the University of Alabama-Birmingham Hospital after surgery.

The father, Ryan Bresette, and another son and daughter, were at the airport but not injured.
Birmingham, Ala.-based Brasfield & Gorrie and Bloc Global Services Group are the construction management team for the $201.6 million modernization project, which began in June 2012

------------------------------

Although this accident did not occur in a performance venue, it is important to note that many theatres utilize video displays in lobby spaces and other support spaces, including classrooms.  When was the last time anyone checked to see how your TV's, Projectors, and speakers are properly secured?

 TyWrap Wrigging doesn't cut it.

More information about video display mounting can be found here:
www.digitalsignagetoday.com/article/210417/Airport-digital-signage-accident-a-wake-up-call

New Reports on 2011 Ottawa BluesFest Staging Collapse

More than a year after the incident (http://theatresafetyblog.blogspot.com/2011/07/ottawa-bluesfest-stage-canopy-collapes.html), a report assessing the damage, probable causes of the damage, and outlining recommendations to prevent a repeat of the day has been published.  Writer Chris Cobb of the Ottawa Citizen newspaper has obtained a copy of the report and summarized it in an article published on November 19, 2012 (www.ottawacitizen.com/news/Finger+points+stage+owner+collapse/7568244/story.html).

The previous day he also published a summary of first-hand accounts by people present during the incident. The article 'Stage fright' can be found here:  www.ottawacitizen.com/news/Stage+fright/7561428/story.html

Photo by: Sandra Luty

One of the key causes of the collapse was determined to be that the stage crew could not remove the stage canopy fabric walls in time to unload the structure from the winds.  The panel ties had been previously removed due to a storm a week earlier, and when the fabric wall panels were reattached, they were re-secured with plastic zip-ties that were too tough to cut with a knife.

Stopin' & Startin' - Power Control for Your Tools

Bigger is Better.  Especially if you are trying to find the OFF button in a hurry.  You can bang your knee into this puppy and know it's going to get the job done for you.

ReiTech (www.reitech.com) makes several flavors of this to fit just about any shop tool.  It is more than just an ON/OFF switch - it has a magnetic contactor in it that will shut-down the power if you have a electrical outage, too, so the machinery won't re-start on it's own when the power is restored.

They also offer machine bases with the EASY OFF fully integrated upon which you can mount your existing tools.  This is great for those items that are sitting on the wobbly handmade bench just waiting to topple-over.

For other E-Stop Options, look at:
www.theatresafetyblog.blogspot.com/2010/04/stop-in-name-of-love-of-keeping-your.html
and
www.theatresafetyblog.blogspot.com/2011/12/power-play.html

Its nice to have ICE

Like they ask in the theme song to the movie Ghost Busters - "Who ya gonna call?"

ICE - In Case of Emergency

Have you put ICE in your mobile phone?

Eight out of ten people carry no next-of-kin or emergency contact details with them. Yet 80% (or more) carry a mobile phone, most of whom have it with them all the time.

There is no simpler way of letting the Emergency Medical Services (EMS) personnel know who to contact should you be involved in an accident than by using ICE.

Standing for In Case of Emergency, ICE entries in your phone's contact directory will allow ambulance crews and police officers to quickly contact a nominated person who can be informed of the incident.  Putting "ICE" along with a name and telephone number will enable the emergency services to contact your family in the event of an emergency.  Most emergency responders are trained to look in the contact directory of an injured person's mobile phone and see if there are any ICE entries.

Multiple entries are always a good idea.  If your only ICE contact is with you in an accident, then the emergency responders won't have an alternate person to call.

1. Type the acronym ICE followed by a contact name (for example, ICE - mom or ICE - David) into the address book of your mobile phone. 
2. Save their phone number to both your SIM card and your phone's internal memory - if the phone is broken they may still be able to read the SIM card.
3. Tell your ICE contacts that you have nominated them.

The other half of the equation:  Sign a Medical Power of Attorney (POA) for each person on your ICE contact list.  Telling them you are injured is one thing, allowing them to do something about it is another.

Audience Platform Collapse Injures 30

Stockholm, Sweden - Friday, March 2nd, 2012 — A section of a VIP platform collapsed during a performance by Swedish disc jockey Avicii at the Globe Arena.  About 30 people fell some 4 meters (~13 feet) when the floor of the structure caved in.  Police spokeswoman Inger Qvennerstedt says about 20 concertgoers age between 15 and 17 were taken to hospital.  She says most of the injuries were minor, but one was "very serious."

Organizers say a second performance by Avicii scheduled for Friday was canceled.  The cause of the collapse was not immediately clear.

The video posted on YouTube shows a very enthusiastic crowd jumping up and down in sync to the beat of the music, which can create tremendous live loading on a structure.  The camera finally pans down to show the gaping hole in the platform at around the 1:20 marker.  Note how visibly the security staff is dressed!

More information can be found at: http://www.beatmyday.com/2012/03/03/platform-collapse-during-avicii-gig-at-globe-arena-stockholm/

Indiana OSHA Fines Three Entities

[Updated - 2014-03-31 - 12:50PM CDT]
February 8, 2012.  Following investigations into the stage canopy collapse at the Indiana State Fair on August 13th of last year, IOSHA has filed fines against the canopy provider Mid-America Sound Corporation, The IATSE Local 30 that provided labor to erect the stage, and the Indiana State Fair Commission, sponsors of the event.

The IOSHA order against Mid-America Sound claims that MAS knowingly allowed the stage to be erected without cross bracing and failed to provide adequate documentation for the erectors.  MAS said that they will challenge the findings and is already producing documents that they had previously withheld

UPDATE 2014-03-31:  Mid-America Sound has agreed to pay a $50,000 fine for safety violations and has also agreed to additional staff training and a new safety plan for future events..  Indiana’s Occupational Safety and Health Administration (IOSHA) orginally levied a fine of $63,000 against the company.

Michael Moon, attorney for Mid-America Sound, released the following statement via Borshoff, the company’s PR firm:

“On March 20, 2014, Mid-America Sound Corporation and the Department of Labor entered into an Agreed Entry resolving litigation that resulted from IOSHA's citations issued to Mid-America following the events of August 13, 2011 at the Indiana State Fair.  While Mid-America contested the appropriateness of the citations and made no admission of any wrongdoing by entering into the settlement, Mid-America believed that it was important to move forward in a cooperative effort with IOSHA and to avoid the costs and expenses of further litigation.”

Of particular concern was that IOSHA fined the Labor Union Local 30, which is not an employer, and claimed that they were acting as an employer of the stage hands that were injured and killed.  This charge is being vigorously disputed by the Union as they say they were only act as an agent to arrange labor resources.  However, unlike almost all other union offices, this local's officers actually operated a business entity that directly paid the laborers that were contracted to the Indiana State Fair.  If this charge is upheld, it will have a significant impact on the way this Local, and possibly others, is operated.

The State Fair Commission's fines were minimal and they were charged with failing to have an effective emergency plan in-place.  The fines were minimal because the State Fair Commission did not have any employees that were significantly injured in the event.

A little perspective:

This is just the beginning of the legal process.  The report from the forensic engineering firm that is analyzing the failed structure has not yet been published, nor has any other official assessments of the event.  The IOSHA orders are only addressing one small segment of the incident:  The labor relationship between the Employers and the Workers with regard to their safety.  It is not IOSHA's place to address injuries to the general public or the over-all failure of the State Fair Commission that administered the event.  To date, there have been numerous law suits and over 100 tort claims filed that are seeking compensation for the damages and loss of life.

This blogger was told that Sugarland, the band that was to have played that night, had first right of refusal to not play (although they did not assert that right), and they did not have the right to override the State Fair Commission and demand to play.  Being willing to play is not the same thing as demanding to play.  This places the burden of responsibility back on the State Fair Commission for not cancelling the show and clearing the fairgrounds in a timely manner.  It's always a contentious position to be in when one state agency is penalizing another state agency.

Interviews with the Indiana State Police Troopers that were in the scene before the storm struck also said that they were fully expecting the Commissioners to cancel the show in light of the incoming weather front, and were dismayed when the announcer only said that the show would be delayed.  Had they known that the State Fair management team was not securing the site, they could, and probably would have overridden their decision and forced the issue for the sake of public safety.  Unfortunately, that announcement was made hours too late, and the brunt of the storm plowed through the area just moments later.

Additional Resources:

Indy Star article:
http://www.indystar.com/article/20120208/NEWS05/120208016/Agency-cites-State-Fair-union-stage-collapse

Prior Blog Posts:
http://www.theatresafetyblog.blogspot.com/2012/01/alert-notice-on-temporary-structures.html
http://www.theatresafetyblog.blogspot.com/2012/01/indiana-legislature-posts-bill.html

Stage Truss Collapse in Italy Kills One, Injures Seven

2011-12-12, Trieste, Italy.  The concert trussing for a Jovanotti concert in the Palazzetto dello Sport an arena in northeastern Italy collapsed as it was being erected and a 20 year old student worker, Francesco Pinna, died from injuries sustained.  Italian news agency ANSA reported that rescue crews said the stage structure was nearing completion when the front buckled and collapsed, crushing workers below.  The accident took place at about 2 pm.  Around twenty technicians were erecting the stage, lighting, and PA system when the structure collapsed.   Rescue services intervened to take the injured workers to hospital.

Jovanotti Ora Concert Tour Stage Truss after Collapse in Palazzetto dello Sport

Police officers are now seeking to reconstruct the dynamics of the incident. Early reports say that the scaffolding “crumpled in on itself.”  Workers who were putting the finishing touches to preparations were overwhelmed by the collapse and some were trapped by steel tubes."

The concert has been cancelled and the remainder of the Ora Tour has been suspended pending investigation.  The sports complex in the San Sabba district, next to the Nereo Rocco football stadium, was seized by the authorities and cordoned-off. “All concerts have been suspended”, announced Maurizio Salvadori, owner of the Trident agency that manages the artist. “We’ll decide what to do tomorrow but at the moment no one wants to go on stage.  It is not known why the structure collapsed.  As always, everything was certified by an engineer. The structure was used all summer with no problems.”  Mr Salvadori explained that the “ground support”, scaffolding that carries speakers and reflectors, had given way.  The mayor of Trieste, Roberto Cosolini, hurried to the site of the accident and underlined the urgent need for “the investigations and expert reports to ascertain responsibility for this incident to be carried out with maximum rigour”.

“This tragedy takes my breath away. It struck me deeply.” Jovanotti tweeted his reaction to the fatal accident. “My grief goes out to Francesco Pinna, a student worker whose life came to an end today,” commented the singer, whose real name is Lorenzo Cherubini.  He added: “A tour is a family working to bring life and joy onto the stage.” A little later, the singer added: “The injured lads are specialised workers who do jobs they love while staying in the background. I’m with you. I love you.”

Power Play

Each year, thousands of injuries occur when an electrically powered tool or machine unexpectedly starts after a power interruption. This preventable hazard is caused when a tool's switch is left "ON" after a power outage, circuit breaker trip, or accidental unplugging from the wall outlet.  A button that locks the power trigger ON on many tools can become a dangerous feature when a cord is accidentally pulled from an outlet or a power drop-out occurs.  Drills, saws, grinders, sanders, and routers frequently are equipped with this 'feature' that can launch the tool off a workbench or across the floor when the power is unexpectedly restored.

The Safety Gate™ Professional Retrofit is a UL Listed, simple, low cost, safety product that attaches to your tool's power plug in seconds, providing restart protection wherever and whenever you use it.  It locks in-place using the tiny holes in the plug prongs, yet can be simply removed and used on other tools or stored away.

The Safety Gate™ works by recognizing when a tool's power switch is left "ON" and prevents power from being delivered to the tool.  The bright yellow LED indicator tells you that your SafetyGate is in "protect mode."  To reset it, you just turn the tool's power switch to "OFF".  It's completely automatic and there are no buttons to push or switches to reset.

The patented SafetyGate™ design complies with OSHA, NFPA, and CSA standards in eliminating the hazard of dangerous restarts. Hand tools and small machines can have the same safety restart protection that are mandated for larger industrial machinery.

More product information at: www.safetygatestore.com/professional

Other related post:
www.theatresafetyblog.blogspot.com/2010/04/stop-in-name-of-love-of-keeping-your.html
and
www.theatresafetyblog.blogspot.com/2012/05/stopin-startin-power-control-for-your.html

Indiana State Fair Stage Collapse - Post Mortem Questions

The picture is getting a bit clearer now that the news has buzzed this into notoriety.  One resource has posted a time-line of events (http://media2.wane.com/_local/site/PDFs/News/State%20Fair%20Incident%20Time%20Line.pdf) that shows the level of emergency planing that didn't happen. This brings to light the pre- and post-emergency actions by the promoter and emergency crews.

The weather issue has been discussed extensively, however, the electrical power issue has not.  The stage canopy collapsed at 8:49 PM, yet the timeline shows that the power wasn't cut to the stage for almost another half hour.  There were hundreds of people climbing in, under, and on that aluminum structure and the power was still HOT!  Truly, someone was asleep at the switch.  Fortunately, no one was electrocuted.  Crushed, yes, but electrocuted, no.

How come the power wasn't killed BEFORE the canopy blew down?  At the time the storm was identified to contain rain, hail, lightning, and wind (most summer storms contain these four elements, so this isn't 'unexpected' or 'freakish'), the lighting and sound power should have been disconnected, and the winch power left on-line until the canopy was safely brought down to the stage level.  This should have happened waaay earlier than the timeline shows.

NEWS FLASH:  Water and Electricity and Aluminum structures are not a good mix.  Add people to that and you have a recipe for further disaster.

Event Planning:  When you are doing outdoor shows there should always be someone at the power source so that power can be shut-off in the event of an emergency.  The power source and disconnect location should be located outside of the crash radius of the structure so that the workers there can operate the controls / disconnects and so the falling structure can't bury the one thing you must get to if an incident like this occurs.

Third Stage Collapse in 5 Weeks Injures 45, Kills 6

Following the weather induced collapse of stages in Ottawa, Canada and Tulsa, Oklahoma, this event at the Indiana State Fair on Saturday, August 13, 2011 should be a wake-up call to promoters, Health and Safety administrators, and insurance companies that shoddy stage construction, ill-prepared emergency plans, and apparently non-existent weather monitoring by qualified individuals has to be curtailed.  Lives are at stake and people are being injured and killed.

More pictures and news reports about this most recent debacle can be found here:
ABC News: http://abcnews.go.com/GMA/video/die-indiana-stage-collapse-14300933
CNN News:  http://www.cnn.com/2011/US/08/14/indiana.stage.collapse/ (Kudos for best video image!)

Further thought provoking commentary by this blogger and others can be found on fellow blogger's site: Jim On Light (http://www.jimonlight.com/2011/08/15/indiana-state-fair-stage-collapse-five-dead-now-what/)

What has this author upset are the bone-headed attitudes that are portrayed by the participants and onlookers:  They seem to accept that these stage collapses are 'no big deal' or that they are somehow 'unforeseeable' or 'unpredictable' events.

Indiana Governor Mitch Daniels described the canopy collapse at the State Fair as a "freakish accident."  “I’m not clear how anyone could have foreseen a sudden, highly localized blast of wind,” Daniels said.  REALLY!?  NOT clear?  An he is the Governor of the state.  I guess an IQ test isn't a prerequisite for the job.  Has he not heard of weather radar?  Wind shear radar?  Wind Speed Radar?  Or maybe good old common sense:  "We can see a storm coming right at us, and it is a huge storm cloud, and we have 25 tons of lighting and sound gear suspended 60 feet in the air with a 1/4 acre sail attached to it while being supported by a dozen skinny aluminum truss columns"?  How does that work for you?  I'm not even sorry for saying this is stupid.  It is.

After the Tulsa, Oklahoma windstorm that tore a video display frame from the upstage area and sent it crashing to the ground, Ivins, the Flaming Lips' bassist, said the video-screen collapse was unpreventable. "It was a freak thing that happened," he said, adding that the Lips are working on repairing the rolling video screen for their next festival gig, in Somerset, Wisconsin, in about two weeks. "Maybe the stage could've been facing a different direction. We could have tied the screen down, but it would probably have taken the whole stage down. We try to take as many precautions as we can, all the time. It's just sometimes there's stuff out of your control. You just never know what's going to happen."  Really!?  Dang, dood, why do you even get out of bed in the morning (or maybe afternoon) if you don't know what is going to happen.  Yeah, life is unpredictable, but basic physics is VERY predictable.

These kinds of incidents (not accidents) ARE Predictable and Preventable.  It's called engineering, review, and planning.  We know weather happens.  We know it is powerful.  We know if something blows over or collapses and lands on someone it will very likely injure or kill them.  What is so hard to understand about this!?  With attitudes like those promulgated above, it is no wonder that more people don't get killed at concerts.

Demand more safety planning and review.  This stuff doesn't just 'happen' -- it happens when you DON'T plan for it.

Here is a superb article by William Gorlin that was published in October 2008 that addresses many of the structural and operational considerations of temporary structures:
A Mighty Wind (Load) http://livedesignonline.com/theatre/mighty_wind_load_1008/index.html

Ottawa BluesFest Stage Canopy Collapses During Storm

Sunday, June 17, 2011, Ottawa, Canada - A storm blew over an outdoor concert and collapsed the stage canopy on Sunday afternoon.  Three people suffered minor injuries, and the remainder of the show was cancelled.  Here is a mobile phone video shot by Ben DiTommaso:



This really shows how fast a weather event like this can take down a structure.

The extensive article in the Ottawa Citizen (http://www.ottawacitizen.com/Bluesfest+stage+collapses+storm/5116446/story.html) describes the storm's arrival and the crowd management issues.  It is interesting that the local weather reports indicated a fast approaching (100 km/h) system with wind gusts up to 140 km/h. Yet the Festival director, Mark Monahan, referred to the storm as "an unexpected event."  The question needs to be asked as to why the organizers didn't consider evacuating the site earlier?  It was easy to see from the weather information available that the system was going to pass right over the city.  This would have been an excellent opportunity to use the big video screens to announce the impending weather and request that the crowd take-cover.  Event organizers should have pre-composed informational video frames and audio announcements to address this, and other emergency information.

Additional videos, interviews, and and print coverage can be found at the CTV news web site:
http://ottawa.ctv.ca/servlet/an/local/CTVNews/20110718/OTT_Bluesfest_Day2_110718/20110718/?hub=OttawaHome

As mentioned in previous posts, it takes time to clear an area and secure stage canopies and towers, so there MUST be a willingness and effort on the part of the show management to pre-emptively protect the public.  If one of the tall towers that were supporting the speakers were to have blown-over onto the crowd, the injuries could have been substantial.  NEVER UNDERESTIMATE THE POWER OF MOTHER NATURE.

Follow-up:  2012-11-21:  http://theatresafetyblog.blogspot.com/2012/11/new-reports-on-2011-ottawa-bluesfest.html

UK Training Opportunities for Health & Safety in the Theatre

RB Health & Safety Solutions, a UK based service company is now offering two courses focused especially on the unique needs of the theatre worker.

The first course is an all day session that addresses First Aid in the theatre environment.  It will cover topics from the regulatory and medical aspects so you will know what you can do, what you must do, and what you shouldn't do.  From burns and ban-aids, to resuscitation, shock, and transport of the injured, they will get you certified for 3 years.

More info at: www.rbhealthandsafety.co.uk/firstaidfortheatres.html

Their other training is only 3 hours, and it covers AEDs (Automatic Defibrillator Devices) so you can zap heart attack victims the right way and get their ticker beating again.
More info at: www.rbhealthandsafety.co.uk/aedfortheatres.html

Both of these courses can be invaluable for those working Front of House or Back of House.  Injuries and Heart Attacks can happen to Staff, Performers, and Guests at any time, so be prepared to come to their aid.  As a part of the theatre you need to be able to help those that have been injured.  Everything form a twisted-ankle to an electric shock can happen, not to mention serious falls, and injuries of all sort from tools.

For those of you that aren't in the UK, look-up your local Red Cross or Health and Safety training providers to get similar courses.

www.RedCross.org                www.AmericanHeart.org

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.