actsafe Event Safety Conference 2017

February 20 and 21 in Burnaby (Vancouver area), British Colombia, Canada.  Two days of workshops and presentations.  Go to: www.actsafeconference.ca for more information.

Workshop Presentation on Tuesday 3:30 - 5:00PM
Presenter: Erich Friend
Subject:    Hazard Recognition - Whoa!  I didn't see that coming . . .

Come see what it is you don't see

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.

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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.

Yet another way to learn about Theatre Safety

The Theatrefolk Podcast offers-up a thoughtful piece on Theatre Safety - come and tune-in as Lindsay Price interviews Kristy Ross-Clausen about rigging, emergency egress routes, hand and foot PPE, and flame-proofing.

Ten Things Actors Need To Know About Safety

The Educational Theatre Association (EdTA) serves the High School and College level theatre teachers and students through two publications Dramatics and Teaching Theatre. 

The Fall 2015 issue of Teaching Theatre features two articles about performer safety that are good resources for your library.  Share them with your staff and students.  The magazine can be found on the EdTA web site (www.edta.org) and a direct link to the PDF download is here.  If you are not a member of EdTA, consider joining to support this organizations great resources.  They also have a Community Open Forum section where members can ask questions share ideas.

Just like sticking your finger in a light socket - NOT Smart

Fluke, manufacturers of electrical test equipment, has posted a Safety Checklist entitled 10 dumb things smart people do when testing electricity.  This sage advice can save your pork butt from becoming bacon, so download it here:  www.impomag.com/sites/impomag.com/files/newsletter-ads/10 dumb things smart people do when testing electricity.PDF

While you are visiting the Fluke web site, check out their Fluke 1AC-II non-contact voltage detector.  This is the MUST HAVE item in any tool box, as you can place the tip near any stage equipment like microphones, electric guitars, stage lights, etc. and see if maybe the power feed is crossed-up and about to kill some one.  Consider it a pre-emptive strike against death.

LDI 2015 Talks about Safety in the Entertainment Industry

Nancy Malette, senior manager, Occupational Health and Safety, for Cirque du Soleil will lead a panel discussion with other industry experts at LDI.  The session is titled 'Creating a Safety Culture in Entertainment' will be Saturday, Octorber 24, 11:00AM to 12:30PM at the Las Vegas Convention Center room N256.  Go to www.LDISHOW.com for more information and registration for session number PT06.

Ladder Safety now a smartphone application

NIOSH has released its first smart phone application (app) for mobile devices.  This free app is aimed at improving extension ladder safety by providing real-time safety information delivered via the latest technology.  Falls from ladders are a persistent source of workplace injuries.

Misjudging the angle at which an extension ladder is set-up is a significant risk factor that can be reduce and prevent falls. If an extension ladder is set too steeply, it is more likely to fall back or slide away during use, and if it is set too shallow then the bottom can slide out. The NIOSH Ladder Safety phone app has an angle of inclination indicator which uses visual and audible signals making it easier for workers and other users to set an extension ladder at the proper angle of 75.5 degrees.

The NIOSH Division of Safety Research tested and patented the concept of the app’s inclination indicator. They compared existing ladder positioning methods and found that the indicator improved both the accuracy and efficiency for extension ladder positioning. The Ladder Safety app also includes other information about ladder safety including ladder selection, inspection, accessorizing, and use. While it may seem obvious, we have to say it: for your safety, use the app to set the proper ladder angle before climbing an extension ladder.

 The app can help workers prevent falls and is also a tool for employers who want to ensure a safe workplace. The app is available through the NIOSH website, the Apple App-store, and Android Apps on Google Play. It works with most SmartPhones that have inclination sensors.

ESA and TAKE1 Insurance host webinar on Live Event Safety

September 16, 2013 — Asserting that the live event production industry can no longer take a passive approach to life safety, Take1 Insurance, the leading insurance provider to the entertainment industry, today announced that it was teaming up with the Event Safety Alliance (ESA) to host the industry’s first webinar focused on producing safer live events. According to Scott Carroll, Executive Vice President and Program Director of Take1 Insurance, the precedent-setting webinar will take place on b>Wednesday, November 13, 2013 at 2 p.m EST and is open to anyone involved in the business of producing and staging live events.

“A 60-Minute Introduction to Producing Safer Live Events” will be held on Wednesday, November 13, 2013 at 2 p.m. EST (1 p.m. CST, noon MST, 11 a.m. PST).  Webinar Registration is now open at:
http://engage.vevent.com/index.jsp?eid=1681&seid=1019&code=take1

“The time for discussion is over and the time to take action is at hand,” Carroll stressed today. “For years we have emphasized the need for live event producers to take the time to prepare for the unimaginable and now, thanks to the leadership position taken by Jim Digby and the Event Safety Alliance, the industry can utilize the ESA’s“Event Safety Guide” to prepare complete emergency action plans that include having the right insurance coverage in place.” Carroll emphasized that, “Investing 60 minutes to learn more about the issues involved in producing safer live events is not too much to ask of any of us, given the number of incidents that have occurred over the last several years. It is our hope that ‘A 60-Minute Introduction to Producing Safer Live Events’ is the first in a series of additional Take1 sponsored topic focused webinars that involve a broad range of industry professionals in a very important discussion.”

“Due to a series of tragic accidents, life safety has become a major concern to many within the live event industry,” explained Jim Digby, founder of the Event Safety Alliance. “Whether you work directly on productions or provide support to them, everyone has a role to play in ensuring the well-being of our performers, workers, and audience members. In this webinar, leaders from ESA and Take1 will detail the importance and responsibilities of event safety for those who promote, produce, and insure live events. You’ll learn more about the mission and activities of the ESA, along with our vision for the future, as well as the solutions offered by Take1. Most importantly, we’ll discuss critical tools and resources currently in development, and how the insurance industry can work with the ESA to create safer live events.”

MARK YOUR CALENDAR

A week after the Event Safety webinar, the Event Safety Alliance will take its message of “be prepared” to LDI 2013 (November 22–24, 2013 in Las Vegas, Nevada) where it will host a presentation entitled “The Event Safety Guide: The Future of Safe, Responsible Show Production” on November 23, 2013 from 11 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. at the Las Vegas Convention Center.

At 3:30 p.m. the same day, the ESA will host a 90-minute roundtable discussion entitled “You Are The ESA”, also at the Las Vegas Convention Center.

Equity Actors Association in the UK provides Safety Resources

All Equity Organisers, together with Musician Union Officials, are roving Health and Safety Inspectors under UK Health and Safety legislation, and as such, have automatic right-of-access to any workplace where there is a health and safety issue.

A high number of  legal claims taken-on by Equity on behalf of members concern accidents at work that should not have occurred.  If the accident is the result of employer negligence, Equity will do everything possible, including taking legal action,  to ensure the member is treated properly.

For more information and 19 downloadable safety documents, visit:
www.equity.org.uk/resource-centre/for-employers/health-and-safety

BECTU Website is good Safety Resorce for the UK and others

BECTU - Broadcasting Entertainment Cinematograph Theatre Union - a organization that serves many purposes for the technicians in the UK provides numerous links to safety-related documents that can be helpful no matter where you are on the planet.

They have links to the Creative Industries Safety Passport program, Training information, Health & Safety Craft Cards, and an incident reporting form for accidents and near-misses.  Although the incident reporting form is meant for use  by the UK's Theatre Safety Committee, it can be used by anyone trying to organize accident information for their own use or for sharing with others.

OSHA Hammers Away AGAIN About Ladder Safety

Falls from ladders continues to be a leading cause of injuries and deaths, so OSHA has teamed-up with the Center for Disease Control (CDC), National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH), the American Ladder Institute, the Electronic Library of Construction Occupational Safety & Health (elCOSH), and The Center for Construction Research and Training to bring you more training materials.

Visit the Campaign to Prevent Falls in Construction at:
http://stopconstructionfalls.com

Previous discussions about Ladder Safety can be found at:
http://theatresafetyblog.blogspot.com/2013/04/osha-campaigns-for-ladder-safety.html

Industrial Safety and Health (ISHN) magazine has a good article on fall prevention:
ISHN September 2013 - PPE - Serious About Preventing Falls

The following flash video provides testimony from accident victims, family members of those that didn't make it home, and provides good examples and advice about how to select and use ladders.

The OSHA web site is full of downloadable fliers, posters, training guides, and information, too: https://www.osha.gov/stopfalls/

Working in the theatre is just like working on a construction site, so treat it with respect.

Guess what? - OSHA is looking at theatre shop operations

Below is an article published on the Department of Labor's OSHA.gov web site:

Region 3 News Release: 13-1492-NEW (osha 13-72)
July 25, 2013
Contact: Leni Fortson      Joanna Hawkins
Phone: 215-861-5102      215-861-5101
Email: uddyback-fortson.lenore@dol.gov      hawkins.joanna@dol.gov

Jersey City, NJ, theatrical equipment company cited by US Department of
    Labor's OSHA for exposing workers to workplace safety and health hazards

JERSEY CITY, N.J. – The U.S. Department of Labor's Occupational Safety and Health Administration has cited Acadia Scenic Inc., which builds scenery for the entertainment industry, with 22 safety and health violations, including two willful. The citations followed an April inspection, prompted by the agency's Health-High-Hazard Top 50 Local Emphasis Program and its Amputations and Combustible Dust Emphasis Program. Proposed penalties total $49,600.

The willful violations, with $28,000 in penalties, were cited for a lack of guarding on hand-fed circular ripsaws and crosscut table saws. A willful violation is one committed with intentional, knowing or voluntary disregard for the law's requirements, or with plain indifference to worker safety and health.

The 19 serious violations, with $21,200 in penalties, include the company's failure to keep the workplace clean and orderly; prevent accumulations of explosive dust; provide railings on stairs; establish or implement a written respiratory protection program for workers required to wear respirators; have fire extinguishers mounted and readily accessible for use; and provide an educational program on the general principles of fire extinguisher use and hazards involved for workers expected to fight incipient stage fires. The company was also cited for failing to provide machine guarding for a miter saw; provide spreaders and nonkickback devices on two hand-fed circular ripsaws; properly adjust a work rest on grinding machinery; determine each employee's exposure to methylene chloride; provide appropriate gloves and eyewash facilities for workers using methylene chloride-containing adhesives; and develop and implement a written hazard communication program that includes training for workers exposed to hazardous chemicals. A serious violation occurs when there is a substantial probability that death or serious physical harm could result from a hazard about which the employer knew or should have known.

"Each of these hazards threaten the company's ability to provide employees with a safe and healthful work environment, and should be corrected immediately," said Kris Hoffman, director of OSHA's Parsippany Office. "OSHA will continue to hold employers responsible when they fail to protect their workers."

Inspectors also cited the company for one other-than-serious violation, which carries a $400 penalty, for not recording a workplace injury on the employer's OSHA Form 300 Log of Work-Related Injuries and Illnesses. An other-than-serious violation is one that has a direct relationship to job safety and health, but probably would not cause death or serious physical harm.

Acadia Scenic Inc. has 15 business days from receipt of the citations to comply, ask for an informal conference with OSHA's area director in Parsippany or contest the citations and proposed penalties before the independent Occupational Safety and Health Review Commission.

To ask questions, obtain compliance assistance, file a complaint, or report workplace hospitalizations, fatalities or situations posing imminent danger to workers, the public should call OSHA's toll-free hotline at 800-321-OSHA (6742) or the agency's area offices.

Under the Occupational Safety and Health Act of 1970, employers are responsible for providing safe and healthful workplaces for their employees. OSHA's role is to ensure these conditions for America's working men and women by setting and enforcing standards, and providing training, education and assistance. For more information, visit http://www.osha.gov.

Blow This! Littelfuse Publishes Electrical Safety Handbook

Littlefuse, a company long known in the electrical and electronics industries for fast-acting circuit protection devices, has published a 76 page Electrical Safety Hazards Handbook that is free to download as a PDF.

This isn't a simple Do This, Don't Do That pamphlet.  This extensive guide explains the history, physics, body physiology, relevant safety codes, hazard analysis, and offers suggestions about how to minimize exposure to a variety of workplace conditions.  It also includes a chapter on Arc-Flash safety.

Numerous Annex Chapters are provided that cover key Electrical Terminology, Arc-Flash calculations and tables, an example Hot Work Permit for those thinking about risking their lives tinkering with energized circuits and equipment, Electrical Safety Resources (with live links), and much more.

The booklet concludes with an Electrical Safety Quiz and an answer guide for checking your knowledge.

Download your copy here:
www.littelfuse.com/data/en/Arc-Flash_Literature/LittelfuseArc-FlashSafetyHandbook-PF339.pdf

UK Purple Guide Revision Draft Open for Comment

The UK's guide to event operations and safety, also known as HSG195, has been under revision for the past half year, and the committee's work is now available for public input.  The open comment period will last until the end of October 2013, after which all comments received will be reviewed for integration.

Covering both legislation and good practice, this new guide has been designed to alert and inform both event organizers and suppliers to the practices and issues that need to be considered when events are being organized. The contents are not designed to be prescriptive, and those using this guide should undertake risk assessments and evaluations that are appropriate to evaluate the specific requirements of the unique events they are planning.

The Purple Guide to Health, Safety and Welfare at Music and Other Events (Draft) can be found here:

www.thepurpleguide.co.uk

IAVM Offers Event Safety Training Classes

The IAVM’s mission is to educate venue managers and their staff on the best practices for crowd management and venue safety and preparedness.

Staff training is a key to a safe and quick evacuation or emergency response. Visitors will look to event staff for guidance in an emergency.  Venue staff needs to regularly practice their part in evacuation or emergency response processes.  Make certain new employees learn their role in emergency situations.  The y must know how to communicate procedures to all building staff and volunteers including: food service personnel, performers and crews, contractors, and other vendor staff not directly involved in emergency preparedness.  The NFPA’s Life Safety Code 101 requires one “Trained Crowd Manager” per 250 occupants.  IAVM offers an on-line training class to meet this requirement.  Information about this program can be found at: www.trainedcrowdmanager.com

No More Forking Around

Featured Courtesy of: Compliance and Safety

Sources:
Bureau of Labor Statistics:  www.bls.gov/iif/oshcfoi1.htm
National Institute of Standards and Technology:  www.nist.gov/el/isd/ms/upload/PerMIS-09-Forklift-Safety-WhitePaper.pdf
Toolbox Topics:  www.toolboxtopics.com/Gen%20Idustry/Forklift%20Fatalities.htmwww.cs-inspected.com/images/forklift-1.pdf
WorkSafe British Columbia:   www2.worksafebc.com/PDFs/SafetyBulletins/StartSafe/Forklift/Tip1.pdf
Forklift Safety by Design:  www.safety-engineer.com/forklift.shtml
Example Safety Rules for Operation of Forklifts:  www.facilities.colostate.edu/files/forms/safety/CH-20.Forklift.trucks.pdf
OSHA:   http://search.usa.gov/search?affiliate=usdoloshapublicwebsite&query=fork+lift