Actress Injured by Falling Lighting Equipment

Actress Kristin Chenoweth was rushed to a New York hospital after she was injured on the outdoor set of "The Good Wife" that was shooting in Brooklyn, NY on Wednesday afternoon, July 11, 2012.

A source connected to the production of the CBS show said that Kristin was struck by a piece of lighting equipment that was dislodged from a scaffold due to a strong gust of wind.

The 44 year old Tony Award-winning actress immediately fell to the ground and her head impacted the concrete.

A witness said that Chenoweth was hit "square in the head" and appeared to be "knocked out cold. I thought she was dead at first."

A crew member called 911 around 5:07 PM ET to report a woman who had been hit in the head by a scaffold.  The item that struck her was later identified as a ‘Lighting Silk’ (a metal frame with a fabric lighting diffusor media) and the boom stand that supported it.  Paramedics treated Kristin on the set fitting her with a neck brace and putting her onto a stretcher.  She was quickly taken away from the set in an FDNY ambulance and was admitted to a nearby hospital in Manhattan.

 A representative for the New York Fire Department said that Kristin was being treated for "minor injuries" connected to the accident.

Chenoweth later said that she had been hit in the face by the lighting instrument and then hit the back of her head on the curb, which knocked her unconscious.  She said that she had a 5½” skull fracture, possibly cracked or bruised ribs, some additional injuries to her hip, back, and neck.  Two months later she was still requiring some physical therapy and wears a neck brace from time to time.

On August 13th she resigned from the cast of the show. "It is with deep regret to inform everyone that due to my injuries, I am unable to return to 'The Good Wife' at this time," Chenoweth said. "[I’m] Getting better slowly, and thank you, everyone, for your concern.”

The accident not only caused Chenoweth physical injury, but mental as well. The actress described how she struggled forming sentences and remembering words. She told the NY daily News that “I couldn’t really form a sentence after it happened.  I’m the queen of multi-tasking.  I’m not so good at that right now.   I’ll be like, ‘Mom, are you talking on the thing that you push ... the phone?’ ”

“That’s been interesting, but that’s getting better. I’m grateful.  It could have been much worse.”

The actress has been involved in other performance-related accidents, too.

• She injured her neck during the pre-Broadway engagement of "Wicked" in 2003.
• She fell off an elevated section of the stage during a rehearsal of the Broadway revival “The Apple Tree” in 2006.
• She injured her back on the set of “Glee” when she tumbled down a set of concrete stairs in 2011.

Stage Canopy Collapse in Toronto Claims One Life

Saturday, June 16, 2012 - Toronto, Canada - Workers erecting the stage for a Radiohead concert scattered as the framework above the stage came crashing down, pining and killing one worker.  The weather was calm and wind did not appear to be a factor.  Arial shots of the aftermath show a scaffold style framework that did not involve portable concert trussing.  The incident occurred at around 4:00PM before the concert and any audience had been allowed into the venue.  The concert was cancelled.

According to Ian McClellend with the cities' EMS department, one man was extricated from under the wreckage and pronounced dead at the scene;  another was transported to the hospital with head injuries; and two more were assessed with minor injuries and released on the scene.

The Canadian Ministry of Labour will be investigating to see what the root cause of the structure collapse was.

More information can be found at:
http://edition.cnn.com/2012/06/16/world/americas/canada-stage-collapse/index.html

Performers need some limits and restraints, too.

This video of a 1982 U2 concert at Gateshead clearly shows a performer that has completely disregarded his own safety (and possibly the safety of others had he fallen).  The artist climbs the support structure starting around 2:30 in the video.

Were any laws broken here?  Maybe not, as it was the artists' own initiative to do this, however, promoters, venue owners, stage managers, and staging rental companies must be on the alert for this type of unexpected and unplanned behavior so that proper precautions are taken to thwart it or see that it is done with the proper safety protocols in-place.

Dance the night away - but not your life.

Keeping, building, or replacing your stage floor so that it is properly sprung, free of cracks, splinters, protruding screw / nail / staple heads, and other little things that can cause serious injuries to dancers and actors should be a continuous process.  Keep the stage swept and clear of debris, watch for discontinuities between adjacent panel edges, floor pocket lids that don't close properly, are missing, or where the entire lid is not installed flush to the surrounding floor area.  Also watch for wall plates installed on floors and loose trim strips that join adjacent flooring areas.

If your stage floor is not sprung, then it should be a priority to have it replaced with a properly constructed floor that will work for your productions, dance, and other general uses.  There are many ways to construct floors that will last and be functional, so enlisting an expert (like a Theatre Consultant) that has experience in this area can be very helpful.  There are many possible materials to be used, and each has advantages and drawbacks.  Knowing what works, and what doesn't, can save money and injuries.

Another dangerous item on stage is old footlight troughs.  If they are not locked and you step on them, or maybe set a scaffoding leg or man-lift outrigger on them, they can fail or flip-over.  Equipment and people can topple and cause major injuries and damage.  This blogger knows of at least one dance instructor that had a career-ending spiral break of the leg bones that left them out of work for months and will never be able to dance professionally again.  That's serious stuff!

Resources:
http://www.danceusa.org/dancerhealth
ANSI E1.26 - 2006 - Recommended Testing Methods and Values for Shock Absorption of Floors Used in Live Performance Venues - http://www.ansi.org/
Dance This Dance That Blog - www.danceartkl.blogspot.com/2005/09/5-common-dance-injuries-how-to-treat.htm
Harlequin Floors FAQ - http://www.harlequinfloors.com/uk/dance-area/about-dance-injuries.html
Center Stage FAQ: http://www.centerstagellc.com/health/importance-of-proper-dance-flooring-injury-prevention-dancer-longevity/

206 Reasons for Fall Protection

This, of course, doesn't include the medical or funeral expenses,

loss of work or life, and the time spent cleaning-up the mess.

Resources:

Capital Safety - en.capitalsafety.us

DBI-SALA Safety - http://www.dbi-sala-safety.com/

FallTech - http://www.falltech.com/

Guardian Fall Protection - http://www.guardianfall.com/

Miller Fall Protection - http://www.millerfallprotection.com/

MSA Fall Protection - http://www.msanorthamerica.com/

RTC Fall Protection - http://www.fallprotection.com/

OSHA - http://www.osha.gov/

Rung for your life!

Ever have to make one of those reeeally long ladder climbs?  Didja wonder if you were ever going to get to the top (or the bottom, for that matter)?  Your hands can get sweaty and your boots might have a bit 'o crud on them . . . you get a bit tired . . . next thing you know:  you lose your grip, or your foot misses the mark.  This may be an annoyance, or it could be a lot worse.

Fall protection systems for ladders are only required for ladders more than 15 feet tall (you can see the harness attachment rail at the center line of this one).  This may keep you from falling to the ground, but you may still bust your face on the ladder before you regain you composure (yet another good reason to have a chin strap on your hard-hat!).

Many of the ladders you may encounter are right at or just short of the 15 foot limit, so all you have to protect you is your good grip on the ladder.  You can install fall arrest devices on ladders less than 15', too, and it is a really good practice.

Safeguard Technologies has a solution:  Formed fiberglass overlays that are fabricated to fit a variety of ladder rung diameters from 3/4" to 2" diameter.  The covers have hi-traction grit embedded in the material to provide a slip-resistant texture to the surface.  These can be applied to scaffold climbing rails, too, which are notoriously slippery - why do the scaffolding manufacturers coat these with glossy powder-coat paint?!

A ladder rung cover being installed with adhesive.

Ladders rungs nicely visible and with very high traction.

Now for the cool part:  Since these are made-to-order to fit the rung width and rung diameter of your facility's ladders, they can fabricate the rung covers with photoluminescent pigment in the fiberglass binder.  This can help you find your way down from the catwalk or gridiron in the dark should the power go out.

Resource:  Safeguard Technology (http://www.safeguard-technology.com/)