Rise and Shine

What would a Safety Blog be without some mention of health issues?  If you live in / for, work in / for, or go to the theatre, you may be a candidate for gettin' lucky.  We don't want any accidents to happen when the lights go out, so wrap your Knight in shining armor!  The first glow in the dark condoms allowed by the FDA for disease and pregnancy prevention.   Global Protection Corporation's Night Light® glow-in-the-dark condoms are manufactured to the same standards as typical condoms, and provide the same protection and safety. They’re just much more fun!  With a unique combination of fun and protection, Night Light will provide a night to remember.  If you're not a brave-enough soul to test drive one of these, then go down to your local movie rental house and check-out a copy of director Blake Edward's 1989 classic Skin Deep starring John Ritter.  It might change your mind, or at least loosen it up a bit.

"Allright Bugsy, it's curtains for you."

Drapes and other soft goods used on the stage must be treated with a chemical fire retardant or be fabricated from an inherently flame proof material. When the manufacturer creates the product they should tag it so that there is a record of the date of manufacture / treatment, and retreatment, if any. The label shown above is a good example of that type of marking.

So, what's wrong with this picture? The date of manufacture is 9-15-76. This picture was taken in March of 2009, and the curtain was still in use! 33 years later!

The chemical fire retardant treatment applied to theatrical fabrics is typically only good for 2-5 years, depending upon the heat and humidity that the fabrics have endured over their service life. Soooo, this curtain was, shall we say, waaay past it's useful working life.

Check your curtains, see that each one has a serial number or unique ID marker, has a tag showing date of manufacture (not date of installation or first use), and lists the name of the chemical treatment that was applied.

Keep separate records that corrispond to each soft good so that you can schedule and budget for periodic cleaning and service. This is a great use for any computer based appointment or calander system (like MS Outlook). Enter the date of manufacture as an 'appointment', and then set the recurrance for every "X" years (as recommended by the manufacturer). The computer will remind you of your appointment when it rolls around, just like a birthday or a dentist appointment.