Staging Truss System Collapse Kills One, Injures 13

Nanning, China 2015-10-29 - China News reports that during the construction of the stage for an upcoming Jolin Tsai concert the ground supported stage truss system collapsed.  On worker was killed, and 13 other were injured.  On of the injured is in serious condition, while the others only suffered minor injuries.

Truss System Before the Collapse

The incident occurred around 5PM local time at the Guangxi Sports Center Arena.

After the collapse workers assess damage.

Deconstructing a tangled web of steel, aluminum, and stretched cables is a dangerous endeavor - stress in materials can create booby-traps due to spring loading and fractures in components that have not yet fully failed.  Hopefully, the workers doing this are planning their work carefully.

Also note that only three of the workers in the pictures are wearing hardhats.  It is unclear, but likely, that safety shoes are not worn in this construction environment.  Few workers appear to be wearing bright colored clothes, which makes it more difficult to spot staff and avoid collisions.  All of these factors can contribute to further injuries.

This is particularly relevant as this Blogger is scheduled to address the China Stage Design Exhibition in Beijing on November 26th-29th to discuss the development of an Entertainment Safety Initiative similar to the US lead Event Safety Guide developed by the Event Safety Alliance.

Update:  Two more pictures:

 

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."

Spring Storm in Thailand Topples Stage and Kills One

June 17, 2013 - Phuket, Thailand.  A poorly built stage canopy and adjacent speaker towers fell-over during high winds at Paphan Hin public park.  One person seeking shelter near the stage was crushed and killed instantly by the weight of the speakers that fell on him.  The stage was erected for a Prison Fair where furniture and other goods fabricated by the prisoners are sold to benefit them.

Witnesses say a 62 year old man that was a motorbike taxi driver, Mohammad Poksakul, sat near the stage and when a 60 kph wind gust pushed the canopy sideways, it forced the 10m tall speaker tower over, which in-turn, fell on to him and killed him.

The victim lies covered-up, stage canopy at right, stage left speaker tower in background.

Toppled Speaker Tower at Stage Left - Note lightweight scaffold framing.
The base does not appear to haven any anchor plates.

View of Stage Right Canopy Supports - Note that they only provide vertical support - no lateral stabilizers, the base was not anchored to the ground.  The orange straps appear to have been guy-lines that tore loose from their attachment points.

Concert season is windy season everywhere.  Be alert to bozos that do not understand how to secure the stage.  Be alert to promoters that don't evacuate the area when storms approach.

Indiana State Fair Tragedy Update - Commission Reports Released

Back in August of 2011 there was a collapse of the canopy over the stage at the Indiana State Fair (http://theatresafetyblog.blogspot.com/2011/08/updates-on-indiana-state-fair.html, http://theatresafetyblog.blogspot.com/2011/08/indiana-state-fair-stage-collapse-post.html) that resulted in the death of seven people and injuries to over fifty others.  The State of Indiana commissioned investigations to determine the root causes of the accident (or negligence) and these reports are now available to the public for review.  They can be found at www.in.gov/sfc.

Chicago Area Theatre Experiences Roof Failure

Midway Theatre's roof partially collapsed Friday, March 23, 2012. The building is at 721 East State Street in Rockford, Illinois has been vacant since about 2003.  Fortunately, no one was in the building during the collapse.

“We talked with the property owner and we ordered him to get some immediate shoring on the remaining trusses and get us an engineering report on the temporary shoring so we know it is done properly,” building code official Seth Sommer said. “Then, he will be working toward a permanent solution.”

Photo courtesy of Rockford Fire Department

Downtown architect and River District Association President Gary Anderson said the building is a historic Rockford landmark. Opened in 1918 with its signature 90-foot clock tower and curved stone facade, it serves as the eastern architectural gateway to downtown Rockford.  It is a building the Rockford Historic Preservation Commission was able to save, Anderson said, and it is listed among the city’s officially designated historic landmarks.

Although it was used as a movie house for many years, it was transformed into a community theatre, served as home to the Rockford Symphony Orchestra, and used as office space and a TV production studio for a time.

Entering buildings that used to be, or might make a good production space is risky.  One of the first things most building owner's let-go is the roof's weather seal, and this can lead to rapid rotting and rusting of structural members and ceilings, particularly plaster ceilings. Other hazards in old building can include rotted flooring and stair wells, asbestos, and mold spores due to decaying fabrics, animal feces, and even animals.  A few minor holes into a building can allow pigeons, rats, and sometimes larger animals to infest the space, and that will accelerate the rate if decay.  Further dangers include blocked exit routes, so should an entry path become blocked, there may not be another way out.

Old buildings can be wonderful treasures to restore, and can bring economic revitalization to downtown areas, but until they have been inspected by professionals and the necessary steps taken to shore-up structural elements, seal roofs, and mitigate health hazards, don't go poking around in them.

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 Legislature posts Bill requiring outdoor stage inspections

The Indiana State Legislature posted a bill to require all venues statewide to have outdoor stage structures inspected by an engineer or other qualified person.  More information at:
http://theatreface.ning.com/profiles/blogs/follow-up-to-indiana-state-fair-stage-canopy-collapse

This may provide a model of other states to go-by as they develop their new regulations.  Maybe we can prevent a repeat of the last few summers of show disasters.

Can you say "structural failure kills hundreds"? Sure you can. Probably even under oath in court.

Video of the balcony bouncing at The Fabulous Fox Theatre, St. Louis during the 6.16.09 Phish show.
(Great tip from Doug McDonald - Thanks Doug!)


Video of the balcony bouncing at the Fox Theatre, Detroit during the 1.16.10 Nick Jonas show.  The Detroit and St. Louis Fox Theatres are basically identical buildings.

Despite the ampped-up headline for this blog entry, the readers should note that a little bit of structural flexing is typical in many balcony structures.  However, you should also realize that the structural engineer in 1928 may not have fully anticipated this kind of a crowd response.  Thankfully, the audience members were not fully synchronized in their jumping up-n-down to the beat.

For more insight into this trype of structural event, the book "Why Buildings Fall Down; How Structures Fail" by Matthys Levy and Mario Salvadori is a good read.