Arbor Day is Time to Check Your Arbors

Your Counterweight Arbors are stressed-out.  Make them feel better by giving them a thorough check-up.  Doctor's Orders.

Things to check:

Top Plate Connections:

• Make sure that all the screws, nuts, and bolts, are tight.
• Check the Hauling Line rope to see that is secure and not worn.
• Check the Lift Line Terminations to see that they are all secure.

Not Good Example . . .

 Check to see that Spreader Plates are accessible and Weight Locking Rings are in-use.

Not buried like this . . .

Check to see that the rods nuts are tight:

Tight nuts are good to keep your rod in place.

And check to see of the lower rope connection is properly tied-off:

Note the thimble to keep the rope from abrading on the lower arbor eye.

Keep a good eye on your arbors and watch for loose parts!  If something gives-way it could be deadly!

Every Day is Arbor Day in the Theatre

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

Grip Like a Gorilla

The ergonomics of loading counterweights place your hands at risk of being crushed and  banged about pretty badly.  You need to both protect your hands from outside abuse and to keep a good grip on those steel bricks lest you let one slip away and kill someone below.

Showa-Best Glove Company has a good solution to that problem.  Their S-Tex 300 and S-Tex 350 work gloves have rubber or nitrile palms for good grip, and they come in a safety neon yellow your buddy on the Loading Gallery doesn't forget where your hands are and plop a 20 pound brick down on one or both of them.

Showa-Best Glove S-Tex 300

Besides being bright and grippy, these gloves have a very high puncture resistance rating, tear resistance rating, and blade cut rating, so they can be very handy (forgive the pun) around the shop when handling glass, sheet metal, and replacing saw blades (NOTE:  never wear gloves when actually using a power saw or power drill - one snag and it'll pull your hand right into the blade or bit).  The open mesh back keeps your hands cool, too.

More info at:http://www.showabestglove.com/site/products/detail.aspx?style=S-TEX300 and http://www.showabestglove.com/site/products/detail.aspx?style=S-TEX350

Get a Grip

Indiana OSHA Cites Notre Dame $77,500 following Death of Student Employee

Mar 21, 2011 4:03 PM, By Laura Walter, EHS Today Magazine

On March 15, the Indiana Department of Labor cited the University of Notre Dame with the most serious safety violation allowable under Indiana law for the fatal injury of 20-year-old student employee Declan Sullivan.

Sullivan was killed while he was videotaping a Notre Dame football practice from a scissor lift that was toppled in high winds on Oct. 27, 2010.  (See: http://theatresafetyblog.blogspot.com/2010/11/aspiring-film-student-dies-when-lift.html)

“We’ve issued a knowing citation, which indicates the most serious safety violation,” said Department of Labor Commissioner Lori Torres. “The evidence overwhelmingly demonstrated that the university made a decision to utilize its scissor lifts in known adverse weather conditions.”

The agency also cited Notre Dame with five other serious safety violations, including failure to properly train the student employees in how to operate a scissor lift. In all, fines amounting to $77,500 were levied against the university.

Torres said the agency will launch a statewide education and outreach initiative directed toward universities, colleges and high schools.

“Scissor and other lifts are used by many athletic and band programs nationwide to videotape practices and broadcast events. We want to ensure that they are only being used by trained operators in safe conditions,” she said.

The Indiana Department of Labor issued a letter to a number of associations around the state to urge high schools, colleges and universities to review their use of scissor lifts in athletic and band events.
The university has 15 business days, by Indiana law, to pay the fines and correct the violations cited in the investigation report or to contest them to the Indiana Board of Safety Review.

Notre Dame Responds

In a statement, Notre Dame President Rev. John I. Jenkins, C.S.C., acknowledged Indiana OSHA’s “thorough and professional manner” in conducting the investigation.

“We have worked collaboratively with them over the past 4 months and have had a chance today to take a preliminary look at their findings,” Jenkins said March 15. “We will study the details very carefully and take the actions necessary to protect the ongoing safety of our students and staff. We also are very interested in the IOSHA educational effort and have every intention of being a part of that to share what we learn.

“None of these findings can do anything to replace the loss of a young man with boundless energy and creativity,” Jenkins added. “As I said last fall, we failed to keep him safe, and for that we remain profoundly sorry.”

John Affleck-Graves, executive vice president and leader of the Notre Dame investigation of the accident, said Indiana OSHA’s findings would be helpful as the university conducts its own investigation. He stressed that the university will make its own report of the investigation public once it is completed in the coming weeks.

Hear! Hear!

Ever have that funny ringing in your ears that just won't go away?  Maybe feel like you can hardly hear anyone around you and you have to speak-up to be be heard?  Maybe everyone thinks your audio mix sucks, but they won't tell you?  It could be that you have suffered hearing damage. This can be very serious, as most damage is collectively irreversible - it just gets worse, and never gets better.

"Say what?"  "Huh?"  "Could you please repeat that?"  "Speak-up a little, I didn't quite get that."  Sound familiar?  It could be that you have suffered hearing damage and aren't aware of how extensive it is.

There is Temporary Threshold Shift (TTS) which is where your ability to hear quieter sounds is diminished but recovers over the next day or so.  This is common if you are working around loud machinery or at a loud concert.

Then there is the more serious part:  The permanent damage.  Each time you are exposed to loud sounds you can loose a little bit of your hearing forever.  Hearing Loss is cumulative and is not reversible.

Another common symptom is the ringing in your ears that just won't go away.  This is Tinnitus.  The intensity may vary over time, but it, too, is generally permanent.

What can you do to prevent further damage to your ears?  Learn about hearing loss prevention and educate those around you.  It is important to involve others as it is often noises that occur due to the actions of others that affect you the most.

A good first step is to get a base-line assessment of your current hearing capabilities. Go to a hearing specialist (audiologist) and have your hearing tested.  Keep a record of the test.  Go back for regular check-ups to see of you hearing damage is getting progressively worse.

What you can do:

• Wear hearing protection whenever possible.  This can be in-the-ear-canal 'plugs' or it can be over-the-ear 'muffs' or headsets.
• Warn others, and have others warn you, if they are about to make loud noises like hammering, dropping metal objects, or running saws.
• Post Hearing Protection information and signage around the workplace.
• If other workers or management don't want to recognize the problem, then see about getting a wearable noise exposure meter (Personal Noise Dosimeter) so you can document the sound levels in your workplace.  Yes, these work in rock-n-roll nightclubs, too, where both the patrons and the staff can be exposed to excessive sound levels night after night.
• If you use ear-buds, headphones, or loudspeakers to listen to music, make sure that you are not 'cranking it up to 11'.  Discipline yourself to be reasonable (hey, you neighbors will appreciate it, too).

Resources:
H.E.A.R. - www.hearnet.com/
Earbud - www.earbud.org/
db Logic - www.dblogic.com/
House Ear Institute - www.hei.org/
iHearSafe - www.ihearsafe.com/
NIOSH - www.cdc.gov/niosh/topics/noise/
Hearing Protection Guide - www.elcosh.org/
Hearing Loss Prevention Organization - http://www.hearinglossprevention.org/
Dangeous Decibels - http://www.dangerousdecibels.org/
Web MD - www.webmd.com/a-to-z-guides/hearing-loss-prevention

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.

RigCalc for smart phones and on the web

D2 Flying Effects are riggers that fly people and things.  They are also pretty savy programmers, too.  At their web site you can find RigCalc and a bevy of other software tools for making life on the fly rail easier.

They also have a Rigging Math Primer online at: www.d2flying.com/riggingmath/

There are a bunch of really handy online calculators at: www.d2flying.com/RigCalc.html

The smart phone app looks like this (2 of 4 screens shown):

A really handy app for stackin' steel bricks.

If they add a batten loading calculator to get the needed weight it will be great.

Just $9.99.  Where to get it: http://www.androidzoom.com/android_applications/productivity/rigcalc_qmvr.html

Also available for the iPhone and Blackberry with links at: http://www.rigcalc.com/
Other related blog entries:

http://theatresafetyblog.blogspot.com/2010/03/in-god-we-trussed-all-others-pay-499.html
http://theatresafetyblog.blogspot.com/2009/12/jr-clancy-releases-irigging-application.html
http://theatresafetyblog.blogspot.com/2010/06/arena-rigging-app-for-iphone.html