So, I had a chat with a friend of mine who is a licensed electrician and an
OSHA job-site inspector. I actually only got into the discussion because I noticed a newsletter from his employer that talked about scaffolds and fall protection. So, here are some of the things that I learned, and understand that they may only apply to this state and possibly some of the surrounding states as I know that he does work in them as well.
First off, he says that [to the best of his knowledge] the
OSHA regulations
cover EVERYONE, even the students who work for the
theatre department at the University. If a student gets injured working in the
theatre, the University will be the liable party, and the university is responsible for creating a safe workplace. So, you ay actually want to check your local regulations before you assume that
OSHA doesn't apply to you.
Next thing we talked about is regular A-frame ladders and regular extension ladders. Regulations state that when working on these ladders your belt buckle (the centerline of your body) must remain between the rails of the ladder, and you may never have your feet on the two two rungs. So, if you ever have worked on the "not-a-step" or you regularly lean out to reach that next light you are in violation of
OSHA regulations.
Ladders may be on casters supplied by the manufacturer as long as the casters are lockable and locked whenever someone is on the ladder.
There is also this interesting piece of information with regards to any and all ladders used in the workplace. This may have been mentioned before, but here it is again. Any ladder where the manufacturers labels and stickers have been removed, destroyed, or otherwise made illegible is NOT safe for use. Even that little 6' ladder that your painters use, if any of the labels have been painted over, even by accident, then the ladder is NOT safe for use. If one of those stickers started peeling off and got caught on something and was removed as you were moving the ladder around, it is no longer safe for use. Using a ladder missing any of the manufacturers labels is a violation of
OSHA regulations.
Here is the real killer, scaffolding. Scaffolding must be setup by a qualified individual. This individual is responsible for making sure that the
scaffold is safe for use. Any scaffolding that is left assembled from one day to the next has to be checked every day by a qualified individual to make sure that it is still safe for use. So, while anyone and their mothers can buy a
scaffold online and figure out how to set it up, it does not make them qualified to do so. If you have been trained in the proper setup and
safety checking methods for the
scaffold you own or intend to buy then you are fine, but if no one else in your facility has this training then you are the only person who can setup and deem the
scaffold safe for use each day. Also, even if you are trained and qualified to perform these tasks, you are not necessarily qualified to train someone else, and if you delegate responsibility to an unqualified person you may be liable for any accidents.
Then there is the whole issue with fall protection, which it seems most theatres don't pay attention to at all, and i don't remember all the specifics of, so I am not even going to attempt the discussion.
So what is the
point of all this? First of all,
SAFETY FIRST and
SAFETY LAST! I am sure that we currently do, have done, and will do things that organizations like
OSHA deem unsafe. I am sure that we all currently do, have done, and will do these thing because no matter how much we believe and try to practice all the best safe practices, the idea that "the show must go on" is too deeply rooted in every entertainment technician. This does NOT mean you can just
throw safety out the window. Do people not follow all the regulations? Yes, even in the industries that
OSHA watches like hawks. does it mean that you can or should? No, you need to be safe. Does it mean that you probably will? Yup.
What else does this all mean? Well, to all of you who use and recommend scaffolding (even by giving a "+1 for that" or "what ^ he said"), please make sure that you are following the regulations for use before you tell other people that they are not following regulations for use of the gear that they own. I mean no attacks or offense to anyone, only that you look at the practices that you employ and the equipment that you are using before you go blowing the whistle on others.