Manager Falls Into Orchestra Pit

Hence more and more places are requiring railings on the edge of the stage any time a show is not performing.
 
Dave, oh no! I do hope that the PTB will make some safety updates, and his accident won't be for nothing. We'll keep Jason in our good thoughts for a quick and full recovery.
 
or instead of more government regulation people could... idk look where they are walking?

Sorry your buddy hurt himself, but being observant of your work environment is the most important safety net you can have...
 
I agree. I am not certain of the details of exactly how it happened, so I cannot comment. He is a very safety conscious and aware individual, so I am sure it was not as simple as not paying attention to where he was stepping.

~Dave
 
I agree. I am not certain of the details of exactly how it happened, so I cannot comment. He is a very safety conscious and aware individual, so I am sure it was not as simple as not paying attention to where he was stepping.

~Dave

My college roommate lost a friend in High School because of an open pit. The state of Texas now has laws making orchestra pit nets mandatory. I think that as cautious as we all are, sometimes we get distracted because we are all fallible.
 
I think the biggest issues with orchestra pits specifically is that, for a good portion of the year, they are closed and are a walkable surface in a great many performance venues. Staff and students get accustomed to the area and space around it. When a pit is later opened, they have to mentally adjust to new boundaries. When you are very focused with everything that is going on, I can certainly see where an error can be made, even when it seems quite obvious that there is a big hole.

~Dave
 
The first time I walked onto the Radio City Music Hall stage, the Department Head for Electrics pulled me to the side and said, "Never take a backward step on my stage."

With four elevators 60' wide by 20' deep that are absolutely silent when they move I took his message to heart. During the nearly 20 years I was honored to be a visiting LD, I read of numerous deaths/injuries because of falls. During the later years I worked there, when an elevator was going to move, strobe lights blinked, sirens sounded and fences were flown in. PITA, yes (added to the load in/out time,) but there has not been a death since the procedure has been in place to my knowledge.
 
Here is an article on an associate of mine who was severely injured this week. It is sad that, repeatedly, school administrations fail to see the value of orchestra pit safety nets.

~Dave


BC auditorium manager recovering after accident - Midland Daily News: News

At the March PLASA Technical Standards Council meeting, the following standards project was initiated:

"Recommended Practice for the Avoidance of Falls into or off of Orchestra Pits, Stage Platforms, Stage Openings and Edges"

ST
 
Monday, April 16, 2012 my daughter fell backward into the orchestra pit at her high school, fracturing her skull. Nets should be required in, at least, amateur venues. Her legs hit a girl who was in the pit too. The poor girl thought my daughter was dead! Someone help us please. She seems to be improving.
 
... "Recommended Practice for the Avoidance of Falls into or off of Orchestra Pits, Stage Platforms, Stage Openings and Edges"
Fall prevention rather than fall protection?

Compare/contrast Safety and Health Topics | Fall Protection with
...
There is an International Building Code exception to railings.See exception 5.

"1013.1 Where required. Guards shall be located along
open-sided walking surfaces,....................
Exception: Guards are not required for the following locations:

5. At elevated walking surfaces appurtenant to stages
and platforms for access to and utilization of special
lighting or equipment.

The NFPA Life Safety Code is similar:

12.2.11.1.6 Locations Not Requiring Guards. Guards shall not
be required in the following locations:

(3) Guards shall not be required where the side of an elevated walking surface is required to be open for the normal
functioning of special lighting or for access and use of other special equipment.
-----
... Nets should be required in, at least, amateur venues. ...
Seems like easy and affordable insurance. See also the thread http://www.controlbooth.com/forums/stage-management-facility-operations/9317-stage-edge-safety.html . I wish a full and speedy recovery for your daughter, as well as for the manager who was the original inspiration for this thread.
 
or instead of more government regulation people could... idk look where they are walking?

Sorry your buddy hurt himself, but being observant of your work environment is the most important safety net you can have...

Our High School, in Maryland, is getting ready to put on a performance with over 50 students, MANY of whom have never worked on a stage before. When I learned a back handspring on a balance beam, I FIRST learned how to do it on a line, on a floor mat, thousands of times before I was allowed to try it WITH A SPOTTER on the beam. First you practice with safety in place. As far as the man looking where he was going, accidents happen, people are human, so why not have a net over the pit or mats in the pit if you are working on it. If you don't care about people, then care about costs, damage to equipment, finding replacement people. Something should motivate you to respond more reasonably.
 
or instead of more government regulation people could... idk look where they are walking?

Sorry your buddy hurt himself, but being observant of your work environment is the most important safety net you can have...

Yes, and those people in Indiana that had the stage fall on them should have moved out of the way.



Sorry but I don't agree.
 
Yes, and those people in Indiana that had the stage fall on them should have moved out of the way.

Of course that wasn't on them, but to some extent its like what BillESC said, never walking backwards on a stage and being aware of your surroundings is important. Safety nets would be a great thing, but more often then not they won't be considered a need until something happens, at which point it's to late. Accepting that the world and theatres are dangerous and just paying attention to what's going on around you is one of the more important ways of staying safe.
 
For the places that have safety nets, how do they work? What are they anchored to? In the event of a fall, does it actually have enough "spring" to keep you from hitting the floor? How many feet do you need from the top of the net to the top of whatever is in the pit for it to be effective?
 
For the places that have safety nets, how do they work? What are they anchored to? In the event of a fall, does it actually have enough "spring" to keep you from hitting the floor? How many feet do you need from the top of the net to the top of whatever is in the pit for it to be effective?

There's a net at my school district's PAC that got retrofitted in. I'm not sure how it attaches to the upstage edge, but the down stage edge has some pieces that fit on top what I guess would be the downstage wall of the pit when it is down and the net is attached with carabiners. I don't know how far one will sink when being caught but when it is extending it can be easily pushed down with one hand.
 
As with any other safety device, a net needs to be inspected on a regular basis. The facility will need to ensure that there is a competent person in charge of making sure that it is being used properly. The facility will still need to have a rescue plan in place for when someone does end up falling into the net. Everyone who will be working around the open area will need to be trained about the dangers still present (clearance between the net and anything under it, injuries which could be sustained when falling in the net, etc).

Theater is a dangerous workplace. Those dangers are often ignored. Many people become complacent with those dangers as well. Whenever you have an opening in the floor or a change in elevation (such as the pit), then you need to have strict guidelines in how you will operate. Often, when you are operating during work calls, if you have an opening, and do not have a protective barrier, you need to establish a zone of no entry (roughly 6' from the edge, farther if you are then on a ladder or otherwise elevated). Then, during rehearsals, you establish a safety zone that the performers and technicians can identify under stage lighting. The best measure of safety is keeping yourself out of harms way.

I hope that all who have been injured from these accidents fully recover, without permanent damage.
 
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For the places that have safety nets, how do they work? What are they anchored to? In the event of a fall, does it actually have enough "spring" to keep you from hitting the floor? How many feet do you need from the top of the net to the top of whatever is in the pit for it to be effective?

The companies that I see have various means of anchoring them. Most really champion the fact that they are designed to the facility, not simply an item off of a shelf. I know of several that epoxy the anchor bolts into cement, or through bolt. Most are anchored to the downstage pit wall and the end of the face of the stage or overhang wall. Not certain on what you are asking in your last question. Below is a link to a company's page that has some good info on the anchoring and other details.

Orchestra Pit Safety Netting and Fall Protection

~Dave
 
The big roadhouse by my place has steel beams installed level with the front of the stage across the top of the pit. There is then an engineered net stretched across it. That way there is never more than an 8' span of netting. I would think that it would suck to land on the steel, but a 6" fall is better than landing on a double bass or drum kit.
 

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