Career Advice Event Safety Degrees?

Hi All,

I'm looking to go move more into the event safety area- but the only programs I can find in my (albeit very quick) searches is in the UK.
I'd like to find something tailored to theater/public events area- beyond the standard OSHA courses.
Any advice on something either online, or piecing together courses into a degree/certificate?

Thanks

Have you looked at Event Safety Alliance?
http://eventsafetyalliance.org/

Are you looking at a degree as in undergraduate 4 year degree or certifications?

I think any specific cert in our industry is more a cert for being knowledgeable and experienced like the ETCP... I can't think of any class that really would carry much weight without at least a few years working in the industry...

If you're looking for a degree, either 2-year or 4-year, I think you'll have a hard time finding a formal program for this. The closest thing I can think of is if you pursued a degree in general workplace safety. This type of program will focus on personal and public safety and industrial accident prevention. You could pair it as a double-major with a BA in theater.

For this approach to be worthwhile, the onus would be on you to then learn everything you can about the practices in theater that have risks and somehow translate that into an expertise someone will hire you for.

I think you'll find that many of our industry's experts in safety are not experts in safety who got into theater, but are rather experts in their field (event management, venue management, rigging, etc) who -- through the course of their day to day work became experts in safety.

I don't want to shy you away from a degree in safety, but I'll caution you that you may have a hard time finding work in event safety until after you've gotten yourself quite a bit of experience in managerial positions.

MNicolai said:

If you're looking for a degree, either 2-year or 4-year, I think you'll have a hard time finding a formal program for this. The closest thing I can think of is if you pursued a degree in general workplace safety. This type of program will focus on personal and public safety and industrial accident prevention. You could pair it as a double-major with a BA in theater.

For this approach to be worthwhile, the onus would be on you to then learn everything you can about the practices in theater that have risks and somehow translate that into an expertise someone will hire you for.

I think you'll find that many of our industry's experts in safety are not experts in safety who got into theater, but are rather experts in their field (event management, venue management, rigging, etc) who -- through the course of their day to day work became experts in safety.

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As someone who is currently pursuing a degree in Occupational Safety & Environmental Technology, I find this pretty accurate. You will find the standard OSHA and Emergency Management courses very useful, but you will need to find your own way to translate them to your primary vocation. As said above, when combined with formal ETCP courses in rigging, electrical, etc, you could indeed gain a solid "Event Safety" backbone. Don't dismiss the idea of taking courses such as Industrial Hygiene, HAZWOPER, OSHA Construction Regs, etc. They all have components that will help you keep yourself and others safe in many types of environments. These will generally be packaged in with a 2-4 year OSET degree.

The thing about an education in safety is that it never ends. The same could be said for lighting design or anything else, but in safety you will most likely be expected to keep your education up-to-date (meaning re-trainings, taking new courses as they are developed, refreshers, higher level certs, etc). That said, the earning potential in a safety-related field can be quite lucrative as well.

The minimum education required to be employable as a "safety guy" in General Industry is usually an Associate's of Applied Science, typically paired with a few years of working in a larger safety team - this can come before, during, or after the degree. Employers want the paper, but the practical experience holds a lot of weight as well. My experience as a pyrotechnician can actually count as some "safety" experience seeing as I lead teams with an emphasis in safety but I'd still recommend working with experienced safety guys for a couple of years in order to develop your instincts and observational skills.

The best part is that some community colleges offer this degree, which makes it generally pretty affordable. After the AAS, you can move on to a Bachelors if you wish. Many of these courses from AAS to BS are available online, so don't count that out either. Just make sure they are accredited. OSHA's website also has a lot of great resources to help get your feet wet.

In closing, you may not find a purpose-built degree plan, but I don't think you'd have much trouble integrating standard OSHA knowledge with best practices in event safety; especially when combined with industry-specific certifications. I have a feeling that the "hybrid" route might even make you more well-rounded, employable in other industries, and will probably be cheaper, as we all know that everything live event-related is more expensive by nature. You don't want to start out by over-specializing yourself.

I want to add that an education in occupational safety gives you a myriad of options if you ever decide to get out of the entertainment industry. You'd have a large number of opportunities available being the workplace safety guy for any number of companies. You'd also be just a sidestep away from getting a job with a construction management firm.

As with all things, you have to *want* this. By and large you'll be charting your own course unless you're in the right place at the right time to tie in with someone or some firm in the line of work you're looking to get into -- somewhere you can be mentored along.

MNicolai said:

I want to add that an education in occupational safety gives you a myriad of options if you ever decide to get out of the entertainment industry. You'd have a large number of opportunities available being the workplace safety guy for any number of companies. You'd also be just a sidestep away from getting a job with a construction management firm.

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I wanted to work this in to my post but I couldn't articulate it as well as @MNicolai. From construction to manufacturing to healthcare facilities - every industry hires safety guys.

Entertainment is actually a little light on the "guy with a clipboard" presence in my experience.

To add to what @Les said, even construction in healthcare facilities is its own field. We were talking in our office today about our training that's required before we can install a video wall in a hospital. The number of man-hours we'll have tied up in safety training before we begin work seems absurd at a cursory glance.

That's until you hear about the story of long ago when a couple carpenters unknowingly penetrated an asbestos wall. The carpenters were fine, but the asbestos particles got into the ventilation system and killed 3 people in the ICU.

It has to be someone's job to carry stories like that along or else the only people who will learn from them will those who end up learning the hard way.