First, I believe some
venue contracts do require certified riggers and electricians, so by contract certification is required. Second, my specifications and those of other designers require
ETCP certified technicians for some of the work. A certification program is about an individual, so the "might as well
throw that out" could be applied to public schools, colleges, and lots of things. Its a product or service and it seems people want it. A great thing about a market economy.
I am not sure but I believe that
OSHA does require that the
ANSI biner, and not having it is a violation of a federal statutory law.
It seems easy to toss things like
ETCP and standards into one bag, but they really need to be considered separately. Certification is a product resulting form market demand, and may provide an economic benefit, a
return on investment. A standard like the
DMX standard or audio standards for interoperability is also driven by market demand - the manufacturers and users both want it - and again the investment returns an immediate benefit to the user - stuff works and you are not captive to one manufacturer.
Safety standards - like the rigging standard and performer flying standard, like building and fire codes - are different in that the benefit is more to society and individuals other than the one paying for it. There doesn't need to be a law passed by a legislature to require
DMX or even certification; but building and fire codes do need to be required and enforced as laws, because if its optional, the building next door may burn yours down or may injure you when you enter it. Not quite such dire results if you see a show that doesn't use
DMX.
I do find it a missed opportunity that the entertainment
safety standards have not been referenced by the building and fire codes so they become law and are required by statute and enforced in every jurisdiction across the country, like the standards for sprinklers, alarms, fire doors, and many others are. It does require the standards to be written as
safety standards, not design guides or specifications, and written to be suitable for enforcement.