For professional theaters, counterweight systems can also add a level of flexibility that you can't achieve with a fixed winch system. I also believe that in a professional theater, with properly trained staff and crew, counterweight systems can be safe.
However, when we get to the high school or community theater level, I'm really starting to believe in electric winch systems. In those environments, there is more of a chance for someone to do something stupid, and for someone to get hurt.
I've personally seen one runaway, where an electric crashed to the stage while the band (it was a musical, and they were in the wings) was loading out after one performance (There was no one on the fly rail at the time.) Luckily there was no one directly under it when it came down, though there were several people within a few feet of it. Had it hit someone, it would have been bad.
I also know of someone at a local theater who was killed by a dropped stage weight.
When you get to the college level, if there's a full theater program I believe that counterweight is the best, as it provides a good educational opertunity that you don't have with winches. However, in college safety must have a very heavy emphasis, as college kids are apt to do truely stupid things for no good reason. (I shudder when I think back on some of the things I did...)
Even with winches there are still risks. In our HS theater, we still require qualified supervision for any rigging done, because you are still flying things over people's heads, even if the fly systemn itself is "safer".
-Fred
However, when we get to the high school or community theater level, I'm really starting to believe in electric winch systems. In those environments, there is more of a chance for someone to do something stupid, and for someone to get hurt.
I've personally seen one runaway, where an electric crashed to the stage while the band (it was a musical, and they were in the wings) was loading out after one performance (There was no one on the fly rail at the time.) Luckily there was no one directly under it when it came down, though there were several people within a few feet of it. Had it hit someone, it would have been bad.
I also know of someone at a local theater who was killed by a dropped stage weight.
When you get to the college level, if there's a full theater program I believe that counterweight is the best, as it provides a good educational opertunity that you don't have with winches. However, in college safety must have a very heavy emphasis, as college kids are apt to do truely stupid things for no good reason. (I shudder when I think back on some of the things I did...)
Even with winches there are still risks. In our HS theater, we still require qualified supervision for any rigging done, because you are still flying things over people's heads, even if the fly systemn itself is "safer".
-Fred
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