Safety Cables

How much of your lighting inventory is safety cabled?

  • Every fixture is safety cabled

    Votes: 96 68.6%
  • Everything not in storage is safety cabled

    Votes: 31 22.1%
  • A few particular fixtures are safety cabled

    Votes: 10 7.1%
  • Nothing is safety cabled

    Votes: 3 2.1%

  • Total voters
    140
I'm still surprised that manufacturers don't include the cable with the fixture...for the price of a S-4, what's a few more dollars invested in a cable already attached to the 'integral safety point?'

I would also still like to see cables with two locking clips, one on each end, so the cable can be left attached to the safety point, and still easily clipped around a pipe without inhibiting movement.
 
every one of our instruments has an attached cable, no matter what.
we have drilled eye hole hooks in the wall for when they are in storage.

we had a student fall out of the catwalks and drop an instrument and saved himself on the safety cable.

whoever hung the instrument missed the yoke so when he dropped the instrument and fell, he grabbed the unattached cable.

scary stuff right there.

safety cables do more than save instruments, they save lives.
 
The road house/regional theatre I work at uses safety cables. At school here, I was working a show last night, and realized that some lights hanging were not safety cabled (including one that I safety cabled myself when I hung it two months ago. Hmmmmmmm).

Hanging lights without safety cables is just asking to kill someone or have the light be destroyed. Talk to your teacher or administration. You can get safety cables for $2-$3 each. That's a small price to pay to potentially save a life... or at least save a lighting instrument.

This time of year school budgets turn "use or loose" I bet someone can find you $100 to buy enough cables to safety everything.
 
I just took over media in a youth department at a small church in north florida, I am working on a 0$ budget. None of the lights that are hung have safety cables on them and there doesn't seem to be any in the building. When I approached leadership about the hazard that this posed they told me that they would dish out the money if I could provide them with legal reasoning to make the purchase (ie, an osha standard or quoted law) I am having an absolute bear of a time trying to find anything to present to them. Anyone have an idea of where I can get something? It's a huge safety concern for me.

Thanks
 
Would it help if we CB'ers pointed out to them that safety cables on anything over peoples heads is industry standard? (ETCP folks, help me out here.)

Or that every play, concert, etc...in every venue (theoretically) safeties all things overhead? Lights, speakers, truss, motors, etc....

Ask the money people to stand under one of those lights, and volunteer to have one dropped on them. If they still aren't convinced, or won't pony up the cash, then divest yourself before the lawsuit comes.

Extreme reasoning? Maybe...but then again....maybe not.
 
I remember facing that same battle way back when I was in high school. We couldn't get the district to give us any and we continually put up a fight (the entire district, not just one school). That year during the regionals for the Florida Thespians, a Fresnel fell right next to the presenter just barely missing him. The next morning, every school had two boxes of safety cables waiting for them with a note saying more will be supplied if there are not enough. I'm not sure if that ended up being a statewide mandate or only a local mandate but it might not hurt to ask the local schools if that is still being enforced.
 
I'm glad to hear it bugs you as a safety issue cause such would bug me and most others too.

If there is a local law in print somewhere I would bet it is buried deep in a Building Code or a OSHA guide or NFPA book somewhere....I can't recall ever seeing a 'legal code' for having a safety chain on every light..but I know everyone of my lights has one as does everyone I know in their venues has one... Not doing so--just sets a bad example practice...

Here is my thought--I would bet your local OSHA office or Fire Marshall could be of help in giving you a more legal reply...or order for such to be installed.. Your local Theatrical Rigging company may also be able to help or offer some ideas too....

Not one to endorse--but I would also bet Dr Randall Davidson, a.k.a. 'Dr Doom' may be able to shed some helpful info for you which you can then use for those higher ups who want 'proof' of cause to use them....safety in theater and secondary places is his expertise. Couldn't hurt to see what they say either....

Check out Dr Doom's book here:

Welcome to Risk International Publishing, home of the Theater Health and Safety Book!

And his company: Risk International & Associates, Inc. | Global Health and Safety Network - Littleton, CO


I get the impression the higher ups want to do 'just the minimum' as may be required by a law and ignore common practices and valid safety concerns...but stupidity for them or ignorance on their part is not a defense for bad practices or ignoring what is common practice for obvious safety.. People like that tick me off...

If they refuse to stick a crowbar in their wallet to buy a $3-$4 safety cable for each fixture--then they are not worth holding the bag for or dealing with...and you can do better elsewhere working for someone more considerate and reputable. Because if something does happen and someone is hurt--church group and nice guy aside--don't doubt for a second that they WILL toss you or anyone else under a bus in a heartbeat and deny any knowledge of 'safety cables' you warned them about... I've seen it happen to others..don't set yourself up...




-w
 
Insurance is a good reason, ethics is another.

When light fixtures are hung properly (not over-tightened, under-tightened), fixtures falling from the sky is unlikely and rare. However, c-clamps are known to explode and bust apart without warning. Inherently, your fixtures could fall at any moment (although it's rare, it does happen). The better reason to have safety cables is because the situation comes with a very high potential for human error. Usually a couple times a year I'll hop in a lift for a focus (after the electrics have been flown out) to find that a fixture was placed on the pipe but the c-clamp was not tightened down at all.

People are human, and humans make mistakes -- often innocent mistakes. We all like to expect that our technical staff members will never put anyone in harm's way purposefully or accidentally -- we also like to think that only amateurs make those sorts of mistakes, and because we're not amateurs, we'll never make those mistakes ourselves. But I know my crew and I know myself better than that. I wouldn't classify anyone I work with as reckless, and if I ever did, I would refuse to work with them. But getting distracted during a light hang, forgetting you didn't tighten that one clamp down all of the way, and then being certain the electric is ready to be flown up to trim height -- that doesn't take an act of purposeful recklessness; it takes working in an environment where sometimes there are distractions that require a person to regularly shift their attention to something else for a brief moment.

There are many better reasons to use safety cables than to avoid legal ramifications. I trust my coworkers and our student employees, but certainly not more than I trust myself, and I know myself better than to naively think I don't occasionally forget to tighten a clamp down. That means I also know better than to think my coworkers will never make that mistake. I even know better than to think a mandate that all fixtures be inspected before electrics fly out will make a difference (because fixtures will slip through the cracks, or at one point in time or another someone will simply forget to do a once-over before flying everything out to trim height).

Aside from using safety cables selfishly as a measure to protect me from myself and my imperfections, I also care very much about the people who walk onto my stage. By walking into my performance space where I have hung lighting, setup audio equipment, managed in any form, or built a set in, a person must have an implicit trust that I have taken the appropriate measures to ensure their safety. If just once a fixture falls, even if it doesn't hurt anyone and falls from 8' off of the floor instead of the usual trim height of 25', forever after that I will have performers reluctant to walk out on stage -- reluctant to ever trust my professional decisions ever again. They'll always be wondering in the backs of their minds what the chances are that the next time a fixture falls that it falls on them or someone they care about. Every theatre they'll walk into after that will also have them concerned. Their art will suffer because they'll become distracted worrying about the dangers of working in theatre when they should be worrying about remembering their lines.

As technicians, it's both our duty to protect our performers from themselves as well as to protect them from us. It's our job to worry about their safety so that they never have to.

The above reasons don't make good arguments for people who are worried only about paying the bills, but they make it so that I can sleep comfortably at night. In a way, they're also qualifiers for me to work for a given employer. An employer who skimps on such basic safety necessities is not someone I would ever want to work for, so if they want me and my expertise, part of the cost of doing business with me is guaranteeing the safety of everyone involved.
 
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Safety Cables are cheap insurance. Check with your local AHJ, fire marshall and IA and see if they have any written rules or regs. In your situation, make a formal request, in writing, explaining the potential danger. Outline the fact that safeties are industry standard and cite any OSHA/ANSI standards you dig up, local codes vary. Also mention the phrase "Due Diligence" and the fact that once informed of a potential danger, they become liable for any damages resulting from any future accident involving the particular issue.
 
People are human, and humans make mistakes -- often innocent mistakes. We all like to expect that our technical staff members will never put anyone in harm's way purposefully or accidentally -- we also like to think that only amateurs make those sorts of mistakes, and because we're not amateurs, we'll never make those mistakes ourselves. But I know my crew and I know myself better than that. I wouldn't classify anyone I work with as reckless, and if I ever did, I would refuse to work with them. But getting distracted during a light hang, forgetting you didn't tighten that one clamp down all of the way, and then being certain the electric is ready to be flown up to trim height -- that doesn't take an act of purposeful recklessness; it takes working in an environment where sometimes there are distractions that require a person to regularly shift their attention to something else for a brief moment.

There are many better reasons to use safety cables than to avoid legal ramifications. I trust my coworkers and our student employees, but certainly not more than I trust myself, and I know myself better than to naively think I don't occasionally forget to tighten a clamp down. That means I also know better than to think my coworkers will never make that mistake. I even know better than to think a mandate that all fixtures be inspected before electrics fly out will make a difference (because fixtures will slip through the cracks, or at one point in time or another someone will simply forget to do a once-over before flying everything out to trim height.

Aside from using safety cables selfishly as a measure to protect me from myself and my imperfections, I also care very much about the people who walk onto my stage. By walking into my performance space where I have hung lighting, setup audio equipment, managed in any form, or built a set in, a person must have an implicit trust that I have taken the appropriate measures to ensure their safety. If just once a fixture falls, even if it doesn't hurt anyone and falls from 8' off of the floor instead of the usual trim height of 25', forever after that I will have performers reluctant to walk out on stage -- reluctant to ever trust my professional decisions ever again. They'll always be wondering in the backs of their minds what the chances are that the next time a fixture falls that it falls on them or someone they care about. Every theatre they'll walk into after that will also have them concerned. Their art will suffer because they'll become distracted worrying about the dangers of working in theatre when they should be worrying about remembering their lines.

The above reasons don't make good arguments for people who are worried only about paying the bills, but they make it so that I can sleep comfortably at night. In a way, they're also qualifiers for me to work for a given employer. An employer who skimps on such basic safety necessities is not someone I would ever want to work for, so if they want me and my expertise, part of the cost of doing business with me is guaranteeing the safety of everyone involved.

Others than I can better classify various safety codes, or be silient for this necesity. Often a question of yea... it has a safety cable but is it in mounting to the fixture at a weak spot, or how it's rigged if that will do any good? Often yes given a drop load as opposed to shock loading - this assuming the power cord or light given out isn't sufficient notice of a failed fixture.


Assuming a failed clamp, and it's plugged in, what's the weight of the fixture in cord whip plugged into something sufficiency to retain that fixture that hours upon hours after tension decides to fail?


Don't get me wrong, I'm a big fan of safety cable and do so, but track lights, lamp bars etc?
To some extent we as an industry consider them as per an architectural fixture which is similar to church perminant install applications. You need to safety the bar but don't have to worry about any of the six fixtures on the bar. Track light, etc. mounted stuff even if Unistrut... often without safety to individual gear or in an install condition that don't get a safety cable.


Church in my opinion might be correct in if install, they dont need safety cable. Would be better off to do so but as a dogmatic sense, it might be a condition where they don't need such a thing.

Advice, go slow in safety cabling the gear - different classification I think for your case. See if the Church will invest in a crimp tool as per investment in making your own safety cable. After that ability to make your own, no longer a problem of necessity in allowing you to do so.





Safety cable a good thing but I believe not perhaps necessary for application or should I say required. To add in working with the church instead of requiring them to do something perhaps better tactic. Where you can improve, never attempt to require as that forces a fight. Work and strive towards a goal instead.
 
To add in working with the church instead of requiring them to do something perhaps better tactic. Where you can improve, never attempt to require as that forces a fight. Work and strive towards a goal instead.

This is exactly the approach you need to take. You can't blame someone who has absolutely no experience in technical theater for asking to be provided with a law or legal documentation to determine necessity. In fact, that is EXACTLY the correct approach to take for someone with the purchasing power but not unlimited bank roll.

Understand that everyone can jump behind a safety banner to get pretty much anything they want, from the janitors needing a new floor buffer so they don't scrape up the floor and cause a tripping hazard, to the organist who needs a padded bench so they don't have chronic back pain after each service. It is the administrators job to determine ACTUAL need. Some might seem ridiculous to you, but it's a blurry line.

This could be an over $1000 investment for the church. In their opinion they don't understand why that much money needs to be invested in something that they've never had any need for perhaps for the last 50 years, through maybe a dozen other technical directors. Very reasonable assumption for someone with no technical expertise.

The people that make decisions on what you do or don't "get" are much more likely to purchase what you need if you approach them in a reasonable fashion. Definitely the way to go.
 
Perhaps telling them how cheap the solution is might help. You can get 18" safety cables on eBay for $2.50 a piece (including shipping), even less if you purchase in larger quantities. I'm my experiences with churches, they don't mind spending $100 on safety.
 
... if I could provide them with legal reasoning to make the purchase (ie, an osha standard or quoted law) I am having an absolute bear of a time trying to find anything to present to them. Anyone have an idea of where I can get something? ...
I doubt you'll find any sort of code, mandate, or guideline requiring the use of a safety cable with a stage luminaire.
Would it help if we CB'ers pointed out to them that safety cables on anything over peoples heads is industry standard? (ETCP folks, help me out here.)
Or that every play, concert, etc...in every venue (theoretically) safeties all things overhead? Lights, speakers, truss, motors, etc....
It's kind of a double-edged sword. There's no requirement mandating their use because there haven't been any significant injuries caused by fixtures falling (faked, "comical" YouTube videos notwithstanding). Yes, it's "standard industry practice" and yes, everyone should use safety cables. But do it because it's prudent and cheap insurance, not because a regulation forces it.

Dr. Davidson's book, referenced above, contains but a brief mention, in the paragraph Redundancy Necessary in Fastening Instruments Overhead, on page 381.

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I disagree with ship's suggestion to buy a swage tool and manufacture one's own safeties. I also would be leery of no-name or imported safety cables from eBay.

See also the threads
http://www.controlbooth.com/forums/lighting-electrics/7887-safety-cables.html
http://www.controlbooth.com/forums/question-day/6419-safety-cable-not.html
http://www.controlbooth.com/forums/question-day/2290-safety-cables.html
http://www.controlbooth.com/forums/...tures-integral-safety-attachment-point-2.html
 
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Idaho is the only state in the country that has OSHA laws covering theater. Federal OSHA does not have theater specific laws. So, unfortunately you have to result to morally reprehensible and potentially criminally negligent for not having them. What's worse spending $100 on cables or killing someone because a clamp shatters and fails?

How about $2.06 each for silver cables from Production Advantage a great dealer and sponsor of the CB Wiki! They also have black for $2.50.

If they give you a hard time give the pastor a disclaimer letter to sign that reads: "I have been warned by "Nx27lei" that it is dangerous to not have safety cables on our lighting instruments. I have chosen not to follow his advice to and purchase them. I understand that my decision could result in serious injury or death should a clamp fail. I accept full responsibility for this decision and relieve "Nx27lei" of any responsibility for this decision. Signed _________ "

Tell them you won't work until it's signed.

Or you could just print out this thread.
 
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To the original poster-

How many safety cables are you needing? I work for a theatrical lighting manufacturer and will donate safety cables if it prevents someone from losing their job or worse, someone getting injured from falling equipment while at your church.

Please contact me at [email protected]
 

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