PadawanGeek
Active Member
I don't have a picture, but if I come across one I will post it.
Safety Issues in the Theatre
- Thread starterstantonsound
- Start date
I don't have a picture, but if I come across one I will post it.
stantonsound
Active Member
I have safety cables on all my units including floor mounts (yeah, they don't do much). On most of my instruments I put the loop end of the safety around the yoke of the fixture so you can't remove it unless you take the yoke off. This means that I don't loose safety cables, and I know that every light has one. Safety cables are cheap there is no reason not to have them.
stantonsound
Active Member
I agree, but I will have to say that most of the high school theatres/auditoriums, as well as professional houses, that I walk in don't have them. Also, I rarely see them at music festivals/outdoor concerts (the small ones, not the national touring acts).
PadawanGeek
Active Member
For some reason, they guy that was putting in our lighting didn't put any safety cables on them, so I need to get some. Luckilly right now we don't have many lights, but in our type of place (youth ministry where rubber balls flying up and hitting the ceiling is a common thing), we are going to need them. :neutral:
I would reccomend that every theatre program own at least once copy of Dr. Doom's book, "Practical Health and Safety Guidelines for School Theater Operations." It's a thick book containing chapters on almost anything you can think of, including lighting, fire, falling, and even makeup. It's worth it's weight in gold, and Dr. Doom is truly the most knowledgeable man in theatre safety in the country if not the world.
http://www.theaterhealthandsafetybook.com/
http://www.theaterhealthandsafetybook.com/
PadawanGeek
Active Member
Hehe. I suppose Dr. Randall W. A. Davidson's nickname is a bit intimidating at first. You can read up on his website how he got the name and why people consider him to be the best in the business. Here's one quote:
Kristi Ross-Clausen said:
PadawanGeek
Active Member
drawstuf99
Active Member
As for this youth ministry, I do have to wonder why whoever is supervising this isn't doing anything to stop blatantly unsafe practices... You would be dead if you did that in my church... The property committee would kill you for destroying or potentially destroying the place...
PadawanGeek
Active Member
I have nothing to do with the lack of safety cables. I am going to go out and get some this weekend. As for the flaming swords, they did that long before I cam along. The flying balls, well, I guard the tech booth with my life whenever they start hitting/kicking those.
Let me firstly apologise. I in no way intended to imply that any of this was your fault. In light of some extra facts, it seems that there is a level of control over flaming swords etc, which did not seem apparent from earlier posts. However, the people in charge should be doing something about the balls I'd have thought...
I'm not against the use of safety cables, but has any one actually ever seen a safety cable catch a falling instrument or be used for more than a visual safety measure? I've been doing lights for 15years now, and have never seen an instrument fall and be caught by a safety cable. I've got more use out of safety cables by using them to hang them off a ladder when hanging likes (this way i don't have to make as many trips)
themuzicman
Well-Known Member
We have safety cables on all our lights, and the only thing I have actually seen fall is a barndoor from one of our fresnels. Because of this now, I safety cable them now.
stantonsound
Active Member
Safety cables are a funny thing. When we need them (just before we tighten the clamp and just after we take the clamp off) they are already off the fixture. Also, if they were really that important, then why aren't they connected directly to the fixture, instead of just around the yolk. The bolts holding the fixture to the yolk will fail before the clamp does, and the lens tube falling out is even more likely that than, yet they are not protected by a safety.
I have seen one of the new "Chinese" C Clamps break, it sheared off at the top of the "c". It was at a live music club and was holding a steel par 64. No one was hit, but it did scare the crap out of a few people. It had just been put up a day before during a remodel. (We checked the pipe later, figuring that it was just overtightened, but there was no dimple for it, so I doubt that it was.) It was purchased on ebay. (the image is from ProGear Warehouse because it was the only pic I could find. I order from them and they do have good products. Tom Murphy is the manager and a great guy)
I brought that up as an example, as I have only seen a few theatres that religiously uses them, and more don't have any at all.
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I've seen a lantern fall from a failed Hook clamp once in 40 years in and around theatres. I have however seen unsafely rigged lanterns bounce off bars because the clamp was not tightened properly. Unfortunately often if the person who rigged the lantern didn't tighten the clamp up they also didn't fasten the safety. I am gradually making sure all my lanterns have the safety bond fixed to the body of the lantern. It also means that I no longer lose so many safeties on hires.
PadawanGeek
Active Member
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