Stage edge safety

[BillConnerFASTC]

If you're clad in steel-toed / soled work boots and anticipating walking off the solid deck onto the tensioned wire grid, I buy your point. Perhaps, if you're a performer who's 'blinded by the light', in the moment and not expecting to be stepping off the solid deck, barefoot, in stilettos or ballet shoes and inadvertently catch your toe in a gap and trip, not so much.
@kiwitechgirl Thoughts?
Toodleoo!
Ron Hebbard.

So is a net better, where it deflects to seat back level in the pit? What's the worse outcome?

 

[BillConnerFASTC]

And a pit where us das is only a few feet. Net assures you'll fall, and probably land on the rail. Ouch! I'll take something you can stand on and not lose balance rather than a trampoline where you almost have to fall.

 

[kiwitechgirl]

The wire net which was under discussion was like a tensioned wire grid, yes. The three falls that I know of into our pit were an audio crew member during a bump-out, who trod on a piece of flooring which had been unscrewed, slipped as it moved underneath him and fell onto the net (old net - it broke his fall and stopped him hitting the floor), a breakdancing child who got a little too enthusiastic mid-show and tripped on his own feet, sending him onto the net (new net which did its job in that it caught him, and it didn't deflect anything like low enough to hit any of the musicians in the pit - he got up, unhurt, back onto the stage and kept going), and a dancer who I believe came off a jump off-balance and staggered on landing, far enough to go into the pit (in the days before a net - this one is only what I've been told by people who witnessed it - the orchestra was (luckily) on stage for that one so the pit was empty, the dancer climbed out somehow and kept going). I think in any of those three situations a wire net would have hurt quite significantly as none of them were controlled.

I should also have said that there were also concerns about the current rigging points for the net (which were never going to be replaced) being enough for a wire net - our net consultant said that they were designed and specified for the fibre net which has more "give" to it and therefore absorbs more of the shock of the person landing on it - with a wire net having less "give", he couldn't guarantee the rigging points would take that extra load. Our pit is at minimum 2.4m below front row level 99% of the time, and the stage is higher than that (I don't have measurements but I would guess probably close to another half-metre) so that's a good distance to fall.

 

[BillConnerFASTC]

The wire net which was under discussion was like a tensioned wire grid, yes. The three falls that I know of into our pit were an audio crew member during a bump-out, who trod on a piece of flooring which had been unscrewed, slipped as it moved underneath him and fell onto the net (old net - it broke his fall and stopped him hitting the floor), a breakdancing child who got a little too enthusiastic mid-show and tripped on his own feet, sending him onto the net (new net which did its job in that it caught him, and it didn't deflect anything like low enough to hit any of the musicians in the pit - he got up, unhurt, back onto the stage and kept going), and a dancer who I believe came off a jump off-balance and staggered on landing, far enough to go into the pit (in the days before a net - this one is only what I've been told by people who witnessed it - the orchestra was (luckily) on stage for that one so the pit was empty, the dancer climbed out somehow and kept going). I think in any of those three situations a wire net would have hurt quite significantly as none of them were controlled.

I should also have said that there were also concerns about the current rigging points for the net (which were never going to be replaced) being enough for a wire net - our net consultant said that they were designed and specified for the fibre net which has more "give" to it and therefore absorbs more of the shock of the person landing on it - with a wire net having less "give", he couldn't guarantee the rigging points would take that extra load. Our pit is at minimum 2.4m below front row level 99% of the time, and the stage is higher than that (I don't have measurements but I would guess probably close to another half-metre) so that's a good distance to fall.

A tensioned wire grid has it's own frame and does not pull on edges if pit opening.

 

[kiwitechgirl]

A tensioned wire grid has it's own frame and does not pull on edges if pit opening.

I think that may have been the problem - it would have been very difficult (and probably expensive) to get a frame built for our stupidly shaped pit. The conversation when the wire grid was dismissed as a possibility was several months ago now!

 

[teqniqal]

Does anyone know where I can buy an LED strip / tape light that is designed to keep performers from falling off the front of the stage? Ideally this product would have a backing piece to keep the audience from seeing the light.

Lumenesce offers the '4th wall' stage edge light. www.lumenesce.com/the-fourth-wall/

 

[teqniqal]

I think that may have been the problem - it would have been very difficult (and probably expensive) to get a frame built for our stupidly shaped pit.

This is where wire tension grid modules shine - they are easily customizeable to 'stupidly shaped' openings. Not really that expensive if you design and specify it right.

 

[BillConnerFASTC]

I have found the cost diffrrence between deck and short legs with tensioned wire grid is very close to deck with full pit depth support structure. Add net and might be less expensive. I do spend extra to use smaller deck panels for less weight. And if you use net, i assume it has to be installed after filler is removed. Ill wager workers pulling or installing deck are not protected as OSHA requires in almost every case.

It was gallows humor when the contractor installing the tensioned wire grid mentioned the week before one of his crew went to hospital after a fall in pit instalking a regular pit filler.

Lot more time and labor for tupical pit filler and net. Just revisiting a school where i have the tensioned wire dtid and its 2 people for 30 min.

 

[kiwitechgirl]

We don't have pit filler as such - the front section of the pit (out from under the stage) is one giant lift platform so if they want the apron at full extension, we clear the chairs, stands and risers off it, unhook the net and the platform drives up to stage level. The net is a moot point now anyway as we've signed off on the new net system!

 

[BillConnerFASTC]

Did not know you had a lift. That is a completely different circumstances than what I see most. A net manually installed net is only practical system with a lift. At least you should be able to stop lift for good working height for setting net.

Did they interlock lift to net? I worry about raising lift with net in place.

 

[kiwitechgirl]

Did not know you had a lift. That is a completely different circumstances than what I see most. A net manually installed net is only practical system with a lift. At least you should be able to stop lift for good working height for setting net.

Did they interlock lift to net? I worry about raising lift with net in place.

I should have been clearer! Currently the lift and net are not interlocked but I believe that may be changing with the renovations that are currently happening.