I would have to whole heartedly disagree with whomever made the quote (especially after just going through a facility wide
OSHA inspection). The problem is that we are a relatively small industry in the over all scheme of things to have specific regulations written for us. When questioning the Genie corporation about making a
personnel lift that was capable of moving safely while erect, I was told that they are questioned about that often and they would be unable to make enough
return in sales to justify the development and approvals. So, what happens, people use them unsafely very often. We are an industry that technically defies
OSHA regulations often. If and when something does happen, you better believe that
OSHA will apply. There are many catch all phrases in the
OSHA code that can and do apply to our industry. Generally speaking, we will fall under the General Industry guidelines. However, if you are doing outdoor events where you are constructing the
stage and all the support systems, you will likely fall under the construction guidelines. Of course this all changes when you are in a state that has it's own version of
OSHA.
As part of my job, my employer requires the completion of the
OSHA 10-hour training session plus additional courses that are more specific to our industry.
OSHA will do an inspection of your facility without penalties if you ask them to come and visit. However, many members of management avoid this because they fear what the inspector will find and require to be fixed. You might be surprised at some of the infractions your facility may have at this very moment that could cost thousands of dollars.
I'm sure the person who was quoted felt that since most productions are temporary, that
OSHA ignores us. That too is untrue. We just have the evidence taken care of in a timely manner that we usually don't get fined. The other problem is that we use a lot of volunteers. If you are working without pay, you are not covered under
OSHA.
Please take the advice Derek received with a grain of salt. Remember,
OSHA requires that we follow the
NFPA and the
NEC subset where there are specific regulations that apply to our industry. That alone negates the comment.