Why Safety Cables Are Required

[Namlit]

Excellent "show must go on" action by the two other actors on stage, helping their stricken comrade off while staying in character.

 

[jwolfkill]

Yup. The chunk looks something like this...


View attachment 9389


Snapped a Chinese clamp that had a defect in the casting (air bubble). Safety on the ellipsoidal stopped it from falling. The chunk of clamp hit a house seat and did some minor damage to it. That's why we have someone on the ground to keep people from walking under the lift when we hang instruments.

And for the record, the falling chunk weighed in at 9 ounces on our postage meter. Getting hit by a chunk of falling clamp that weighs over a half pound can certainly ruin someone's day...

Yeah, especially since the force of the falling chunk of C-clamp is going to be concentrated at the point of impact and there's little change that the C-clamp will absorb any of the kinetic energy - at least a falling instrument spreads out the impact, and depending on the type, may absorb some of the blow when the sheet metal deforms or other parts break.

 

[BillConnerFASTC]

Yeah, especially since the force of the falling chunk of C-clamp is going to be concentrated at the point of impact and there's little change that the C-clamp will absorb any of the kinetic energy - at least a falling instrument spreads out the impact, and depending on the type, may absorb some of the blow when the sheet metal deforms or other parts break.

Shhhhhh! Or someone will want an c-clamp standard that requires padding.

 

[gafftapegreenia]

I'm going to beat teqniqal to the punch and say, yet another great reason to wear a hard hat!!

 

[balderson04]

Excellent "show must go on" action by the two other actors on stage, helping their stricken comrade off while staying in character.

At a black-box theatre across town from us (NOT MINE!), they had a 9-foot square retractable projection screen hanging from open hooks for a production -- heavy sucker. The actor responsible for sending it up, after its use early in the show, let it go too quickly one night and the thing jumped out of its hooks and fell, landing directly on a second, rather petite, actor. She was out cold, paramedics were called and she had concussion, stitches AND the show did not go on.

Safety chains and NO OPEN HOOKS!

But then, it's always something, isn't it?

David

 

[WooferHound]

There is NOT a Requirement to use Safety Cables on lighting fixtures.
That would fall under Theater Policy
and common sense . . .

 

[zmb]

I hope we haven't forgotten this yet: Light Fixture Falls On Wrestler Michael McComish During High School Wrestling Match (VIDEO)