noiseboyalltheway
Member
ducktape and tri-lite??? always works with my lot
Your worst theatre injury
- Thread starterTechiegirly
- Start date
We almost had a runaway during a concert a few days ago. We were trying to lower main and it fouled on valence. Myself and a teacher were trying to get it loose and more of the main was caught of something else came loose and the weight fell onto valence, which I was holding. Suddenly main is really arbor heavy and valence is really pipe heavy. I reached to grab main to help him and somehow the rope went slack for a couple of seconds. About this time the weight hit valence and I let go of main to grab valence with both hands (I had only been holding it with one). Fortunatly we had two boys standing there who grabbed the ropes and helped us hold them until we got them back apart.
By the way-- There was NOT an option to let go and run as ther were performers onstage under the valence.
Between all the techs and teachers no one can remember lines fouling in our theatre. Does anyone know why they would suddenly foul like that?
The injury part of that I hurt my shoulder again. I seem to hurt my shoulder flying something about once a year.
Other good theatre injuries:
The top plate on the arbor falling 2' and hitting my hand (finished pulling remaining 11 weights then gaff taped). Still have a scar.
Cutting my knuckle to the bone with a drill trying to drill a hole in the back of a strobe light to put a safety through. (Masking tape, then liquid bandage and makeup so it wouldn't be so noticable)
Shattering a fake candle light bulb in my hand during a show (fortunatly I actually didn;t cut myself too badly)
By the way-- There was NOT an option to let go and run as ther were performers onstage under the valence.
Between all the techs and teachers no one can remember lines fouling in our theatre. Does anyone know why they would suddenly foul like that?
The injury part of that I hurt my shoulder again. I seem to hurt my shoulder flying something about once a year.
Other good theatre injuries:
The top plate on the arbor falling 2' and hitting my hand (finished pulling remaining 11 weights then gaff taped). Still have a scar.
Cutting my knuckle to the bone with a drill trying to drill a hole in the back of a strobe light to put a safety through. (Masking tape, then liquid bandage and makeup so it wouldn't be so noticable)
Shattering a fake candle light bulb in my hand during a show (fortunatly I actually didn;t cut myself too badly)
This is the second mention of a spreader plate causing injury. ALWAYS tie it to the top of the arbor or tie a clove hitch around the tie rod(s), while loading/unloading. Tieline is cheap and usually plentiful. NEVER forget to remove your ties before the arbor moves.
Got myself a couple of small but painful injuries lately
Yesterday I was squeezing some heavy wire with linesman's pliers, my grip slipped and I managed to bite myself and get a NASTY blood blister on my hand
Today. I was working with some nylon rope and got out the mini-torch to melt the ends so they wouldn't fall apart. I dripped several drops of liquid nylon on my hand which:
a) burned enough to give me blisters
b) fused themselves to my skin
Yesterday I was squeezing some heavy wire with linesman's pliers, my grip slipped and I managed to bite myself and get a NASTY blood blister on my hand
Today. I was working with some nylon rope and got out the mini-torch to melt the ends so they wouldn't fall apart. I dripped several drops of liquid nylon on my hand which:
a) burned enough to give me blisters
b) fused themselves to my skin
Conner8809
Member
Spikesgirl
Active Member
I'll trade your sprain for my permanent disabled back! I ended up with two discs replaced and enough hardware holding stuff together to rig a show.
Take my advice, be very very careful with your back. I've worked with a ton of techs and all of them seem to end up with bad backs. i used to gloat - not anymore...
Conner8809
Member
yeah, i end up with crippling pain. thank goodness i live in florida. the cold screws me up pretty badly...
I think this thread should have ended with the above somber post. There is no worse injury worse than the loss of one's life. As one of our members keeps proclaiming, "The show is not worth dying for." Think safety first, ALWAYS.
Once again i get really mad when i have to run, because it means someone has done something stupid. I also like to put a wrap or two on the line while loading or unloading. The brakes on the lines are only rated for 50 lbs!!!! ALWAYS REMEMBER THIS!!!!! Its the job of the weights to keep everything couterbalanced and from moving, not the job of the brake. The brake is designed to keep the line from accidently traveling up or down slightly. Also keep in mind 50lbs is not a lot of weight at all.
not exactly a theatre injury but i blame it on it because i would not have been injured without theatre
high school (should explain the following) we were chasing a girl around (i told you) and trying to tickle her when she ran out some double doors and off of a 8' wide by 3' high cement platform into our loading dock area. the two guys in front of me both tried to run through the door at the same time and got stuck when they started to back out is when i came up and dove between them (being the skinny little twerp that i was and am actually i graduated high school at 115lbs and now i way a whooping 135 8 years later) i made it my huge steel toed boots however did not and my diving progression was suddenly halted. i popped loose and tucked into a roll thinking i would be fine until i rolled off the cement platform and landed on my minimag light on my belt (which i was wearing because of theatre) and it punctured my side. that’s right blunt end in i had to pop it out again and being the manly idiot i was didn't go to the hospital. i am lucky I’m not dead from infection but it didn't even scar! so call me a liar if you want but i will find witnesses!
--nick--
high school (should explain the following) we were chasing a girl around (i told you) and trying to tickle her when she ran out some double doors and off of a 8' wide by 3' high cement platform into our loading dock area. the two guys in front of me both tried to run through the door at the same time and got stuck when they started to back out is when i came up and dove between them (being the skinny little twerp that i was and am actually i graduated high school at 115lbs and now i way a whooping 135 8 years later) i made it my huge steel toed boots however did not and my diving progression was suddenly halted. i popped loose and tucked into a roll thinking i would be fine until i rolled off the cement platform and landed on my minimag light on my belt (which i was wearing because of theatre) and it punctured my side. that’s right blunt end in i had to pop it out again and being the manly idiot i was didn't go to the hospital. i am lucky I’m not dead from infection but it didn't even scar! so call me a liar if you want but i will find witnesses!
--nick--
It's not a brake, it's a lock.
When Working the rail, back in the day, I always used a trick I learned while Gripping for the movies. Check any movie set and you'll see the Grips all walking around with their work gloves attached to their back pocket or belt with a small spring loaded clamp. These "Grip Clips" are cheap and readily available from everywhere like Home depot or Harbor Freight. If you keep your gloves hooked to your belt with a grip clip while working the rail it's a simple matter to simply clip the spreader plate up out of the way with your glove clip. Save fingers and swearing. Plus it just looks cool to clip your work gloves to your back pocket. People will think you've got a movie background and you'll alway have a grip clip on hand.
I once asked a TD for a Grip Clip and he said, "Oh, you mean a <mammary gland> -pincher?" Some call them "Opera Clips" as they're great for temporarily holding a drape out of the way, as for an end of act "page bow".
As a hot-shot freshman, I impressed the TD by bringing in the ancestor of this (all metal, and one side said "push":
We bought several and they lived in the loading gallery. If I were doing this today, I would add a lanyard of some sort. (Now that I think about it, if I need to add a tieline as a safety, why not just use the tieline?)
I'm not sure I approve of the practice of taking a spring clip, or any tool/object without a lanyard, to height, Van.
Again, if using any device on an arbor to keep the spreader plate(s) out of the way, REMOVE IT BEFORE THE ARBOR MOVES! Also, tighten the thumbscrews on the retaining collars, EVERY TIME.
As a hot-shot freshman, I impressed the TD by bringing in the ancestor of this (all metal, and one side said "push":
We bought several and they lived in the loading gallery. If I were doing this today, I would add a lanyard of some sort. (Now that I think about it, if I need to add a tieline as a safety, why not just use the tieline?)
I'm not sure I approve of the practice of taking a spring clip, or any tool/object without a lanyard, to height, Van.
Again, if using any device on an arbor to keep the spreader plate(s) out of the way, REMOVE IT BEFORE THE ARBOR MOVES! Also, tighten the thumbscrews on the retaining collars, EVERY TIME.
No injuries forunatly, but I've seen the two pros that I've worked with do some really dangerous stuff with lifts. One has climbed up onto the top rair because the life wasn't tall enough. (I accidentally turned on a light he was working on which didn't help, but in my defense he DID tell me to run through cues... Didn't think about parking those off). Then another time both of them went up on the one person genie-- one sat on the railing and one stood on the outside railing of the basket, the held onto rhe rail with his legs while taking down a heavy fixture. He scared the crap out of me (and his family who had come to the show and were watching strike.)
two worst:
1) this one isn't bad just weird to think about. i was rigging and there was a plastic clasp on the rope (i dont' know why) and i grabbed it and it went deep into my palm. it hurt to pull it out
2) i was holding a reporicating saw and i accidently pushed it and cut my leg. it wasnt too bad.
just thought of this: another weird thing that happend to me is i stapled my heel with a staple gun.
1) this one isn't bad just weird to think about. i was rigging and there was a plastic clasp on the rope (i dont' know why) and i grabbed it and it went deep into my palm. it hurt to pull it out
2) i was holding a reporicating saw and i accidently pushed it and cut my leg. it wasnt too bad.
just thought of this: another weird thing that happend to me is i stapled my heel with a staple gun.
jneveaux
Member
1. splinter from 4x8 platform frame shattering as it fell to the stage floor during strike (as a student tech pulled out an 8' leg brace). splinter was 3" long and stuck straight through my L middle finger hanging out an inch on each side. i would have looked like i had a piercing if it had been metal. gave the kid the "finger" with emphasis and headed for the er.
2. making a blind cut on a piece of 3/4 ply on a delta table saw and it kicked back into my solar plexus: took my wind out and i blacked out for a few seconds. had it checked out at the er later and the doc said it just missed my spleen. lucky.
3. closest call. student tech (nothing against students by the way, just an occupational hazard sometimes) was trying to change roundels in a strip light up in the flys. dropped the color frame and it landed on the stage floor within a foot of my foot and the sharp metal corner stuck like a knife in the soft stage floor pine, vibrating like an arrow shot into a tree.
2. making a blind cut on a piece of 3/4 ply on a delta table saw and it kicked back into my solar plexus: took my wind out and i blacked out for a few seconds. had it checked out at the er later and the doc said it just missed my spleen. lucky.
3. closest call. student tech (nothing against students by the way, just an occupational hazard sometimes) was trying to change roundels in a strip light up in the flys. dropped the color frame and it landed on the stage floor within a foot of my foot and the sharp metal corner stuck like a knife in the soft stage floor pine, vibrating like an arrow shot into a tree.
