Backstage Spotlight™
July 2003 Rigger Rich - Page 4
What about safety
issues? Would you say it’s a dangerous profession? What precautions do you take to
stay safe up there (and keep the performers safe on-stage below)?
Ohhh boy... Safety issues! Now you got me started! The greatest danger in rigging is
ignorance. Ignorance of the engineering aspects, ignorance of obvious hazards and risks,
ignorance of the OSHA regulations. If you are working as an employee, fall protection must
be supplied by the employer. That is the law. No business is exempt from it. This is where
you hit a blind spot between promoters and venue owners. The multi-million dollar
promotion company does not want to put money into a venue that it only rents occasionally.
The venue operators don’t want to spend sixty to a hundred thousand dollars on a
capital improvement that only gets used six times a year. So nothing is usually done until
after a near miss or actual injury occurs. Then there's a knee-jerk reaction by the
responsible party to get a cheap, fast, and poorly designed fall protection system in
place.
Some large venues have been forced (usually by their own lawyers or the promoters) into
supplying fall protection systems now, a long overdue event. Even with full body harnesses
and lifelines, its best to work like the fall protection isn’t there. It’s easy
to lose sight of the severe risks, due to sheer repetition and familiarity with
surroundings. (One should always stay a little frosty up there, a little fear is a good
thing.) I always remind myself of exactly where I am, and the hazards involved. I do belay
myself to something whenever I can, but I hope I never have need of the fall protection.
As to keeping the public and the performer protected, the equipment used in rigging is
usually rated way beyond the load it is supporting. If we see something that could pose a
hazard, it is made known and then its up to the tour or venue to deal with it.
I have never witnessed an actual rigging failure, where gear falls from the sky. I hope I
never do! Such events are truly rare, and are usually the result of non-engineered rigging
methods or components, or rigging being done by under-qualified people. The scariest thing
I usually see is people on the ground who tug at the riggers' ropes or the cables without
looking up to see who is on the other end. If you are not involved in the rigging, never
touch any rigging without damn good reason.
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