1930's Accident Report Form from the WPA

I found this little gem today while exploring the second floor of the Clymer Art Museum in Ellensburg, WA with my production management class. It was in the bottom of an old coal bin. It measures 4 3/4" wide and almost 7" long and was part of a pad. It is a Works Progress Administration accident report from the 1930's.

Two student actors injured in Sweeney Todd production

http://www.cnn.com/2016/04/07/asia/new-zealand-sweeney-todd-razor/index.html

OSHA Cites Texas Panhandle Heritage Foundation in Peyton Trueblood's Death

This is almost a month old, but it appears that OSHA has completed it's investigation in to the death of Peyton Trueblood last summer at Palo Duro Canyon.  Peyton was killed in a pyrotechnics storage magazine explosion on July 31, 2015.  The details from the OSHA citation are in the article.

http://abc7amarillo.com/news/local/osha-issues-citations-following-death-of-21-year-old-texas-worker 

Actor Killed by Prop Sword

There is really no such thing as a prop sword being safe from causing puncture wounds.  Make the point as "actor friendly" as you wish, but when it comes to steel vs flesh, the steel will always win.  Aristotle and Newton were wise men.

http://www.cnn.com/2016/02/16/asia/japan-actor-sword-death/index.html

Raphael Schumacher Declared Brain Dead

Following a week of declining condition, Raphael Schumacher has been declared brain dead as a result of his injuries.

http://www.bbc.com/news/entertainment-arts-35500871 

Stage Combat Accident in Arizona

And this is why you always hire a fight choreographer and conduct a fight call before every performance...

http://www.nydailynews.com/news/national/arizona-actor-accidentally-stabbed-stomach-show-article-1.2247477

OSHA Region 1 released more details about the final determination regarding the 2014 Ringling Brothers accident that injured 9 performers.

https://www.osha.gov/newsrelease/reg1-20150423.html

Westfield High School Followup

http://www.foxnews.com/us/2015/04/25/questions-raised-after-stage-collapses-at-indiana-high-school/

http://www.usnews.com/news/us/articles/2015/04/24/more-than-12-hurt-as-stage-collapses-at-indiana-high-school

Pardon my cynicism, but I'm not sure what maintenance or inspection records they expect to find for an orchestra pit cover.  If I were investigating, I'd be most interested in the initial design of the cover and any modifications or deviations to that cover that may have been made over the years. I'd also be interested in the materials and methods of construction.

Westfield High School Stage Collapse

Another tragic accident at a high school involving a poorly constructed stage extension and a jukebox musical at Westfield High School in Westfield, Indiana.

Multiple news outlets have some raw phone footage of the accident at Westfield High School in . The local CBS affiliate WISH  has a good collection of footage.  It's a replay of the Servite High School accident a little more that one year ago. Live loads can have a very unpredictable reaction on structures. Phish anyone?

Orchestra pit extensions in high schools are a bad idea. Why? Because I have only been in a handful of high schools where the arts education funding is sufficient to ensure that a qualified technical director is on staff and can adequately design the back side of the scenery.

WISHTV.com reported that the Indiana State Fire Marshal was on the scene. Jim Greeson is not the man to lead the investigation. His office is one of many in the state that has yet to answer my FOIA requests about the emergency planning exercise prior to the state fair tragedy.

On a larger scale, let's start the discussion on how we make this better.

1. Adequately fund arts education. If you don't have the right staff in place you can't expect that accidents like this won't continue to happen. Schools and districts pay for athletic trainers so their athletes don't get injured. Properly trained technical directors can help reduce these risks.

2. Start an honest discussion about where safety regulations come from and how they are applied in educational settings.  OSHA does not cover students. This is true for high schools and colleges, even though students do the same things that their professional counterparts do on a daily basis. Applying OSHA's general duty clause in education makes sense, but in the fiscally constrained educational landscape, hopes and prayers are less expensive than active risk assessment and appropriate staffing.

3. Dispense with the argument that theatre doesn't help with standardized tests. For anyone who is interested, I will bring you a lesson in Newtonian physics and math where high school students apply math and science with practical theatre application.  Yes, we make art with science.

Stage Weight Fun

This is why we wear hardhats and establish safety zones when loading stage weights on to arbors. Fun times at the Kansas City Rep.

High Profile Accidents on Set

Accident reports are always hard to read.  I stopped my feed of accident reports from the Army because I grew tired of reading about young Soldiers on motorcycles killing themselves. There seems to be an upswing of accidents on film sets. The LA Times has done an outstanding job of reporting on them as well as followup.  Here is their Story Gallery:

http://www.latimes.com/entertainment/la-et-hollywood-safety-sg-storygallery.html

On March 18 at 1:00PM the USITT Health and Safety Commission will be sponsoring a workshop on inspections and risk assessments.

Identifying hazards is the first step in reducing your risk and eliminating (or at least mitigating) hazards. 

Tragic Lift Accident in South Carolina

http://www.postandcourier.com/article/20150129/PC16/150129347

Harness Inspection

Good short post from Gravitec, a company right here in the Pacific Northwest, that goes through some of the basics on what to look for when inspecting a harness.  Link to article is here.

OSHA guidelines on harness inspections are here.

And finally, for Washington, fall arrest guidelines can be found in WAC 296-155-24510

Feld Entertainment Cited by OSHA for The Medeiros Hair Hang Act Accident

Earlier this month, OSHA cited Feld Entertainment for a serious violation under the general duty clause for the May 4, 2014 accident that happened at the Dunkin' Donuts Center in Providence, RI involving The Medeiros Troupe Hair Hang Act.

The general duty clause simply reads "Each employer shall furnish to each of his employees employment and a place of employment which are free from recognized hazards that are causing or are likely to cause death or serious physical harm to his employees;" The fine is $7,000 - the maximum allowed by law.  

Feld Entertainment produces the Ringling Bros. and Barnum & Bailey Circus.  Feld is headquartered in Palmetto, FL and produces Disney on Ice and several motor spotrt shows in addition to the Ringling Bros. and Barnum & Bailey Circus.  Feld acquired Ringling Brothers in 1967. 

Briam Williams - NBC News Reports OSHA Fine

Copy of OSHA Citation

OSHA News Release

Tragic Concert Accident in Korea

http://www.news.com.au/world/asia/south-korean-official-apparently-committed-suicide-hours-after-16-die-in-concert-accident/story-fnh81fz8-1227095048807

Soho Theatre Accident in London Court

This is a tragic story from London.  The financial impact of creating a safe working environment can last well beyond the closing night of a performance and for theatres that operate as non-profits, potentially devastating.

A workplace hazard analysis with the risks clearly communicated to all (employees and volunteers alike) is just one simple and inexpensive step that could have prevented this tragic accident.  Signs and locks are particularly helpful in theatres, where architectural logic is sometimes thrown out the window in order to create a functional performance space.  Our industry needs to embrace the idea of risk assessment and hazard analysis for each new set as though it were an entirely new workplace.    

http://www.standard.co.uk/news/london/stagehand-at-london-theatre-paralysed-after-falling-through-unmarked-unlocked-trapdoor-9784148.html

eCigarettes and the Health of the Actor

The New York Times reported today that the FDA is finally going to begin regulating eCigarettes. From a health and safety standpoint, eCigs seem like a better solution than real cigarettes, be they tobacco or herbal. I have always been bothered by the lack of health data on eCigs and subsequently have limited use to the zero nicotine cartridges. It seemed like the biggest hazard has been from exploding batteries and the brand used in our theatre has an overheat switch that shuts off the battery if more than seven seconds of load is placed on it. A deliberate choice to limit the amount of risk.

On the up side, an eCig has no flame and an actor can sell the act of lighting a cigarette with an empty Zippo. Also, the current audience member has become so accustomed to smoke-free indoor environments that the smell of a cigarette elicits a negative reaction. On the down side, we are asking an actor to ingest something that has no objective data declaring it either safe or unsafe.

Have an Exit Strategy - Individual Fire Safety

The Office of the Texas State Fire Marshal created a tool called Have an Exit Strategy to help inform the public on fire safety. There is information about the Station Nightclub Fire including a short simulation/recreation of how patrons attempted to escape the building on that fateful night in February 2003. 

Have an Exit Strategy

Safety Guidelines for Performers

I was in the process of preparing for the company safety meeting for our upcoming production of Les Miserables and I came across this resource for performers published by the International Federation of Actors. It is a beautiful publication with some very useful guidelines and is probably the closest thing to an internationally recognized set of safety standards for performers.

http://www.fia-actors.com/en/actsafe.html

Mid-America Sound Corporation settles with Indiana OSHA for $50,000

http://www.greenfieldreporter.com/view/story/a838027d01ba4badb8b51edf8fd1c1fd/IN--Indiana-Fair-Stage-Collapse

http://www.pollstar.com/news_article.aspx?ID=810496