Pro Sound Web: We don’t often think of concert and event production as being a dangerous profession, but far too many accidents and injuries - and sometimes even deaths - occur each year in our chosen profession.
Most of these accidents are caused by human error and can be avoided if we simply pay attention to what we’re doing and follow basic safety rules.
10 comments:
I completely agree with this article. There are a crazy amount of injuries in our profession and more often than not, they are entirely avoidable. The even worse part is often the person who was not paying enough, or any, attention to safety is not the one to directly suffer the consequences. Even though everything on this list is rather blatantly obvious and should just be second nature it is still a good reminder to those who might not always have safety on the brain. It seems like there have been quite a few times, based on other articles I have come across on here that people just disregard safety, thinking "Oh, that would never actually happen to me" when in reality it could happen to any of us. I think its really great the amount of emphasis that CMU Drama puts on our safety awareness.
Well who wouldn't know this? Most people know these things. They are obvious tips. Most people, even those who don't work in this profession, know this. It's common sense to have first aide and all of that. It's great to reiterate them but sometimes you've just got to give it a rest. We know. You don't have to keep saying this over and over again.
I think this article is a really important reminder. Most injuries seem to happen when people aren't paying attention, or when they are in a rush. This article points out a lot of little things that we might sometimes forget about when we are in a rush to get the job done. Taking shortcuts usually gets us no where but injured, and it's very important to remember these things. However, I think that CMU does a really great job of drilling these little things into our heads so that they become second nature. I think the Drama department does a very good job of protecting each other and making sure we are aware of the dangers around.
While these are fairly common sense things, it is always a help to keep being reminded of them. A work area is only as safe as its least safety conscious person. These are things that everyone working in a theater should have drilled into their skulls all the time. Sometimes the little things can be the most dangerous, like a wrench that has failed to be secured falling from the grid.
"The most important safety equipment that we possess [is] our brains." How true this statement is, and how easily forgotten. Safety is always the most important priority, yet every theater is lacking in their safety precautions in some way. It is definitely a good idea to take the time to review safety equipment and safety measures. All of these statements may seem obvious, but everyone lacks in some of them, either through carelessness, ignorance, or overconfidence, but we are all human beings and we are all fragile, and a stupid mistake can be made even by the greatest designers, so reminders are always a good idea, no matter how obnoxious they may be.
This is a well put together list, although seemingly obvious it never hurts to reiterate them. And I like the subtle push that NOW is the time to update your first aid kit and harness (assuming you own them at all). Its also good that staying hydrated is on this list, being dehydrated can cause people to pay less attention to their work, become very grumpy, or even just faint and most people don't really realize how serious it can be. Especially if you are working an outside job during the summer. The only one on here I don't like is the get some sleep. I don't disagree thats extremely important and if you can you should, but over the summer I would go to work at 7 in the morning and get back around 2 in the morning. I got exactly as much sleep as my employer allowed. What does one do in that situation?
What Jason fails to realize is that these are a lot of tips that most people dont know. Common sense is not something that people are born with but that people are taught. Little things like lifting with your back and not your legs yes we all have most likely been told many times but unless youve been told it you wouldnt know. This article is helpful to people new to working in sound and concert set ups or even for people managing the events and planning for the rigging and set up. As mariah said we are lucky enough that here at CMU safety and doing things right are drilled into our heads but people still need to know how to be aware of surrounding watching out for hazards, double checking that your first aid kit is up to date because it could have been used and potentially emptied. Double checking harnesses and even fire extinguishers need to be checked before starting a set up for an event or concert. You never know what is ready to be used unless you've actually inspected them
The mini I am on right now happens to be lights and sound, so I am recently fully aware of all of the dangers surrounding this line of work, seeing as how i have been doing a fare share of the dangerous things myself! People are often pretty careful when dealing with electricity because we all know of the dangers and risks of being shocked, what most people dont realize about sound is that the equipment is extremely heavy and has to ,generally, be lifted pretty high up. This is extremely dangerous for many reasons. I think this article is full of good things to know.
This article is fine, I guess. Sure, it's a good list of things to keep in mind, but these are also things that people in our industry have been told multiple times in multiple places. For a new industry professional, some of these things might be new or more detailed than other warnings they've heard, but I am always skeptical of articles like this, especially since those most likely to click on it and read it are those who already are aware of dangers and the need for these safety precautions.
Good list of the basic safety guidelines that technicians should know. However, I expected a little more from the article. I think that the "why?" was missing a lot and the why.. because. Yes, most of it SHOULD BE self explanatory, but clearly not since people keep making the same mistakes all the time. Never assume anything Jason and nothing is common sense apart from the fact that we live on earth and even that is a little confusing for some people.
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