blog.propared.com: The theatre industry as a whole doesn't take safety as seriously as other industries. Construction sites, for example, have very strict rules covering every facet of their work - and with good reason given the nature of the work. As theatre practitioners, there's a lot we can learn and a lot we can collectively do better.
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I think a lot of the safety concerns I see on a day to day basis comes from the fact that we are constantly working over capacity in terms of space. We frequently have people working in every possible space, with the rest filled by an ever fluctuating sea of storage. This makes the shop into a bit of an obstacle course at times, leads to people bumping into people who are operating tools, and means there are many times I’ve seen situations where sheet goods and similar leaned against one place or another have fallen over. I think we’ve made a significant improvement by adding track so we can ratchet strap items stored in the hallway to the wall, and I definitely believe everyone wants to create a safe environment. But given the current solutions for space management, and the fact that space management is a pretty low priority on the average crew call with everyone having a to-do list to finish, I don’t feel like we can be safe while outputting the volume we do. I don’t know if the solution is that we just need to do less, that we need more resources, or we just need to rethink how we use the resources we have (or maybe some combination of all three) but I do think it is worth some thought.
It wasn’t until I began working in the CMU shop that I realized how limited the safety regulations in my high school scene shop were. This article caused me to reflect upon how dangerous the shop could be when not paying close attention to protection. Before I came to college, I hadn’t thought about the importance of hard hats or hearing protection. My high school didn’t offer those means of safety (safety goggles were the main item available), so I wasn’t exposed to it at all. Yet just because theatre pulls tools from industries that aren’t necessarily related to the art (construction), that does not mean that we shouldn’t protect ourselves like they do. This year in stagecraft and during crew calls, I got used to always using PPE that now it just feels natural to me. It no longer feels like a hassle, and it will ultimately be better for me in the long run.
While it is easy to forget about things like personal protective equipment, safety should be the biggest priority in any shop or theater. For a while, I never really thought too much about safety. Especially during quick trips to the shop. I rarely wore earplugs and often didn’t wear safety glasses. The more I worked in these situations, the more I began to think about salty. Along with this, the more I worked professionally, the more I was exposed to high safety standards. I started to become much more adamant on always wearing PPE in the shop and hardhats while people were working above you. When I started high school I implemented all of these standards and they are still used there to this day. I think most theaters are trying to be safer and safer, but there is always room for improvement.
I now no longer think the safety courses that me and my fellow classmates had to take are something to be neglected or not pay attention to. I completely agree with this article, stage construction, along with any kind of construction for that matter, is extremely dangerous. One person’s forgetting something could potentially lead to another's death, Its really scary to think about all the possible injuries that can go on backstage, on stage, and during the actual construction process. While reading this article, I learned about various different examples of extremely dangerous incidents that have occurred during shows. One of the most famous is the Spiderman story. This incident has not only happened one time, but multiple. This personally scares me because I understand if a mistake has been made once because everyone messes up, no matter the degree. But this incident has occurred in multiple shows with different casts which means that not only are the crew being careless, but the procedure of the spectacle is flawed in itself, which means an entire team is being careless. This article really opened my eyes about the importance of theater safety and the degree to which someone could get hurt, and in the worst case scenario, potentially die due to someone's negligence or lack of education.
I think that in theatre we tend to neglect safety more than we should. This includes myself, but often times, I think that people, in general neglect their hearing. It is recommended that you always wear ear protection in the shop, as well doing something such as going to a concert. I think that a lot of times people neglect safety in terms of their own ego, especially when doing things such as lifting heavy objects without help, or not wearing a harness. I think the “it will not be me” mindset is very powerful, and unfortunately very prevalent in the world of theatre. I think that all of us in theatre can do a better job of educating those around us on how to be safe, and how to help create an environment more focused around promoting safety, rather than promoting our own egos, in each and every way possible.
I find it very interesting the fact that the theatre industry falls under General Industry Standards and not Construction. I can understand why, not every aspect of theatre has to do with construction, but a the aspects more overlooked do. Ideally, Entertainment Industry would have its own category, and it would be broken down to satisfy all the unsafe aspects of each area, the shops, load ins and load outs, and the performances, concerts, etc. But since that is an utopia, and companies are off to do their own. A smart thing to do is to follow the guidelines according to what looks or seems more fit to the type of work we do. If we are working at a shop, or load-ins we should be looking at construction rules. Similarly, when in performances, when there is not a lot of exposure to construction other than the random board that needs to be nailed down, we could be looking at the General Industry Standards.
I remember talking in class the other day about the number of deaths on construction sites and being really surprised at how high the number of deaths per day in that industry. That being said, I am all for pulling safety measures from other industries that might make ours safer in turn. I am always looking for the updated standard practices and guidelines to ensure that I, as well as everyone that I am working with, am working as safely as possible and in accordance with the newest standards. I know that no matter what accidents will happen, but I think that trying to prevent everything we can is of the utmost importance, especially when it comes to the health and safety of our people. I think educating both ourselves and the people around us is the most we can do to make sure theatre is the safest and best environment to work in.
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