Production Safety In The Eye Of A Financial Hurricane
Moderator
Bill Rahmy | production manager
Jim Bodenheimer | Egotrips Inc.
Mary Lou Figley | Stageco
Jake Berry | production manager
Ed Kish | Kish Rigging
Mitch Margolin | Cat Ent’ment Services
Cliff Sharpling | Metallica lighting crew
Inspector Gerry Travens | LAFD
Although the panel was to discuss safety costs in the time of the Great Recession, there was one problem: safety is a nuanced topic. It isn’t affected by a recession as much
as it is by inconsistencies and regulations.
How does one handle additional insured on a COI addendum? How does one manage a task when the local union doesn’t provide enough people? How does one hang a sky cam? How does one manage back-stage guests?
In good times and bad, the devil’s in the details.
“Are we safer than we were 20 years ago? I think it’s debat-able, to tell you the truth,” said Jake Berry who, over the years, has been a production manager for everyone from U2 to the Rolling Stones to Barney the Dinosaur. The problem is dealing with regulations from country to country.
“It’s really annoying when you can do 50 shows and you always have a fire extinguisher by the stage left tower, and you come out on show 51 and a safety officer says, ‘We don’t like the position. You have to move it,’” Berry said. “A fire could happen on that show and all the crew will run to the stage left tower. To me, they’re just not listening to us.”
That, plus “stupid” regulations, like one that will keep a worker from riding a bike down a ramp but will allow a golf cart, are the things that drive Berry nuts.
Also, safety means expense. Nowadays, rather than rely on vendor expertise, production managers need to get engineer reports. Because of it, engineer-ing costs for U2’s 360 tour were “astronomical” – twice what Berry budgeted.
Many times it became clear that production has become more proactive about safety concerns. Ed Kish has a professional engineer on staff and his employees are Industrial Rope Access Trade Association trained, and certified as competent under OSHA for use of fall protection equipment. Mitch Margolin’s company, usually first on the scene to provide electricity, will address safety concerns before the fire department even shows up.
And, of course, Jim Evans of highly respected Mountain Productions, who spoke from the audience, was equally clear about how well he trains his staff – but also how much responsibility is thrust upon his company to monitor non-employees.
The panel was asked specific questions and gave specific answers.
For instance, would Berry or Bodenheimer ever allow sky cams at their shows? Yes.
In fact, Berry had one for U2’s Rose Bowl show. As long as it’s received verification, building and safety approval and has gone through a structural engineer or rigging engineer, a sky cam is viable.
How can a tour manager handle the local promoter who brings too many people backstage? Inspector Gerry Travens said the fire depart-ment can help handle that, work-ing in conjunction with security and playing the heavy by citing “occupant load.”
“[That situation] will never go away,” Berry said, then joked, “Or you can embellish it, like NASCAR, and encourage it and sell passes to go backstage or something like that.”
Evans asked how panelists handled the Certificate of Insur-ance addendum when everybody from the city council to the janitor wants to be an additional insured.
“Stageco traditionally will turn around and say, ‘OK, we’re good; we can provide you with that COI with the 15 people added,’” Mary Lou Figley said, “‘but I want to see Stageco added on those
15 persons’ COIs as well.’ That’s how we do battle.”
Evans was also one of many to address the concerns of local stagehands. A production com-pany will request 40, but the union will send 30 and only 20 of them will be competent. Rick Mueller of Gibson Amphitheatre added to that, noting that some union workers are at retirement age and others are starting off in the business – both can be safety risks.
That produced a response by Jake Goldman of the Hollywood Palladium, which contracts with IATSE Local 33. The union con-tracts with CPR, which teaches underprivileged youth skills like rigging and carpentry. With the proper supervision, CPR apprentices can be beneficial to show production. (Mark Sidlow of Gibson Amphitheatre noted that Local 33 is “pressuring” smaller buildings to use CPR.)
Finally, a comment Ralph Marchetta of U.S. Airways Center made early in the ses-sion resonated with the panelists: A venue can go a long way to helping a touring production by working with the local fire marshal before the tour ever rolls into the building.
|Joe Reinartz|