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Stage edge safety


Alwal

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Following our health and safety audit from the local authorities, we have had a recommendation to readdress our stage edge markings.

 

Although they have said they aren’t recommending installing this product, they have flagged it in their report and passed the book on to us to asses the risk... meaning if something did happen and we hadn’t considered/made changes we’d be in the proverbial poop!

 

Does anyone have any alternative suggestions?

We currently have white lines along the edge of the stage and steps.

 

This is the email from our inspectors:

 

This is the product that I mentioned when I came out last:

 

https://www.technicalstageservices.co.uk/services/edge-safe-overview/edge-safe

 

The risk factors associated with falls from the stage will include:

· The number of pupils on stage

· Their activities (e.g. dancing) and head position

· Whether they are in costume

· Stage lighting

· Pupil behaviour

· Whether any of the pupils have visual impairment

 

The product is quite expensive so I wouldn’t recommend that you MUST install it, but it’s worth a consideration depending on what you believe the risk level to be.

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That product is good but it feels like its missing all the actual risks mentioned, save for maybe the lighting as there is the glowtape / reflex on it.

 

 

While my stage was on the flat, we always did a walk through with the actors in the lowest and "blackout" light so they had an idea of what the stage is like. I would assume that students are not being thrown on the stage for the 1st time in a blackout, so a noted part of a risk assessment would be that they have rehearsed in costume, AND actually rehearsed for some time before being on the stage, maybe some lights etc.

 

 

One possibly option is some small wood edging with glowtape and reflex on it for performances, akin to the edgesafe stuff and if you think there is enough of a risk in lessons / rehearsals then possibly some railings. IF someone has a visual imparement I would hope that they are given assistance by a pupil or staff memeber to be aware of the risk.

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It's difficult when you get this kind of advice.

 

We're reviewing this issue too. I've looked at the stuff and it's great for the front of the stage but not steps, unless I'm missing something. I'm not sure if I could be convinced that this is necessary for our school, although yours may be different of course. I'm not sure how we'll proceed but I'm fairly certain that this is overkill for our situation at present. We only have our own students in controlled conditions and our blackouts are never complete.

 

I'm also happy to hear other options. The EL wire is an interesting idea. I'm aware of it but I've never used it. I might get some to play with, not necessarily for this.

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Dimouts infuriate me - if students cannot work safely without destroying a blackout - one of the essential regular features of theatre, then they really shouldn't be considered professionally trained. This product would allow standard pro practice to be followed, much safer for the students than suddenly experiencing a real blackout for the first time. The thing that impresses me it the flight case stop feature. We have a raked stage and far too many close calls with cases. It does strike me that these things could be fabricated in house quite simply = stepped layers of 6mm ply, for example, and glow strip or other edge protection, and matt black paint. If you just want the edge to be highlighted, then a strip of 22x47mm timber with glow tape on the upstage edge would solve that one.
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Risk assessment is (and absolutely must be) a 2 way process not simply a dictat from on high.

 

Firstly identify risks and grade them accordingly to likehood of happening. Then look at solutions/prevention options and grade them according to how effective they are. Only then make decisions about whether they should be implemented because just blindly tacking on random safety gadgets builds up a culture of flippancy (“we’ve spent £20k on safety kit so everyone can stop thinking about safety now” situation) and could actually make the stage significantly less safe not more.

 

Of all the risks identified in that email the only one that an illuminated stage edge would actually help with is people entering the stage in pitch blackness; For all the other risks it would make no difference at all. As others have pointed out you could also save yourself a few grand by simply screwing some timber batten along the front edge of the stage and slapping some glow tape on the upstage edge - I can’t imagine it would cost more than £30 in materials?

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Dimouts infuriate me - if students cannot work safely without destroying a blackout - one of the essential regular features of theatre, then they really shouldn't be considered professionally trained.

Sorry we infuriate you. They aren't professionals or training to be. They're 11-15-year-olds having a bit of fun in a safe environment. Some have special needs, including visual impairment. We want to be inclusive and work within their limitations. Those who go on to become professionals (and there have been quite a few onstage and backstage) soon learn how to deal with a blackout. I tend to agree with the rest of your comments.

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Not you - the school thing where they take situations and declare them impossible. Is drama not about experience? The clue is in the historic term 'blackout' - My won feeling is education is a mirror of reality, and many of the kids at school are in dance schools or amateur theatre and they do blackouts. Schools in particular seem nowadays to have management that just don't get it. One near me plays rugby, has a pro sports centre on their property with olympic quality kids in training, including the javelin, and a gym full of scary equipment - but they cannot focus a light in the drama studio because they might be hot, and the step ladder could be fell off? The risk assessment for the sports department is managed sensibly, yet in the drama department it isn't?

 

Not having a pop at you, just the bizarre way schools and colleges sometimes work. I had a big argument with a head teacher once, who complained about the BTEC spec that needed students to do things his school had banned. Far too dangerous. I pointed him to the Circus Skills version, and the college who were doing flying trapeze work with their 16 yr olds, with a happy insurance company and a content H&S manager.

 

No offence intended - but it really does make me cross.

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I helped out at a school with wooden stage blocks (guessing at 18" high) for the 3rd & 4th years. An outside H&S assessment recommended this product to mitigate the perceived hazard, The woodwork department made a wooden clone. They had so many trip accidents while stepping off that they were discarded within a couple of months, half way through rehearsals for the end of year play.

 

Classic example of RA madness - the same school hall had climbing frames which swung out from the wall, the top was a substantial timber bolted to the wall at 3m high. The children were allowed to climb, I was allowed to use a step ladder to hang and focus lights on the lighting bar 1m above the timber but on the same day the caretaker had to use safety barriers, a tower and fall arrest harness to clean the carpet of dust on the top of the timber.

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Dimouts infuriate me

 

I understand the sentiment, but I've worked in quite a few spaces with maintained emergency lights. Even if you turn off all of the stage lighting, there's a glow. I was working in Edinburgh for the festival and the emergency light was so bright that I could see adequately in the room in total "blackout" that I could move about in the room in safety... sometimes, the requirements of emergency lighting are such that the room cannot be made dark enough for a proper blackout.

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One thing to bear in mind for the risk assessment, power failures.

Whilst EL tape or LED are very clear indicators, they do require power to be useful. Now imagine a situation where there is a power failure, plunging the stage into an unexpected and unrehearsed 'black-out'. This is where you really want the glow tape on all edges.

 

Best option, IMHO, is a combination of both LED & Glowtape. And run the LED through a simple DMX controller so that you can adjust light levels (and colour if RGB) to suit the lighting state.

ANd as suggested before, this can be easily made from ply or timber battens and painted to suit the stage.

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Just a reminder that Risk Assessment is top down and bottom up as iTom writes but also that once you install a safety measure such as this the environment has been changed by you and a new RA may be necessary. That's why I repeat that they are organic, they grow and change as we and the situations grow and change. Just add children and inexperience to change the environment and force a complete RA change.

 

Edge-Safe is good stuff but is reaction not prevention and, in my own college theatre case, would have been inappropriate. I encouraged the special needs groups to put on their own anarchic, mad shows. The problem being that some had trouble enough with flat surfaces, were fascinated by "glowy things" and the batten would have become a trip hazard. Going back two steps saw the RA involve rehearsing them to stay well back and never having full, snap B/O.

 

I have lost count of the times when RA's have inadvertently introduced new "hazards" which are not examined as such. Better to not have wheeled flightcases left on their wheels in the first place than risk a top heavy one launching itself off a stage toppled by a raised edge ..... MAYBE?

EdgeSafe is perfect in some instances and I am not there, the OP is, he is the "expert" in this case.

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Going back to the mid 90's I did a year of nightclub sound and lights work. One of the venues had experienced a number of people falling of an edge with a 2ft drop or there abouts, despite attempts to mark it with various tapes. It was actually a box around an airduct which also doubled for a cable run, it was about 20ft long and was perfect for seating. So they installed Trilite flush with the surface facing up which was deemed too bright. I created the supply witch provided an ambient light controlled voltage and included a SLA battery and mains fail relay which powered the Triite to full brightness. After that the reduced number of falls were attributed to drink. Obviously LED tape would be the way to go now.
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One thing to bear in mind for the risk assessment, power failures.

Whilst EL tape or LED are very clear indicators, they do require power to be useful. Now imagine a situation where there is a power failure, plunging the stage into an unexpected and unrehearsed 'black-out'. This is where you really want the glow tape on all edges.

Here I'd refer you to Charlotte's comment about e-light fittings. If the venue is properly assessed for emergency lighting then there is likely to be plenty of spill or even direct illumination to NOT have the stage in blackout in a power fail.

I know our aud e-lights will cast a LOT of light onto stage in that scenario.

 

 

 

 

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