KidRay

Some interesting points here, and some absolute tosh. I'll let you decide which is which. My point, which I stand by, is that if this sort of discussion makes one person involved in one show somewhere in the world think twice, double or triple check something, or question something which is not directly their responsibility, and that leads to the prevention of injury or death, then it's worth it. Yes, I will be interested, as many others will, in the actual cause(s) of the collapse, when the investigation is complete some months down the line, but I'm prepared to put up with a bit of speculation, ghoulish or otherwise, if it keeps the subject of safety fresh in everyone's mind. Incidentally, referring back to b-g's post #11, my brother-in-law was killed in a road traffic accident at the age of 19, before the huge popularity of internet forums, and I'm sure people speculated about the cause of that; was he speeding, drunk etc. If that discussion/speculation led to one person driving home a bit slower, not having an extra drink, looking twice at a junction, then speculate away. (the other driver was drinking - milk, as it happens, while driving)

A tragedy indeed, and my thoughts are with the friends and family of those involved. I didn't know Scott (the technician who was killed) personally, but he was a friend of a friend, and there is much sadness in this little community of ours. I do, however, disagree that we shouldn't be talking about it. There may be a degree of speculation, but we at the Blue Room are the people who are most likely to be directly involved in events of this kind as performers or technicians and I, for one, would like to be as sure as possible that my life is not at risk when I'm doing my job. If this sort of thing can happen, as it seems to be doing more frequently recently, to bands and shows at the top of the profession who DO have the budget to do everything necessary to make things safe, it does raise serious concerns about safety when budgets are stretched for those of us working lower down the ladder. If any of this makes one rigger/stage designer/safety officer etc. think twice, or double check something it will be worth it.