Calling all professional lighting technicians!

[Just Some Bloke]

In the Safety Forum there is a very interesting thread on how safe Tallescopes are when focussing. It seems to be the case that not enough research has been done on this and Chris Higgs of ABTT seems interested in hearing from people about their experiences.

 

I've therefore set up this poll to see what the situation is out there in the real world.

 

What do you use for focussing? How safe has it been up to now? If you use a Tallescope do you move it with a person in the basket, and if so do you have 2 people at the bottom or 4?

 

Don't forget that the poll is confidential and no-one will know how you voted, so you can tell the truth without fear of reprisals from the H&S boys and girls!

 

PLEASE NOTE that this poll is for professional technicians only. There is another poll for amateur and educational venues. Make sure you vote in the correct poll and in one only.

 

Thanks for your help.

 

 

Edit: Just realised that if you have answered yes to the second question, we won't know what type of access you were using at the time. Would people answering "yes" please PM me with details if you wouldn't mind (optional, obviously).

[TeeJay]

I don't have one particular answer to this poll

 

Our main means of access onstage is a single person battery powered vertical lift. We also have a tallescope that is currently used in accordance with manufacturers guidelines, but previously was used with a minimum of two people at the base or more if the circumstances required it (working on a raked stage for example). Or the lighting could be bounce focused, or reached by ladders, depending on the bar height for a given show.

 

The Front of House lighting is reachable from catwalks, or from standing.

 

I have seen two tallescopes go over - one unmanned when conduit at the bottom of a leg caught an outrigger and tipped it. This was at my current venue a little over a year ago

 

The second was at a venue mostly crewed by students. I'm not going to mention any names or dates but it was some years ago and we had been working long hours (first mistake) to get a large rig up and focused. Most of us were on catwalks away from the stage and we had one person moving the 'scope (second mistake) with someone else in the basket doing the focus (third mistake). The stage was raised up from the floor level around 2ft or so and the scope itself was at about 5 metres.

It was being turned and one wheel just slipped off of the front.

 

One average sized person, fatigued, can not catch a 'scope that is overbalancing, particularly if there is weight in the basket.

 

I'm leaving that sentence on it's own and I'm not certain the word fatigued is needed.

I do believe that we were fortunate that the person in the basket had the sense to remain in the basket as it fell until they were bounced out by the impact of the 'scope hitting the floor. Even so, their elbow was completely smashed and it took surgery, steel pins, and several months of therapy to regain, I think, 85% mobility in that arm..

 

For all that people moan about being unable to wheel tallescopes with people in them, in actually what it means is that two or three crew are needed who can focus. Give each of them an area to focus (pipe ends, specials, general wash) and let them alternate climbing the ladder. Once the 'scope is in position and fully and safely locked off, you don't need people at the bottom footing it. Yes it takes longer but it doesn't require any more crew. It just requires more planning at the focus session.

Just a thought ...

[musht]

Long time ago, tallescope one person in basket,

two movers,

accidentally left one wheel brake on,

moved,

twisted toppled on umanned outrigger,

person in basket got smashed hips from landing in stalls,

recovered mostly after 8 months of physio.

[MarkPAman]

The only tallescope accident I've see was when a 'scope set up for a raked stage was wheeled on the wrong way round. As the guy was climbing it stated to tip. As he was not in the basket he was able to jump clear and was unhurt. The drumkit in the pit was not so lucky.

[woody74]

One that is not listed (or falls into the "other" choice) that I see often is a ladder on a wheeled platform, so the focuser can pull himself along the grid.

 

I can just hear the cries of "You fool!" now...

 

-w

[gareth]

The only tallescope accident I've see was when a 'scope set up for a raked stage was wheeled on the wrong way round. As the guy was climbing it stated to tip. As he was not in the basket he was able to jump clear and was unhurt. The drumkit in the pit was not so lucky.

With respect, if the guy climbing the 'scope wasn't paying sufficient attention to notice that the ladder he was about to climb was leaning dangerously and obviously to one side (which it would've been - if it had been anti-raked then wheeled on the wrong way round the lean would be twice the angle of the rake, which even on a fairly shallow rake would put the 'scope's basket an awfully long way out to the side!!), then he shouldn't be allowed anywhere near a stage, never mind being allowed to use specialised access equipment. Maybe that's a bit harsh .... but if you're going up a scope on a rake, you check the antirake on the scope - if you don't, you've no-one but yourself to blame for the consequences.

[MarkPAman]

That's about what I & most of the crew thought at the time. As I was only there for the get-out I don't know who he was, or why he was climbing to a bar that was going to be lowered in about 10 minutes anyway. For his own safety, he was sent home before the drummer was informed!