opman Posted September 26, 2006 Share Posted September 26, 2006 Does anyone have any experience of using large safety air bags for fall arrest purposes? I am thinking about lemming-like performers and the orchestra pit in one of my venues. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Simon Lewis Posted September 26, 2006 Share Posted September 26, 2006 Does anyone have any experience of using large safety air bags for fall arrest purposes?sorry, but no...I am thinking about lemming-like performers and the orchestra pit in one of my venues. Just an observation... soft landing systems at low level are quite low on the hierarchy of equipment selection. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bryson Posted September 26, 2006 Share Posted September 26, 2006 You realise that this isn't actually real, right? ;) Seriously though, airbags in pits sound like a bad idea, but I have seen a number of venues with nets to prevent the same problem. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Stuart91 Posted September 26, 2006 Share Posted September 26, 2006 My understanding of the H&S issue would be that it is better to take steps to prevent a fall from happening, rather than putting measures in place to minimise the serverity of the fall. Is there anything you can do to help your performers stay on the stage? Light coloured tape along the front, or even a raised lip? Or a large sign at the back of the auditorium? ;) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
opman Posted September 26, 2006 Author Share Posted September 26, 2006 Thanks to those who have replied so far. I agree that this is a last resort. A net has been investigated but there are issues with fitting one. Yes there are standard safety measures - lip, warning signs, hazard tape etc - plus incoming companies have it in their safety briefing. Still doesn't stop the occasional plunge and as it's about a 6' drop anything that could be done to minimise the severity of the consequences needs to be investigated. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PeterT Posted September 26, 2006 Share Posted September 26, 2006 With all due respect, if you've got warning signs, a lip, hazard tape and written into the safety notes of the venue I would say you've done as much as reasonably practicable to do. If people are still falling lemming-like into your pit then I would say your control measures need to be upgraded to include physical barriers that can be removed for performance, and I'm thinking along the lines of the temporary barriers they use at roadworks. I'd say it's good that you're thinking about it but if it's a big pit the bag's gonna be massive and a pain to store when it's not in use. I believe stunt air bags are meant to deflate slightly on impact otherwise the stuntman would be catapulted back the way he came! so you wouldn't be able to leave it like a bouncy castle, permanently connected to an air supply, you'd have to inflate it, leave it, top it up, leave it etc... In my book if you've done all you say you have then that's what your risk assessment is there for You've assessed the risk, checked the control measures and done all that is reasonably practicable to do. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Brian Posted September 26, 2006 Share Posted September 26, 2006 It's my understanding, from a conversation with a scaffold company a couple of weeks back, that once 'used' a bag will need to be sent away to be tested plus they have a quite short period of time between regular inspections. Which would probably mean you'd need at least two of them. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Don Allen Posted September 26, 2006 Share Posted September 26, 2006 His Majesty's Theatre in Perth, Western Australia, which is our major venue, has a safety net along the stage edge during performances to protect the orchestra from falling performers, the net is not too visible to the audience. http://www.safetyline.wa.gov.au/institute/...re21/l21_04.asp When an orchestra pit is in use, it is not practical to use any other catching system due to music stands, chairs and musicians Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mikienorth Posted September 26, 2006 Share Posted September 26, 2006 Is there something different to your venue to most others in the country that causes people to fall off the stage into the pit with a reasonable degree of regularity? In two years I have never seen it here, and in previous experience the only person to go off a pit where I have worked was me, and I stepped two inches onto a piano top, it was a shallow pit... My understanding of a pit net is it tends to be there to catch props, as to be a suitable net to catch a person, most of those you see installed are stapled to the pit edge, or held up with string, neither of which will support a person. Risk assesment, and rehearsal of the cast, along with reasonable control measures such as little LEDS, a hidden rope light, a different coloured edge, etc, etc, all seem to stop performers going for a dive effectivley. Airbags are cumbersome and nasty things, the only time I have experience of them is in motorsport air fencing, where, if an impact is sustained, they have to be checked, and re-inflated at the end of the session. The only show I have seen using some sort of crash matting was Starlight's last tour, which had good reason, putting actors on wheels is generally a recipe for disaster... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Roderick Posted September 27, 2006 Share Posted September 27, 2006 On a lighter note:http://www.stagesafety.com/Stuff/toon1a.jpgPinched from a very interesting website - Crowdsafe Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sfxtech Posted October 6, 2006 Share Posted October 6, 2006 At my current job we use airbags all the time. If anyone is familiar with Cirque du Soleil's "KA" you will know that there really isn't a stage, just a large.... VERY large void. We have a couple different types of airbags... 1. the "just in case" air bags2. the "people are supposed to fall here" airbags.the "just incase" are meant for the artists that are on stage with a large fall hazard behind them, I think they are rated for up to a 30-40 foot fall... errr....10-12 metersThen we have the other bag... it is rated for up to a 70 foot (20 meter) fall. 10 times a week, several artists fall into this bag, one of them falling about 60 feet. We also have 2 acrobatic nets that are brought to tension with hydraulic winches. The large air bag is actually suspended by one of these nets making it as comfortable as it can be for someone to fall 60-70 feet into. If you are thinking of putting one in a pit, make sure there is enough room around the edges. The airbags have large holes that are held closed with elastic bungee, when someone falls the hole opens and allows the air to escape, stopping them from bouncing off... if the sides don't have enough room, air won't get out, and the person might just end up back on stage. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
opman Posted October 6, 2006 Author Share Posted October 6, 2006 Thanks - do you know the name of the supplier? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chris Higgs Posted October 14, 2006 Share Posted October 14, 2006 Safeforce LtdBeckwith KnowleOtley RoadHarrogateHG3 1UD Tel 0870 75 85 999 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
GUSTie Posted October 16, 2006 Share Posted October 16, 2006 we used air bags a while back and they were a lot of hassle you need to train everyone who uses them and it takes all day. If you fall onto an air bag wrongly then you can still do yourself a lot of damage, it strikes me that it would be a lot easer just to train them not to fall of the stage or to get a line of techs to stand in the pit to catch them temp barriers sound like a good idea.Airbags would be fun though. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Storm_machine Posted October 16, 2006 Share Posted October 16, 2006 There are big fiber filled bags used on construction jobs, I see them inside the founds whilst the floor joists and roof trusses are going in, bit bulky to store when you empty the pit though C Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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