Circus Acts

[Chris M]

Hi all,

 

I've always been interested in the Circus and more recently (in past coplue of years) Cirque Du Soleil. The thing that truly amazes me about these shows is how the tightrope walkers, trapeze artists, balancing acts etc. seem to out-do H&S procedures. In my 'common sense' somebody hanging over 25 feet from the ground from a bar, with no safety line, no safety net defys almost every health and safety procudure I know of.

 

So how do they get round this.... why dont theatres say 'no'. Is it possible to get insurance for a project like that?

 

Or is it just a case of doing everything possible to make it as safe as it can be, in which case why dont they INSIST on safety nets ALL the time??

 

I'm not saying we condem the shows, as Cirque Du Soleil are my favorite performance group, but rather I am interested as to how they seem to bend the rules slightly regarding H&S.

 

Any information on these kind of acts would be greatly apreciated, I'm not seriously thinking about doing anything like this... but you never know what the future may bring <_<

[Brian]

as to how they seem to bend the rules slightly regarding H&S

Remember that there are very few 'rules' in H&S. There is, for instance, no rule which says that you may not hit someone about the head with a wooden plank in your panto slapstick scene. What you must do is carry out a risk assessment. When done correctly this will show that hitting someone with a wooden plank is not a good idea. You then take 'controlling steps' which in this case would probably be to substitute a polystyrene plank.

 

If someone comes into your theatre with a proper risk assessment then you should be confident that it will be safe.

[Bryson]

You'll find with trapeze/high-wire etc type of acts is that thier risk assessments features "rehearsal and skilled performers" as the primary control measure for the risks involved - that's basically the way it's justified. It's the same reason we can get away without a handrail along the front edge of the stage, just taken to the extreme.

[Piers Shepperd]

I've seen a few cirque shows, and know they have a huge staff and budget to match (based in Montreal). I would imagine that they follow a set of guidelines that will have evolved as safety has become more important around the world.

 

Follows is really rough guide to how we "got away" with so much perceived "risk" on the Central Show.

 

We pushed the boundarys of what was "accepted" to be safe for the flying of performers. This went far beyond risk assessments (which still remained one of the key drivers in keeping the show safe). We had to first satisfy ourselves and then various other groups that we were following HSE guidance and other industry guidelines.

We quickly discovered that we could push the boundarys (in a safe way) and use the paperwork trail to prove that we had created the safety culture necessary to support the flying of performers.

The flying of performers is by its nature very dangerous, but these dangers can be minimised;

 

1) Performer Training and rehearsals. This involved for us a massive training school and courses in conjunction with employing recognised experts in the field.

2) Engineering. Employ an independant firm of engineers to check all of the calculations that you & your suppliers are making. The key factor is getting independant people onboard, who will not be swayed by emotional or cost factors and can check your calcs.

3) Technician Training. As important as performer training. Again use recognised industry professionals to do this training, to add credibility to what you are doing.

4) Management. Ensure that every person on the team understands what is expected of them and who they report to.

5) Safety Culture. This is something that should be the bedrock of any production. Employ someone who knows what is required to set this up and more importantly keep it relevant and make changes when something is not working. This includes Risk Assessments, Method Statements and general risk management.

 

The biggest thing I learned about Risk Assessments, is that they are far more then just a piece of paper. They allow you to highlight what the hazards and risks maybe, but this is worthless unless they are acted on.

 

I can't comment on the one serious aerial accident that happened in the dome (very nasty fall from a biosphere operated by another company), but do know that in the Central Show we had no major incidents. The biggest accidents came from people on the ground suffering slips, trips and falls.

[James]

Not cirque but Incidents like this are not good news for people trying these types of stunts.

 

 

James

[trussmonkey]

Like peirs I worked on the central show at the millennium dome as a aerial tech (rigger) . I have also toured for a couple of years with cirque du soleil. the only way true safety can be achieved is buy the use of secondary means of suspension i.e. a safety line. but in 90% of situations this is unrealistic. so our next best option is to make 150% sure that a) the kit and rig is a safe as it can possibly be. b) have all the necessary paper work in place to minimise the risk. c) the artist must be experienced enough in his/her field to perform the act etc etc . I have seen friends fall from circus kit during shows and rehearsals its not a nice thing to watch ( and im sure that it is not a nice thing to experience).