Are we legal?

[jonhole]

I've worked on a panto at a village hall for a few years, doing sound and lighting for them.

This year, there is interest in getting two Mac250 entours, mainly for specials, spot effects, and a few colour changing/movement things.

 

This has brought up the question of if the bar can hold the weight. The more I find out about the bar, the more I worry!

 

I've searched and found this here, but was wondering where we stand legally, and from a 'usual' insurance point of view (we are insured via NODA).

 

The bar, about 5-6m long, has two supports going through a supported roof (a non-removable paneled one) to what I'm told is the 'building support truss'). The old bar was '4ft shorter', with 4 internal 'channels'. The caretakers replaced it with this new one, which now has 12 channels. The original was first put up quite a few years ago (I would expect 30years +).

 

So, I know it will hold the weight it has been used for previously (around 60kg), and logically if I don't know, I shouldn't load it any more then this unless I get it checked out properly, but legally am I even allowed to do that?

 

Cheers guys,

 

 

btw: Where could we go to get it tested 'by professionals'? We're in the Exeter area. A poster in the linked topic said it cost them about £1000... is this a good indication of an approximate cost?

[Ike]

Assuming the bar is fixed ie. it can't be raised or lowered it's not covered by the Lifting Operations and Lifting Equipment Regulations (LOLER), you therefore don't legally have to mark it with a safe working load, have it tested or anything like that.

 

Under general health and safety law you do have to ensure it's safe and carry out a risk assessment for it's use. It's up to whoever does the risk assessment to decide what reasonably practical measures should be taken to ensure it's safe for its intended use.

[jonhole]

Thanks Ike.

I assume, if it was a fly bar of some kind, it would have to be tested and then marked - and hence, abided by.

Although it is a fixed bar, I might suggest 'treating' it as a fly bar, and hence treat it with the same laws and regulations.

[Ike]

I assume, if it was a fly bar of some kind, it would have to be tested and then marked - and hence, abided by.

Not quite. It would have to be marked with a safe working load (SWL), it would have to be regularly inspected and records kept of it's inspection but it wouldn't necessarily need to be tested.

 

Although it is a fixed bar, I might suggest 'treating' it as a fly bar, and hence treat it with the same laws and regulations.

Doesn't really make much sense in my opinion. LOLER means frequent testing and lots of paperwork - these are pointless for 99% of fixed bars. What you may want to do is mark it with a safe maximum load as decided upon by a competent person. You might also want to test it with a proof load of say 150% of the safe maximum load but that's really up to your risk assessment.

[jonhole]

OIC, I didn't realise about the regular inspecting and paper work. Like you say, no it's not worth doing all that.

I will look into getting it marked though. Where do I look to find someone who can do this?

I have emailed SLX, hopefully they can help but I expect it will be pricey.

[Just Some Bloke]

SLX...pricey

Ah, those two terms go together so easily, don't they? Like Morecambe and Wise.

 

:)

[Jivemaster]

FIRST look round all the members for a suitable competent professional! Architect, structural engineer, etc! There will be a need for an initial inspection, to determine what actually holds the bar off the floor!

[Biskit]

There will be a need for an initial inspection, to determine what actually holds the bar off the floor!

 

I saw a very scary example of this in a venue (Hotel conference room) I worked in a few years ago. We rigged all our own temporary hanging points, however there was also an installed lighting bar which the hotel used regularly for moving lights and allsorts, though we left it empty (thankfully, as we later discovered...).

 

When up in the roof I noted with horror how this bar was held up: around the bar were 2" pipe clamps (the kind used for 50mm steel heating pipes) every 4m or so along the bar. From these, M10 threaded rod extended up through the suspended ceiling into the loft space. These were each (I kid you not) very badly tack-welded to bits of scrap angle-iron which in turn were tack-welded to the nearest RSJ. No safety lines... if the welds gave, the bar would fall.

 

We put our observations in writing to the venue management, but haven't been back since so I've no idea what has happened (if anything).

 

Ben.