South Africa is annually increasing it’s share of superstars to our shores. The list of names and groups are impressive. In 2013 the likes of Cirque du Soleil, John Cleese, Red Hot Chili Peppers and the heart-throb Justin Bieber graced many of our big capacity entertainment venues. And in January & February 2014 alone: Bruce Springsteen, Bryan Adams and Carlos Santana will be playing to sold out capacities.
Along with these superstars are their professional back-up crews – the production management that can make or break the successful completion of these high-powered tours.
It is customary for these international production management companies to source local crew to work under their direction rather than bringing out a virtual tribe of essential riggers, lighting and sound staffers.
USA’s Jim Digby is one such head honcho who oversees many high-powered productions and has been a part of the initiative for an Event Safety Alliance (ESA). Jim is no stranger to South Africa as Production Manager to a number of superstar productions.
Digby said today. “With the first edition of the ESA guide complete, we now move our focus to efforts helping professionals apply its contents in the planning and safe execution of their events. Among the many developing resources on the horizon by the ESA is safety leadership training for event professionals.
According to Chester Bennington, lead vocalist of multi-platinum rock band LINKIN PARK, ‘ I’d like to express for the entire music community, both professional and nonprofessional, our gratitude to the ESA for considering our safety, the audiences safety and the well-being of all by ensuring that every possible consideration for venue and operational safety and security have been assessed by the industries’ top professionals. The tragedies that will be prevented by your unwavering dedication to all of our safety means that the work of the ESA will — in the greatest way — go unnoticed as we go home each night without incident’.
Developed in response to a series of accidents within the live event industry, the Event Safety Guide is a collection of best practices culled from the experience and insight of top professionals within the event industry. Prior to the Event Safety guide, no such comprehensive collection of guidance existed that industry professionals could refer to covering many of the unique hazards the industry faces. The ESA serves as a one-stop reference to help users ask the right questions while planning for and managing events. It addresses a broad range of topics relevant to most events including emergency planning, weather preparedness and personal protective equipment, as well as technical issues such as temporary staging, rigging and special effects. The guide has been intentionally designed for field use, written in straightforward language with contents organized topically to aid in quick access to information.
In South Africa there is the over 100 page SANS 10366 entitled ‘Health & Safety at Event – Requirements’ which also used the UK’s Purple Book as a source to South Africa’s standard of requirements.
How SANS 10366 shapes up to the Event Safety Alliance is likely to be a pertinent issue going forward and it is hoped the TPSA (Technical Production Services Association) together with the ESA’ training motivation as the next step will provide a comparison between these various guides.
