Stage & Event Riggers
Concerts, theaters, sports and conventions hang lights, speakers and screens above performers and audiences. Entertainment riggers work with chain hoists, truss and roof structures, often high above the floor. Failure can hurt many people.
- Entertainment
- Riggers
- Event Crews
Hazards
- Falling loads: truss, lights, speakers and screens that may fall on crew or audience.
- Falls from catwalks, grids, ladders and lifts.
- Overloaded structures: a roof, beam or ground support not rated for the weight.
- Wind and weather: outdoor stages can collapse in storms. Wind loads on screens and roofs are large.
- Electrical shock from power cables and lights. See Temporary Power.
- Pinch points and stored energy in motors and winches.
- Crowd hazards around barricades and egress.
Rigging practice
- Use qualified riggers. Many hold entertainment rigging certifications (ETCP). See Qualified Riggers.
- Get the venue's approved rigging points and load limits from the building engineer. Do not rig to pipes, ducts or other unrated items.
- Calculate load and angle effects on slings, shackles, motors and hardware. See Sling Hitches and Shackles.
- Use redundancy: a secondary safety attachment (steel wire rope or similar) on overhead items in case the primary fails.
- Use rated chain motors and controllers, and keep the chain bag secured and the motor within its duty rating. See Chain Hoists.
- Follow the plan and drawings. Mark exclusion zones under overhead work.
- Use fall protection when working at height, with rescue plans. See Personal Fall Arrest Systems.
Before the show
- Inspect all hardware, trusses, motors and slings for damage and wear. See Sling Inspection
- Confirm ground support and roof structures are rated by an engineer
- Check the weather forecast and have a wind and lightning action plan to lower or evacuate
- Brief everyone on emergency plans and the exit routes
- Keep the stage area free of unauthorized people during rigging
Standards & references
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