J.R. Clancy Recommends Using New Rigging Standard to Help Ensure Safety and Reduce Liability

How can facilities help ensure the safety of their staff, performers, and audience? Start by answering this question: When was the facility's rigging system last inspected?

Don't know the answer? It's time.

Was it more than a year ago? It's time.

Was the rigging recently altered or repaired? It's time.

For the first time ever, this advice -- for both manual and automated rigging systems -- is now a recommended and accredited industry standard. Facilities across the US are now taking steps to ensure their compliance.

ANSI E1.47 - 2017, Entertainment Technology -- Recommended Guidelines for Entertainment Rigging System Inspections was recently published by ESTA, the Entertainment Services and Technology Association. ESTA is accredited by ANSI, the American National Standards Institute; ANSI requires a thorough, fair, and balanced standard-development process.

The new rigging inspection standard was authored by the Rigging Working Group (RWG) within ESTA's Technical Standards Program. RWG consists of a cross-section of entertainment industry professionals representing diverse interests and developing consensus-based standards and recommended practices.

According to the standard, rigging inspections are recommended as a component of theatrical workplace safety programs. But until now there were no industry-accepted guidelines for inspection frequency, inspector qualifications, inspection procedures, and inspection report content. The lack of industry-accepted guidelines was true for all inspections -- either owner-conducted or third-party.

This new standard will be useful to a wide range of personnel in the performing arts: rigging system owners, rigging system inspectors, stagehands, performers, insurance companies, and occupational health and safety authorities.

The standard offers guidance on inspecting entertainment rigging systems used to lift and support scenery, luminaires, and other equipment overhead in entertainment venues, including theatres, video/film studios, amphitheaters, and arenas used for live performances or special events.

J.R. Clancy and Wenger are helping spread the word, encouraging any venue with rigging to promote greater safety and reduce their liability risk by adopting this new ESTA/ANSI standard. Visit the ESTA TSP URL below to download a free copy of this standard for any facility's management and ownership (look for ANSI E1.47 - 2017).

John R. Clancy, an enterprising, ingenious and safety-conscious stagehand, founded J.R. Clancy in 1885 -- more than 130 years ago. The company understands theatre rigging. Clancy's safety program is dedicated to keeping the industry's new or existing facility at the forefront of theatre safety excellence and top operating performance.

All Clancy's rigging inspectors are certified through ESTA's Entertainment Technician Certification Program (ETCP), in compliance with the latest industry practices and standards. By ensuring that safety is a priority at a facility, the company can help protect performers, staff, and audience while extending the life of the facility's theatrical equipment.