Print this Page

Useful information to help create a healthy and safe working environment.

Sources

Contract Services Administration Trust Fund- www.csatf.org
Entertainment Electrical Safety Committee of Ontario - www.eesco.ca
Fluke - www.fluke.com
NIOSH - www.cdc.gov/niosh
OSHA - www.osha.gov
Theatre Safety Programs (Jerry Gorrell)

General

Imminent Danger—OSHA Fact Sheet: What is "immenent danger" and why is it important to know? This fact sheet from the U.S. Department of Labor Occupational Safety and Health Administration points out what you should know.

Electrical

Power Line Distances: One of the most common electrical fatalities involves accidental contact with energized overhead power lines. This safety bulletin from the Contract Services Administration Trust Fund provides minimum required clearances from overhead conductors based on voltage.

Basic Electical Safety Precautions for the Motion Picture and Television Off-Studio Lot Location Productions: Safety bulletin from City of Los Angeles Chief Electrical Inspector Robert England covering grounding requirements, methods, and recommendations, overcurrent protection, and general equipment requirements for location shooting and production.

Working with 480-Volt Systems: Working with 480 volts increases the risk of arc flash, arc blast, and lethal shock compared to working with lower voltage systems. This safety bulletin from the Contract Services Administration Trust Fund provides helpful information about safe working methods, color coding, grounding procedures, and more.

Guidelines for Working with Lighting Systems and Other Electrical Equipment: General safety measures for working with electrical equipment, replacing fuses and circuit breakers, working with power tools, rigging, connecting power systems, color coding, guarding of live parts, working with portable and vehicle-mounted generators, grounding practices, and more. Safety bulletin issued by the Contract Services Administration Trust Fund.

Ontario Television, Film, Live Performance and Event Electrical Guidelines: From the Canadian Electrical Safety Authority (ESA), this 55-page document includes definitions, general practices, power sources, temporary power distribution, Ontario electrical safety code references, glossary, rating of generator sets, acceptable certification and field approval marks, and more. Topics include permits, reporting serious electrical accidents, personnel, equipment and operations, generator sources, utility sources, film and television main and load distribution boxes, minimum size of grounding conductor, and more.

Electrical Safety—Safety and Health for Electrical Trades: This student manual is part of a safety and health curriculum for secondary and post-secondary electrical trades courses. The manual is designed to engage the learner in recognizing, evaluating, and controlling hazards associated with electrical work. It was developed through extensive research with vocational instructors, and it is published by the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, and the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health.

10 Dumb Things People Do When Testing Electricity: Anyone who makes their living by working with electricity quickly develops a healthy respect for anything with even a remote chance of being "live." Yet the pressures of getting a job done on time or getting a mission-critical piece of equipment back on line can result in carelessness and uncharacteristic mistakes by even the most seasoned electrician. The list
below was developed as a quick reminder of what not to do when taking electrical measurements. Published by the Fluke Corporation.

Lockout/Tagout: Lockout is when a padlock is placed on a disconnect switch, circuit breaker, valve handle or other energy- isolating device that is in the off or closed position and tagout iis when a warning tag is placed on the energy-isolating device that is in the closed position. This document from Theatre Safety Programs spells out the procedures for proper lockout and tagout of an electrical service for maintenance and troubleshooting.

Rigging

Aerial Lifts: Various types of aerial lifts are used every day in our jobs. As use of these lifts becomes routine it is easy to overlook the things which must be done to safely use these very effective tools. This short guide published by Theatre Safety Programs provides important information for the safe operation of aerial lifts.

Personnel Lifts: Personnel lifts are extremely useful machines. However, if not operated in accordance with the manufacturer’s instructions and accepted practice they can become extremely dangerous. This document covers inspection, operation, and a useful check list for the safe operation of a personnel lift. Published by Theatre Safety Programs.

Fall Arresting (Protection) Systems: This helpful document summarizes the requirements for fall protection requirement including OSHA requirements, controlled access zones, safety monitoring, types of fall protection systems, parts of a fall arrest system, 10 critical requirements for an anchorage point, recommendations, requirements, and more. Published by Theatre Safety Programs.

Ladder Safety: Thirteen-percent of workplace deaths and over 16% of the workplace injuries are falls, and ladders are involved in many of these accidents. This handy document from Theatre Safety Programs covers relevant standards, inspection, storage, ratings, setup, procedures for use, and provides a safety check list for working with ladders.

Manual Rigging System Operation: Counterweight rigging systems should only be operated by trained, authorized personnel. This guide offers practical information about the safe operation of manually operated counterweighted rigging systems. Published by Theatre Safety Programs.