T,wo years ago during a tour stop inMemphis, a stagehand becomes exhaustedwhile climbing up a 40joot wire rope ladder to his truss spot on the lighting truss, Unable to continue climbing up or climb down, he eventually lets go andfalls to his death on the cement floO/: Lastyeal; at a stop on the 1995 Billy joel/ Elton john tOUl; another stagehand climbing a wire rope ladder misses a rung near the top and falls, But this time, he only falls about afoot before his retractable lifeline stops him, He regains his footing on the laddeJ; unharmed

JIIustrations by Steve Nelson

hen working high above the arena floor, riggers are constantly aware that just one slip, one little mistake can result in a careel~ending (even life-ending) fall. No mistakes are allowed, niess, that is, the rigger is connected to an engineered fall arrest system, This article is a brief introduction to fall protection in tlle entertainment industry, Two systems will be exanlined that address different kinds of fall hazards, One is a P01~ table system for protecting stagehands as they climb up to and then move across lighting trusses, The other is a permanently installed system for protecting riggers while they are working in the high steel of an arena, The truss system used in the REM, show was developed by Stage Rigging, Inc. (owned by co-author Rocky Paulson) in conjunction with Surety Manufacturing and Testing, a company specializing in fall protection equipment The fall protection system in the high steel at the Gund Arena was designed by Fall Arrest Systems, Inc. using ManSafe fall protection components, Aresource list-books, OSHA publications and contact information for the companies mentioned in tltis article-is provided on page 19,

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WORKING WITHOUT A NET For many years, state and federal regulations have been in place which require adequate fall protection in the workplace, nfortunately, in the entertainment business, most employers have been unaware of, or unconcerned about, their liability should a worker fall and get injured, To compound the problem, most stagehands have been unaware of the availability of fall protection equipment (other than mountaineering gear which is generally innapropriate for fall protection), But things are improving: fall protection systems are starting to appear on the lighting trusses of touring shows and some large venues have recently installed permanent fall protection systems, For the past twenty years or so, since touring shows began hoisting lighting trusses up on inverted chain motors, the stagehands who work aloft on the high steel and on the flown trusses have pretty much been responsible for their own safety-rel}~ng on strength, good balance lmd luck Recently, many riggers and lighting teclll1icians have begun using some of the safety gear used by rock climbers: a seat harness, wltich is worn at all times when aloft, is secured by a lanyard to any convenient building steel whenever the worker feels insecure, Tltis is obviously better than notlting, however, when the worker is moving (up a wire rope ladder, along the truss, or along the high steel), he or she is unattached lUld thus once again dependent on strength, good balance and, oh yes, luck, to keep from falling, Afall protection system cobbled together using mountaineering gear is clearly inadequate, In the past 25 years, since the enactment of the Occupational Safety and Health Act of 1970, a great deal of research and practical experience using fall protection in a multitude of industrial workplaces has led to advances in fall protection geill' and system design, In addition, OSHA regulations have been updated (most notably the 1994 Safety Standards for Fall Protection in the Construction Industry) and industry consensus standards have been adopted like the ANSI Z359, I, So today, even a relatively small induslIy like rock 'n roll touring has no excuse for not taking the appropriate steps to protect workers from accidental falls, TD&T

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The Gund Arena in Cleveland, opened in 1995. is designed to be the home of the Clereland Caraliers basketball teanl as well as host to a \ride variety of sports and touring entel1ainment events. Architects and structural engineers Ellerbe Becket, Inc. took into account the rigging needs of touring shows when they engineered the bottom chords of the main roof trusses, some catwalks, and some spanner beams between the roof trusses specifically to facilitate rigging show equipment to them. They even designed access to all of these riggable beanls and catwalks by elevator and stairs,

THE HORIZONTAL LIFELINE SYSTEM The fall arrest system in the high steel at the Gund Arena is based on a series of horizontal lifelines installed seven feet above the riggable steel (the bottom chord of the roof trusses and the box rigging beams spanning between them), Each of the twelve horizontal lifelines are constructed of 5/16 inch 7 x stainless steel wire rope and range in continuous length (rom 115 feet to 225 feet, each line supported by (but not connected to) D-ring and hanger assemblies bolted into vertical steel truss members about evel)' 35 to 40 feet. An energy-absorbing mechanism (CableGuard" Energy Absorber) is installed at one anchorage point in each of the horizontal lifelines. In the event of a fall on a lifeline, tillS device reduces (by up to 30%) tile peak loads that would otllenvise be communicated to the cable, anchorages and building structure. The horizontal lifelines on the longer east-west roof truss beams are engineered to accept a maximum of three workers per lifeline at anyone time. The lifelines on tile north-south box rigging beanls are engineered for only two workers. Riggers wear OSHA-approved full-body harnesses equipped with an energy absorbing six foot lanyard attached to the back hamess dorsal D-ring (DuraLite #850 Full Body Harnesses and Sofstop L1.I1yard # 90 IRLS. bOtll (rom Miller Equipment), The Gund Arena owns all tile harnesses and lanyards. House Rigger Ruben Turner makes a point of storing the hal' nesses, with lanyards attached, up at the catwalk! rigging level because he feels that doing so helps make the mental association in the riggers' minds [4

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that tllese specific harnesses and shock absorbing lanyards are an integral paI1 of the overall fall protection system. Riggers hook tlleir lanyards onto the horizontal lifelines using a propreitaI)' lifeline attachment mech:ullsm called a TraIlsfastner. TillS device is designed to roll past the intermediate cable support assemblies, thus elinllnating the need for riggers to disconnect and reconnect tlleir laIlyards willie tlley are out on tile I-beanls. The unit looks like a small round-cheeked block with all eye at tile bottom for attacillng a lanyard snaphook (see illustration, p. I ). Ashoe at tile top of tile TraIlsfastener runs along the top of the lifeline while a staI'-shaped wheel rides underneath the lifeline. When an intel' mediate cable support is encountered, the shoe, sliding on top of tile wire, goes through the assembly unobstructed, and the stal'wheel below tile wire rolls over the cable hangers like a tire rolling over

GundArena Cleveland, Ohio

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railroad tracks. At one location per lifeline, a special entl)'/exit fitting allows the Transfastener to be engaged aIld disengaged from the lifeline. (see illustration, p, 16)

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Typical main roof truss with lifeline located 7

USING THE SYSTEM Riggers take a catwalk to where it intersects the beam tlley need to walk out onto in order to rig a motor point. They insert a Transfastener into tile entry/exit fitting in the horizontal lifeline that runs above their selected beanl aIld hook their laIlyard into the Transfastener's eye, The rigger then climbs over the catwalk rail:Uld walks the beam over to the rigging point. The TraIlsfastener lanyard attachment

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feet above the bottom chord of the truss. A maximum of three riggers can be attached to the line at once.

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slides along the lifeline behind the rigger as he goes. Once in position to rig the point, the slack provided by the six foot l:U1yard is just enough to allo\\' the rigger to lean down flat to the top of the beam. During busy shows where many riggers are working simultaneously, great care must be exel' cised to make sure that the worker limits per lifeline are not exceeded. House policy has set the maximum number of riggers working out on the steel at anyone time at eight.

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