And this is why it is so important to have good emergency procedures first and foremost. We will never be able to control everything that could cause a panic and a stampede of people trying to move.  We have seen the effects in Amsterdam during a remembrance where someone yelled, we have seen it in…

Cape Town – The rigger who died while working on the stage for Johannesburg’s Global Citizen Festival has been identified as Siyabonga Ngodze. Siyabonga died on Saturday, 1 December and the festival took place on Sunday 2 December at FNB Stadium. Bob Geldof mentioned the young man’s name while asking for a moment of silence…

The start to safety is knowledge and understanding. Here is a link to an excellent article by Anthony Culshaw about the difference between spreader beams and lifting beams.  In our industry you are likely to come across these at some point, understanding them is important. https://www.linkedin.com/pulse/spreader-beam-lifting-explanation-all-anthony-culshaw/?fbclid=IwAR3bue3q-5WCW8jgKSt3YmOyxXsuhxtW0s4rZTkmIKedVP-WN7UK_KvENn4 Anthony is currently the Technical Director at spreader and…

Safe Work Australia was established in 2008 to develop national policy and guidance for WHS and workers’ compensation. Since then, we’ve been running national campaigns to raise awareness about WHS in the Australian working community. Since Safe Work Australia’s inception, there has been a steady decline in the rate of work-related fatalities and workers’ compensation…

Among the 30,000 revellers at Splendour in the Grass music festival this weekend, about 1000 of them will have the sexually transmitted disease chlamydia – they just don’t know it. NSW Health authorities are hoping to test 3000 music lovers over the three-day festival and they predict about 100 will learn for the first time…

The quickly growing international on-line market combined with the rapid growth of cheaply made products is posing some serious risks for the entertainment industry.  Although you could have a really hard job finding products that weren’t substantially manufactured in Asia, the level of quality control can be vastly different between manufacturers’ or even batches of…

Another reminder why it is so important to have good emergency procedures for all events and all venues. Always make sure the venue has a full, detailed emergency plan, including evacuations in the dark, and that their staff is trained in executing it. Make sure all your staff understand the procedures and can assist in…

With Victorian being out of step with the Model WHS laws it’s important not to lose sight of ongoing developments with updates to Compliance Codes. The complete review of these Codes follows the introduction of the new OHS Regulations in 2017. Some of the old Codes were nearly 20 years old and even referenced Acts…

A couple of weeks ago a JLG scissor lift model 1932R dropped 3 metres without notice while an air con plumber was working on it. Now the manufacturer has issued a Safety Notice, advising that these scissor lifts must be removed from use until further notice. The Safety Notice is reproduced below: PURPOSE The purpose…

A judge has ruled that David Duckenfield, the match commander on the day of the 1989 Hillsborough disaster, will face trial for the manslaughter by gross negligence of 95 Liverpool fans. Sir Peter Openshaw, sitting at Preston Crown Court, said he was lifting a stay on the prosecution of Duckenfield, which was imposed 18 years…