@The Arts Unit Creative Classes - Safety in the entertainment industry

@The Arts Unit Creative Classes

Safe work practices

Explore safety requirements within the entertainment industry

Student VET entertainment resource developed by The Arts Unit

Years 11 and 12 VET entertainment

What will I learn?

You will:

identify safety signs and symbols
explore safe work practices
discuss safety issue within the entertainment industry

Safety signs

There are 7 main types of safety signs and they are easily identifiable by their colour and shape.

Hazard warning signs are yellow with a black triangle with a symbol in it. The text will be black as well. It warns of danger or risk to health.
A prohibition sign has a red circle with a white background with a line though a symbol.
A mandatory sign has a blue circle around it with a white symbol. These signs tell you that you must wear some type of personal protective equipment (PPE).
Fire signs are red with white symbols and text. They indicate where fire-fighting equipment and fire alarms are located.
Emergency information signs are green rectangles with white symbols and text. They show where emergency safety equipment and emergency exits are located.
A restricted sign has a red circle with a white background, but this time with no line through it. This sign limits what can be done in the area, who can come in etc.
Danger hazard signs are black red and white. The word 'danger' is white on a red background. The actual hazard will be written on the sign in black text with a white background.

Symbols for safety signs

Duration: 02:15

TASK:

Identify the category of each of the following safety signs and where they may be used in the entertainment industry.

yellow triangle with black outline warning signs

Safety inductions

Within the entertainment industry there are many people entering a workplace for various reasons.

All workers entering a theatre are required to be given a safety induction to ensure their safety.

Watch the video 'Sample Site Safety Induction'.

Sample Site Safety Induction

Duration: 04:48

TASKS:

Make a summary of the important inclusions required for a safety induction outlined on the video.
Research the tasks in the entertainment industry that require the worker or operator to have a licence, ticket or certificate of competency.

Manual handling

Manual handling refers to anything that is lifted or moved by a person manually.

When lifting, the weight of the load needs to be considered in relation to a number factors, including:

actions and movements required
posture and position when lifting
duration and frequency of manual handling
location of loads and the distances moved
physical characteristics of the load.

Light items can still be problematic if they are lifted incorrectly or if light loads are lifted in an environment that is unsafe.

Extremely heavy items should be moved using engineered lifting aids, such as:

a trolley
forklift
automatic lifting device.

Tips for safe manual handling

Knowing your own personal limits at the exact time of lifting is essential to maintain your own safety. This includes your own lifting capacity, any current injuries, fatigue or the availability of others to assist or engineering lifting devices.

Schools Spectacular 2019

Lifting

You should:

bend at the knees and keep back straight
balance with one foot slightly forward
hold the object firmly at the base and sides
keep the load close to your body
keep your back straight, head up, chin in, and lift with your legs
always look in the direction you wish to travel, and avoid sudden movements.

Carrying

Heavy items should be carried by two people. Lighten loads by separating into smaller quantities. Prevent muscle strain and fatigue by:

warming up before working
allocating time for rest breaks
allowing time to get used to the job. Lifting

You should:

bend at the knees and keep back straight
balance with one foot slightly forward
hold the object firmly at the base and sides
keep the load close to your body
keep your back straight, head up, chin in, and lift with your legs
always look in the direction you wish to travel, and avoid sudden movements.

Working at heights

Entertainment industry workers are often required to work at height. Lights, screens, projectors, microphones and speakers often have to be rigged in the roof of a venue and you need to be able to do this safely.

Watch the video 'Safe use of ladders' to learn about the different types of ladders.

Safe use of ladders

Duration: 03:18

Elevating Work Platforms (EWPs) are also a very common way for workers to access height. They include scissor lifts, cherry pickers or boom lifts and operators must be trained and hold licences.

Scaffolding is also used in the Entertainment Industry quite frequently, particularly in stage installation work during a bump in or bump out. It is also very commonly used in outdoor events for constructing stage spaces and equipment towers.

Important points to remember when working at heights:

use equipment that is marked as Australian standard and in good condition
ensure you are working on firm and level ground
make sure that you have 3 points of contact at all times
a harness must be worn if going above a height of 1.8 metres
have a person spotting you where possible
secure or remove any loose objects, for example remove wallet and secure any tools to a belt
don’t lean or reach out to the side, as this may cause you to fall
do not have a phone in your pocket, it may ring and distract you
fully enclosed slip resistant footwear must be worn
only 1 person at a time on any ladder or elevated device
always face the rungs of the ladder
DO NOT use metal ladders when working on live electrical installations.

Working with electricity

There are many serious risks associated with working with electricity. This is of particular importance when working with lighting, audio and vision, as well as using power tools during set construction.

When working with electricity you must allows ensure the cables:

have a current tag
are of industrial quality and insulated
are not twisted, crushed, kinked, frayed or have any wiring exposed
not create any trip hazards, taping them down or using a cable tray is useful
are protected from the weather.

Watch the video 'Electrical Safety' to record the risks and safety measures when working with electricity.

Electrical safety

Duration: 02:25

Watch the video 'What is Test and Tag? to clarify your understanding of this essential process.

What is Test and Tag?

Duration: 00:53

Personal protective equipment (PPE)

Personal protective equipment (PPE) relates to something used or worn by a person to minimise risk to their health and safety. It is important to understand that PPE is used to supplement the other control measures in place to reduce risks rather than be the only safety measure used.

It is essential that all PPE is:

suitable for the work and hazards encountered
a suitable size and fit and reasonably comfortable for the worker
maintained, repaired or replaced to ensure continued safety
clean and hygienic, and in good working order
used or worn by the worker, so far as is reasonably practicable
the worker must be provided with information, training and instruction in the proper use and wearing personal protective equipment
stored and maintained correctly.

Further information on PPE is available through Safe Work Australia.

TASK:

Outline where each of these types of PPE would be used in the various contexts of the entertainment industry.

General safety practices

Work clothing

Safe work clothing is an important measure for both the employee and employer and are an element of personal protective equipment.

Key considerations include:

combustibility
visibility
hardiness

working outdoors and application of sunscreen
jewellery
appropriate footwear.

Working conditions

The entertainment industry presents employees with various hazardous working environments. It is essential they are aware of all safety considerations when in such work spaces.

Some of this include:

low light when working backstage or in the fly tower
confined spaces, including the orchestra pit
time pressure associated with live events.

Noise

As noise is ‘fact of life’ in the entertainment industry, workers need to safeguard their health. One of the first signs of hearing damage is ringing in the ears, this is called Tinnitus. Personal protective equipment (PPE) such as earplugs or noise cancelling headphones provide excellent protection.

If a worker is exposed to noise above 85dB for an extended period of time they must be provided with hearing protection to avoid hearing damage.

Decibel chart showing sound intensity, decibel level and common sounds. For example, soft music has 40 decibels and over 110 decibels increases risk of hearing loss, for example, at a loud music concert

Fatigue

The entertainment industry often requires employees to work long and varied hours and fatigue can become a risk to personal safety.

Knowing your own personal context and limits when working is vital and you need to consider:

are you day or night person?
how much sleep do you need?
at what pace can you work in an long shift?
numerous consecutive ‘hard’ days work
how often do you need a break?
what sort of food or drink do you (should you) consume?

Ensure you and your employer always follow the specified conditions of employment relating to hours of work and overtime outlined below and mandated in the Live Performance Award 2010 which covers employees in the areas of production, box office, front of house and arts administration.

Live Performance Award 2010 - Conditions of Employment: Hours of work

The conditions of employment shall be those as set out in Live Performance Award 2010 as varied and any other award or agreement between the employer and MEAA, including: A. HOURS OF WORK(i) Weekly Employees(a) Ordinary hours of work shall be 38 hours per week.(b) Ordinary hours may be worked on any of the days Monday through to and including Sunday between the hours of 7 am and 12 midnight. Provided that an employee engaged as a cleaner may be rostered to work ordinary hours between 12 midnight and 7 am and shall receive an additional loading of 20% of their ordinary hourly rate.(c) The number of ordinary hours to be worked on any day shall be a minimum of 4 hours and a maximum of 12 hours, to be worked in no more than 2 periods, each period to be continuous except as to meal hours occurring.(d) Full time employees will be entitled to 2 rostered days off work for every period of seven days, which will be consecutive wherever reasonably possible, provided that such rostered days off may by agreement accumulate up to a maximum of 6 days.(ii) Seasonal Employees(a) The minimum period of a seasonal contract shall be 2 weeks.(b) Conditions of employment shall be those applying to weekly employees covered by the award.(iii) Part-time employees(a) A minimum payment of not less than 4 hours pay shall be made for each period of work for which a weekly employee is rostered.(b) Conditions of employment shall be those applying to weekly employees covered by this award.(iv) Casual Employees(a) Ordinary hours of work shall be a minimum of 3 hours and a maximum of 8 hours per day. * MEAA is currently in negotiation with Live Theatre Employers to re-instate the industry standard of a 4 hour call for casual theatre industry employees.(b) Ordinary hours may be worked on any of the days Monday through to and including Sunday between the hours of 7 am and Midnight.(c) Casual employees may be required to work on a number of performances during an engagement.(d) Where casual employees are required to work on the same day on at least 3 short performances, and there is a break between any 2 of the short performances of at least 2 hours, those employees shall be paid a minimum call for each such performance of 2 hours.
B. OVERTIME(i) Weekly Employees(a) Work performed in excess of rostered daily hours - time and on half for the first 2 hours, double time thereafter.(b) Work performed on a rostered day off - time and a half for the first 4 hours, double time thereafter.(c) Work performed in excess of the weekly total of hours - time and a half.(d) Work performed after a break in working hours prescribed to be worked consecutively or continuously - at the rate of time and a half.(e) Part-time employees who perform work in excess of 38 ordinary hours per week - time and one half for the first 2 hours, double time thereafter.(ii) Casual employees(a) Work in excess of 8 hours per day – time and a half for the first 2 hours, double time thereafter.(b) Work in excess of 38 hours (excluding overtime worked and paid on a daily basis) in any one week – time and a half for the first four hours and double time thereafter.(iii) All employees(a) All work performed between 12 a.m. and 7.00 a.m. (other than work performed by employees engaged specifically as cleaners) – double time.(b) An employee who works overtime on any day will be entitled to a break of ten hours before resumption of work on the following day. Should such an employee be required to resume work before the expiration of ten hours the employee will be paid at the rate of double time until the employee is released from duty for such period.
C. SUNDAYS AND PUBLIC HOLIDAYS(i) All work commenced on a Sunday shall be paid at double time, with a minimum payment of four hours.(ii) All work done on Public Holidays shall be paid at double time, with a minimum payment of four hours.
D. OTHER CONDITIONS(i) Where an employee is detained at work until it is too late to travel home by the last train, tram or other regular public conveyance, the employer will provide proper conveyance to the employee's home for the employee so detained.(ii) An employee will, wherever possible, be given 24 hours' notice that the employee is required to work all night after an evening performance.

TASKS:

Design a poster to promote the safe work methods in the workplace of one of the previous practices.
Create an instructional safety video, in small groups, for one of the safe work practices discussed. The video could include the:
- definition of the safe work practice
- safe practices to ensure employee and employer safety
- workplace hazards & risks associated with the work practice
- examples of how this safe work practice in the entertainment industry
- unsafe work practices to may occur if guidelines not followed correctly
- legislation breaches and outcomes if unsafe practices occur.

Safe work method statement (SWMS)

The WHS Regulation 2011 requires a safe work method statement to be completed for all high risk construction work. This includes any building practices undertaken in an entertainment industry environment.

Safe work method statements outlines in a logical sequence how a practice should be undertaken safely, it should include the:

identification of the high risk work
specification of the hazards and risk associated with the task
description of the control measures for implementation
description of how the control measures will be monitored and reviewed.

The PCBU must retain a copy of all SWMS and they must be easily accessible in the workplace.

TASKS:

Identify a high risk task in the entertainment industry that would require a SWMS and using an online template complete the SWMS as a class.

Safety incidents in the entertainment industry

There have been many incidents over the years in the entertainment industry that have led to safety reforms.

TASKS:

Watch the following 5 videos to explore some of these major incidents.
Discuss the safety measures that should have been implemented to avoid such accidents.
Identify the changes to safety regulations that have resulted from these and other incidents, especially in relation to crowd management, rigging and risk management.

Station Nightclub Fire (2003)

Duration: 04:28