Pertinent Safety Policies

The use of weapons is enforced through our detailed weapons policy, seen below. Weapons as defined by this policy include: firearms (hand guns and rifles, including blank-firing, non-firing, facsimile, rubber, toy), edged weapons (such as knives, swords, spears, and daggers), bow and arrows, cross bows. Also could include clubs, axes, pitch forks, and other stage props that might be used is stage combat.  

If production requires the use of a weapon, please read the detailed weapons policy, and connect with Jen McClure, Properties Supervisor, to ask questions regarding weapons. 

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Live Flame in Productions

Live flame (candles, matches, torches, etc.) or flame effects (camp fires, burning logs, bursts of flame, etc) to be used onstage as part of a production or performance must be approved by the AHJ before the first public performance.

When the use of live flame or flame effects is determined to be included in the production, and the related staging is established during rehearsals, the Production Manager/APM will fill out a DGSD/YRT Flame Plot in conjunction with the Stage Managers. A copy of the Flame Plot will be updated to be included with the Life Safety Walkthrough paperwork given to the AHJ during the inspection. 

During the show’s life safety fire inspection, each proposed instance of live flame or flame effects will be discussed and evaluated, along with the proposed precautions planned to be taken. Such precautions may include one or more of the following: 

• candles in a base or a candle holder, 

• self-extinguishing hand-held torches, 

• a cast or crew member assigned to monitor the live flame, 

• automatic or fail-safe shut-offs for flame effects, 

• a crew member designated to be off-stage with a water fire extinguisher in hand (fire watch), 

• all loose fabric in proximity to the live flame to be IFR or treated with fire retardant, etc. 

To provide for the integration of live flame or flame effects into a production during technical rehearsals, the Faculty Production Manager or the Director/Assistant Director of Theatre Safety can review the stage conditions, the live flame or flame effects and the precautions to be implemented, and can provisionally approve the live flame or flame effects to be used onstage during the technical rehearsals for a show. 

Any planned unusual or extensive use of live flame or flame effects for a production are to be presented for preliminary review by the AHJ well in advance of the start of technical rehearsals for the show. The Faculty Production Manager or the Director/Assistant Director of Theatre Safety can review proposals for such requests during the design, budgeting, or rehearsal periods, and can advise the production’s artistic and design team as to how to proceed.

For more detailed processes for Production Electricians and Lighting Designers, please see the Lighting Supervisor's website page on Fog and Haze found here.

All productions must comply with the League of Resident Theatres guidelines, pertaining to the use of theatrical fog or haze, the purpose of which is to ensure the safety of everyone involved. 

1. The use of theatrical fog, smoke and haze in DGSD/YRT productions will be evaluated in advance by the faculty Production Manager and/or the Director of Theater Safety and Occupational Health. Both Equity (YRT) and Non-Equity (DGSD) productions will conform to either the Time/Distance Calculations or the Air Sampling Protocols contained in the Equity Guidelines for Theatrical Smoke and Haze.

2. An approved use of theatrical fog, smoke or haze that complies with the Time/Distance Calculations of the Equity Guidelines does not require air sampling. 

3. Use of theatrical fog, smoke or haze in productions for which air sampling has been determined to be necessary will require the following:

   • The production team will determine an appropriate time to schedule air sampling of the effect(s) onstage without actors.  The production’s stage manager and production electrician must participate in this testing.

   • The Director of Theater Safety and Occupational Health will arrange for the required monitoring equipment, and coordinate the air sampling.

     • • For an Equity production, a pDR1000-AN monitor is required to be used.

       • For a non-Equity production, other monitoring equipment may be used as long as the appropriate calibration factors are applied.

   • The testing results will be logged and evaluated by the Director of Theater Safety and Occupational Health.  If the exposure levels are below the Equity Guidelines maximum levels, (for example, 40 mg/m3 for glycol based theatrical fog), the effect(s) will be approved. If the test results exceed the Equity maximum exposure levels, the effect(s) will be re-staged to bring the levels under the maximum, or the effect will be cut from the production.

   • Documentation of test results:

     • • For an Equity production, the test results will be provided to the YRT Production Stage Manager to submit to Equity, and to the YRT Lighting Supervisor.

       • For a non-Equity production, the test results will be submitted to the production’s Stage Manager, and to the YRT Lighting Supervisor.

   • The Production Electrician will record and document the equipment type, the equipment settings and the type of fog liquid that produced acceptable exposure level(s).  This information will be given to the Stage Manager, and retained by the production’s  Stage Carpenter or designated crew member,  who is responsible for checking the equipment setting before each performance, and/or before each cue or intended use.

The Iseman Theater

Fog machines placed on the gallery level, or higher, are not allowed without paying a fee to have the alarms turned off and someone from the fire department present during the deactivation period. This fee is approximately $1,000 for a Student, Fall Project or Shakespeare Repertory Project, and will be paid by the production requiring this service. Fog machines on, or near, floor level is not affected by this fee. The use of haze in the Iseman Theater is not currently affected by this rule. However, the haze can be placed on the catwalks only with approval by the Lighting Supervisor and can only be turned on after its setup has been approved by the Lighting Supervisor or the Lighting Staff.

Wheelchair Accessibility Guidelines

David Geffen School of Drama and Yale Repertory Theatre must comply with the following regulations for all performances in all their venues. 

Dimensions: a single wheelchair space must be 36 inches wide, while two wheelchair spaces adjacent to one another need only be 33 inches wide. The required depth of a wheelchair space is 48 inches for a space approached from the front or rear, and 60 inches for a space approached from the side.

Path of Travel: wheelchair spaces must be on an accessible route, but may not overlap another wheelchair space or the circulation path. This means that access to a wheelchair space cannot be through another wheelchair space, nor can the wheelchair space stick out into the aisle.

Dispersion of Wheelchair Spaces: wheelchair spaces must be dispersed vertically, horizontally, to all levels and around the performance area, if seating encircles the stage. Wheelchair spaces must provide spectators with choices of seating locations and viewing angles that are substantially equivalent to, or better than, seating for other spectators. Wheelchair spaces generally should not be on temporary or movable platforms. Wheelchair spaces cannot be segregated from the other seating, and must enable patrons in wheelchairs to sit shoulder to shoulder with their companions. Wheelchair spaces must be  on the same floor level as adjoining seats, and the size and position of wheelchair spaces must allow the patron to sit next to patrons in adjoining seats.

Companion Seats: At least one companion seat (fixed or movable, adjacent and on the same level) must be provided for each wheelchair space, and be equivalent in size, quality and comfort to other seats in the area.

Use the following chart to determine the number of wheelchair spaces required for a seating arrangement, based on capacity.

Accessible Pathways: Generally, routes must have 36 inches of clear width, and if a person in a wheelchair must turn around, a 60 inch clear circle is required. From the edge of the stage/playing space to a wheelchair space, DGSD generally aims for 90 inches of unobstructed pathway; this is the four feet required to access a wheelchair space from the front, plus 3.5 feet of pathway in front of the seating location. 

A paint treatment or ¼” thick stage deck can go right up to the feet of/under a wheelchair space, so long as the ¼” deck has a bevelled edge, and there are no props or scenery units within 3’6” of the foot of a wheelchair space. 

Should your production have any of the below listed elements that require posting, inform  House Management so the appropriate postings can be made.

A visible notice must be posted in the lobby of the theatre for performance events to notify patrons attending the performance if any of the following is included in the event. 

• Smoking of Tobacco or Non-Tobacco Products, noting the type of product used 

• Gunshots and other extremely loud noises 

• Strobe lights and laser lights 

• Stage fog, smoke and/or haze 

• Other information may be posted in addition as determined on a case-by-case basis.

General Shop Safety

Our shops are required to follow safety protocols set out by Yale University for student access shops.
To learn more about Yale's Shop and Tool Use policies, visit Yale's EHS website here.

Faculty Technical Director, LT Gourzong, and Assistant Director of Theatre Safety, Kelly O'Loughlin, are both on the University Shop Safety Committee, to ensure the highest standards of safety for our graduate students and interns, and that fair and applicable policies are in place for the students using our shops. 

All students who complete both First Aid/CPR/AED training and the Shop Technology course become Shop Monitors, with access to powering tools and working with buddies on projects in the shop without staff or faculty supervision.
Students may NEVER work alone in the shops. 

Staff carpenters may work alone in the shops.

Safety glasses and hearing protection are required at all times in the shop, and additional PPE may be needed per task. Loose clothing, open toed shoes, and jewelry are not allowed, and long hair must be tied back while working in the shops. 

See below the Shop Rules as set by Yale for Student Access Shops: 

The regular working hours for our shops are 10 am - 6 pm, Monday through Friday, for production builds, with occasional weekends for load ins, strikes, and other work calls. 

The shops may be accessed for other projects between the hours of 6 am and midnight, daily. Tools cannot be used outside of this time frame. Card reader access is off between midnight and 6 am so tools cannot be powered, when folks are most tired and more prone to accidents and injuries. 

Occupational Safety and Health Act Requirements

OSHA General Industry Standards require us to implement fall protection systems on walking and working surfaces over 4 feet in height. An overview of fall protection from OSHA is linked here, and can be found below.

Why is fall protection important?

Falls are among the most common causes of serious work related injuries and deaths. Employers must set up the work place to prevent employees from falling off of overhead platforms, elevated work stations or into holes in the floor and walls.

What can be done to reduce falls?

Employers must set up the work place to prevent employees from falling off of overhead platforms, elevated work stations or into holes in the floor and walls. OSHA requires that fall protection be provided at elevations of four feet in general industry workplaces, five feet in shipyards, six feet in the construction industry and eight feet in longshoring operations. In addition, OSHA requires that fall protection be provided when working over dangerous equipment and machinery, regardless of the fall distance.

To prevent employees from being injured from falls, employers must:

• Guard every floor hole into which a worker can accidentally walk (using a railing and toe-board or a floor hole cover).

• Provide a guard rail and toe-board around every elevated open sided platform, floor or runway.

• Regardless of height, if a worker can fall into or onto dangerous machines or equipment (such as a vat of acid or a conveyor belt) employers must provide guardrails and toe-boards to prevent workers from falling and getting injured.

• Other means of fall protection that may be required on certain jobs include safety harness and line, safety nets, stair railings and hand rails.

OSHA 1910 General Industry Standards related to Fall Protection can all be found online here.