Risk Assessment
Health and Safety Notes
Case studies:
5 Seconds Of Summer – Pyrotechnics Incident (2015)
2:12 – 4:33
Above is a clip taken from the How Did We End Up Here documentary, explaining what happened to Michael’s eye during a live show at Wembley Stadium. The guitarist was so badly injured, the show had to be cancelled. However he was not the only person injured. Calum also got burned by the flame. You can see in the video where some of Michael’s hair was caught and is smoking.
Curtis Mayfield – Lighting Accident (1990)
Read Excerpt From Curtis Mayfield Bio Detailing Tragic Accident
This is the link to an extract of Curtis Mayfield’s biography written by his son Todd, describing the accident that left his father paralysed.
Radiohead’s Drum Technician’s fatal accident (2012)
https://www.theguardian.com/music/2012/jun/17/radiohead-stage-collapse-victim-named
This article talks about the tragic death of Scott Johnson, aged 33, who was the drum technician for Radiohead. Whilst helping set up for the sold out show in Toronto part of the stage fell on top of him, crushing him to death and injuring 3 other people.
Medical Problems:
Repetitive Strain Injury (RSI) – A condition caused by repetitive movement or over use of muscles, mostly in the upper body. The most commonly affected areas include forearms and elbows; wrists and hands; the neck and shoulders. Symptoms include things such as: muscle pain, tingling, cramp and even swelling. It can be treated with rest, painkillers and physiotherapy. It can be prevented by taking breaks during rehearsals so as to not strain your voice (if you’re a vocalist) or your muscles.
https://www.nhs.uk/conditions/repetitive-strain-injury-rsi/
Tinnitus – A condition which causes the person to hear noises that aren’t there such as: buzzing, ringing or throbbing. This is due to hearing loss. It can be cured through cognitive behavioural therapy, counselling or tinnitus retraining therapy. All of these therapy sessions help the person suffering with tinnitus to control or reduce the noises they hear. In order to prevent getting tinnitus from a live performance perspective, musicians and sound technicians are especially advised to wear ear plugs.
https://www.nhs.uk/conditions/tinnitus/
Legal Requirements:
Legal Volume Levels – It is recommended that “A-weighted equivalent continuous sound levels” should not exceed 107 dB (decibels) and “C-weighted peak sound pressure level” should not exceed 140 dB in any part of the audience area at any time during the event.
http://www.hse.gov.uk/event-safety/noise.htm
PAT Tests – Portable Appliance Testing or PAT Testing is a test which should be carried out once yearly on electrical appliances to ensure their safety. By law, this must be recorded either by labels or certificates. This does not need to be done on brand new equipment but it is advised that a visual inspection is carried out before use just incase it has been supplied with a defect. The PAT Testing must be carried out by a qualified individual
http://www.hse.gov.uk/electricity/faq-portable-appliance-testing.htm
Public Liability Insurance (PLI) – This is a type of insurance used to protect you from being sued if a piece of your equipment was to injure someone by accident. For example; if a speaker had been set up correctly but someone knocked it over and it landed on top of someone, PLI would help prove that you were not at fault for the accident and would help pay legal fees in the case of being sued.