# Falls from catwalks etc.



## BillConnerFASTC (Aug 20, 2017)

Strad's thread on the rigging video caused me to wonder how often someone gas actually fallen ftom a decent catwalk or especially a loading bridge. The guard - rails - on the stage side of a lighting catwalk or arbor side of a liading bridge - on most of my projects do not meet the min 42" height and max 19" spacing. 

And I continually look for reports of falls, to the point people send them to me. Very few and in every "fall from catwalk" report I've found, the person had climbed over the guard. 

I know falls off a stage - first tow, pit, trap, etc. - happen frequently, but thats all I find.


----------



## cdiamondz (Aug 21, 2017)

I have not personally fallen or witness someone falling from a catwalk. I think it'd be a safe assumption that with catwalks that cases of falling are mostly over reaching or climbing up the railing for whatever reason. Another entirely possible scenario is removing a rather heavy fixture from a pipe that is level with the floor and you're laying down to get at it and you get pulled off the catwalk. But you never know what might be the next cause of someone falling off a catwalk.


----------



## BillConnerFASTC (Aug 21, 2017)

I concur. I routinely use to space pipes 30" in pre S4 era to hang and focus 8" profiles. Now I go 22", still more than building code 21 or OSHA 19. And building code clearly exempts lighting catwalks and loading bridges. 

Outriggers are often suggested but all they do is practically require a tech to lean further out and be off balance or climb over. Seems like if you can keep your feet flat and body over deck you are safer.


----------



## JohnD (Aug 21, 2017)

Well, google certainly isn't any help, unless you want to kill time watching fashion models doing pratfalls.
I was trying to remember the incident where several audience members at a concert venue found an unlocked door leading to the foh cats, all but one left and the one left behind somehow fell and was impaled on something below him.


----------



## BillConnerFASTC (Aug 21, 2017)

Maybe at the Aragon Ballroom here in chicago? I think just planks on the ceiling. Not within my meaning of "decent catwalk". Pretty indecent imho. Or not so humble on these issues.
EDIT by Mod.: link: https://www.controlbooth.com/threads/patron-falls-from-catwalk-during-show-and-dies.38036/

My favorite "fall ftom catwalk" was in vegas. Tech climbed up onto beam, went 15-20' along a beam iirc, and then tried to realign a loft block by...drum roll...kicking it. Beneficiaries got a very small amount. Then the tech in arena dropped his cell phone, landed on a hung tile ceiling. He hopped off catwalk to ceiling 6' below.

These are what i get as examples of catwalks that need more guarding.


----------



## Jay Ashworth (Aug 22, 2017)

In high school, I was on the SL storage loft, about 8-10 ft above deck, with a 3ft rail. When a dozen 4x10 flats that someone had stacked with insufficient angle decided to start over. I got them counterbalanced, but could *not* get them reset not to want to o over; finally got a couple helpers up to do it.

I attribute most of my acrophobia to that incident. Rail held, though.


----------



## MRW Lights (Aug 23, 2017)

The only fall I've experienced, so far , was off an extension ladder accessing a torm pipe over seats in a house. Luckily I only fell a few feet, but those few feet landed me on the arms of the seats below and then onto the concrete floor. This theater has a raked house and angled walls, it's truly a tempt of fate even with our custom leveling platform it's not an experience I enjoy repeating... 

on the subject of Catwalks I was once working in a school setting where the clearance for a body was almost impossible when the pipe was loaded with gear, which was great for safety, but a pain for work and focus. It was also the perfect slot for gak to slip through. I was walking through the catwalks and heared something slide, then a clunk and an eerily distant thump.... come to find out a S4 lens tube precariously perched slid off the catwalk bounced out of the "cove" position and fell about 30'.... the trick was that it landed perfectly in a seat arresting it's fall and causing no damage to the lens tube.... Couldn't do it again if I tried....


----------



## TimMc (Aug 23, 2017)

BillConnerFASTC said:


> Maybe at the aragon ballrom here in chicago? I think just planks on the ceiling. Not wiithin my meaning of "decent catwalk". Pretty indecent imho. Or not so humble on these issues.
> 
> My favorite "fall ftom catwalk" was in vegas. Tech climbed up onto beam, went 15-20' along a beam iirc, and then tried to realign a loft block by...drum roll...kicking it. Beneficiaries got a very small amount. Then the tech in arena dropped his cell phone, landed on a hung tile ceiling. He hopped off catwalk to ceiling 6' below.
> 
> These are what i get as examples of catwalks that need more guarding.



There was an incident at MGM Grand (IIRC) in Las Vegas where a show room was being remodeled for a new show. A 19 year old rigger, on his first up-rigging gig, fell to his death while hooking onto a horizontal life line. The catwalk was some 2x12 planks that were left over from the previous remodel and the Nevada version of OSHA determined the casino not liable because the planks were "abandoned materials from construction" and not a worker access point. That there was an installed - but difficult to use - life line apparently didn't enter into their consideration.

Note in Nevada the worker safety & compensation laws were written by mining industry lobbyists. The deceased rigger's mother was quoted as saying "the state says my son's life is worth less than a used car".


----------



## RickR (Aug 23, 2017)

There's a local rock climbing route with a section called "the catwalk." Fall arrest is strongly recommended!


----------



## teqniqal (Aug 23, 2017)

I agree that most catwalk falls are due to people climbing over or reaching through catwalk railings, however, I do come across catwalks with vast open gaps between sections and/or not having the ANSI standard 4" (100mm) toe boards (kick boards). Unfortunately, the 2 or 3 widths of 2x10 or 2x12 planks are all too common above ceilings in older buildings. These older catwalks may only have a 1/2" diameter steel rod or a single 2x4 for a railing, and slipping under the railing and onto a plaster or lay-in tile ceiling below is very easy. To compound the problem, these locations have poor lighting and low-hanging obstructions, so if you traverse these areas without a hardhat and a good body-worn flashlight, you can bang your noggin hard enough to knock yourself silly (or completely 'out') and create a fall scenario real quickly. ALWAYS wear hardhats on catwalks! Get the kind with a chin strap (like the Petzl Vetrix) so if you bend-over or hit something the hardhat doesn't go flying to the level below.

What concerns me most are the make-shift railings built on platforms behind scenery to 'protect the actors' from falling. Few, if any, that I see could withstand a 200 lb lateral force without ripping-out of whatever they are attached to. To compound the problem, they usually don't have toe-boards to keep someone from slipping off under them, nor top rails that are within the ADA maximum dimension for being able to attain a good grasp. If a person can grasp a railing confidently BEFORE their center of gravity nears the railing, they are more likely to be able to steady themselves without crashing into the railing and creating a scenario where the railing structure fails. Why would they need to steady themselves? It _might_ be due to the wiggly platform or sagging stairs they are on . . . (but that's another discussion thread).

As to the Loading Gallery falls, I have embraced the Box Arbor design developed by Rick Boychuk for this very reason (there are now numerous companies that are licensed to manufacture these - _Thern_, _BelaTex_, and _JR Clancy_ being the first to bring them to market). With a Box Arbor, the weight loader doesn't have to lean out over the railing to transfer weights - and the weights have handle-holes integral to them for secure handling. I have three jobs now completed with these and the owners have recognized the difference in operational safety (albeit, _they still drag the weights all-over the building to prop open Fire Doors!_ - old habits die hard.)

Not mentioned by the O.P., but non-the-less important, are the falls into ladder-wells. You can buy an idiot-proof self-closing safety gate from Intrepid Industries for a few hundred dollars and retrofit just about any ladder well opening, so there is absolutely no excuse for not fixing this problem. I pointed-out this issue with one school district I was working with and they bought 8 of them the next day and fixed four auditoriums within a week. They said they hadn't recognized the hazard and didn't realize the fix was so inexpensive and quick. _Complete win!_


----------



## BillConnerFASTC (Aug 23, 2017)

Based on my observation and research, toe boars are to prevent tools and such from falling. Curbs are required at edges for ADA - white canes and wheel chairs. Do you have a source that suggests it to prevent someone from slipping through? IIRC and I'll recheck before to long toe boards are not required by the building and fire codes.


----------



## MNicolai (Aug 23, 2017)

TimMc said:


> Note in Nevada the worker safety & compensation laws were written by mining industry lobbyists. The deceased rigger's mother was quoted as saying "the state says my son's life is worth less than a used car".



I suspect this incident and some of the other recent entertainment industry accidents are part of why a bill was recently signed into law in Nevada requiring stagehands to have their OSHA 10-hr certs and supervisory employees to have their OSHA 30hr certs.


----------



## teqniqal (Aug 23, 2017)

BillConnerFASTC said:


> Based on my observation and research, toe boards are to prevent tools and such from falling. Curbs are required at edges for ADA - white canes and wheel chairs. Do you have a source that suggests it to prevent someone from slipping through? IIRC and I'll recheck before too long toe boards are not required by the building and fire codes.



Well, I know that I've thanked my lucky stars that there were toe-boards on many narrow, or otherwise ill-designed catwalks. There is a principle in accident litigation that is called 'positive control' or 'positive guidance' that discusses the ability to guide someone or something in the direction you want them to go so they don't go where you don't want them to go. I'd put toe-boards in that category. I wouldn't spec an elevated platform without them -- regardless of the rational (tools, people, junk, not junk). The general requirement is that the gap between the bottom of the toe-board and the top of the walking surface is 1/4" or less, but I spec 0" (NO gap) because I've seen too many thin heavy things that could slice or cut or impale people left on floors unsecured and adjacent to the edges elevated platforms. _Better to just close it up._

I've seen toe-boardless lighting catwalks with tech's sitting on the catwalk floor and their legs hanging over the edge while they worked on the lights. I'm thinking: A) that's not a good idea, and B) if there was a toe-board retrofitted on there it would reduce the likelihood that they might slide-off if they still chose to work in that position. I don't think that the catwalk railing decision-makers were considering the scenario of people working with their legs already hanging over the side of the catwalk when they decided to say toe-boards are just to keep tools and materials in place. I think toe-boards are an integral part of keeping people on a catwalk.

With a 45" top rail (OSHA's new recommendation after realizing that many people's CG is higher than 42") and no toe board, places the gap between the catwalk floor and the bottom of a mid-rail at 20.6" (assuming 1.9" o.d. pipe), 20" is plenty of space to fall through. If the top rail is up higher (say to 48"), then the gap just gets larger. The trouble with slipping and falling _under a railing_ is that _*IF*_ you are cognizant enough to realize what is happening *AND* you can catch yourself, then you are left in a VERY awkward position with your back arched and rubbing against the side of the catwalk. This is not a point of good leverage if you have low upper body strength and/or are overweight. You may hang-on for a little while, but you may end-up loosing your grip before someone could assist you. 1.9"-2" O.D. pipes are very common in theatres for hand rails because they are used for lighting battens, but if you look at the hand railing requirements, 1.25-1.5" O.D. is suggested because it provides a better (stronger) grip for most people's hands. If you were hanging from a 2" pipe you probably would not have as long of a hang-time as if you were hanging from a 1.25" O.D. pipe. This is one of the reasons that ladder rungs are 3/4-1" O.D. - better grip!

I found this catwalk (see attached) in a theatre - it has a 3" O.D. top rail that you couldn't grasp if your life depended upon it, no mid-rail, and no toe boards, so if you started to go, there would be no stoppin' it . . . If I had to chose only one improvement, I'd rather have a toe-board here than a mid-rail (assuming 'replace it' wasn't an option).

Or you could have the scenario of the too low rail (see 2nd picture - it's about the same elevation as the locking rail ~30") with no mid-rail and no toe-board and a _very_ slick sealed concrete walking surface . . . _wrong on so many levels_ (if you look at this picture closely there are many things wrong in the whole scene, not just the railing).


----------



## BillConnerFASTC (Aug 23, 2017)

Is there a record or clear reports of people slipping off catwalks for lack of a toeboard? I just havent seen it and have not see research supporting this.

I have long advocated higher than the 42" minimum guard. In the post WW II research that lead to 42", it showed 44" or so was the closer value to what it should be. I generally recommend going for maximum heigth based on a max opening of 19"., exception being stage side of lighting catwalks and require 22" clear for lights to hang plumb and be focusable. With tools and parts always a toe rail.


----------



## TimMc (Aug 24, 2017)

MNicolai said:


> I suspect this incident and some of the other recent entertainment industry accidents are part of why a bill was recently signed into law in Nevada requiring stagehands to have their OSHA 10-hr certs and supervisory employees to have their OSHA 30hr certs.



While I'm all for worker training, the crux of this the acceptability of "abandoned in place" materials as a maintenance catwalk and the lack of liability to the property owner for such use. The cheapness with which the family's wrongful death claim (IIRC the payout was about US$20,000) was settled under Nevada statute is why these materials and practices are used: it's far, far cheaper to pay $20K to a dead worker's family than it is to design and install a proper catwalk. You can kill lots of riggers and electricians for the price of catwalks and it's on that basis these things happen.

As an IATSE stage hand for 20 years I know if a worker refuses to engage in an unsafe practice, he or she will not be working. The employer will dismiss that worker or simply not bring them back for future work and there's damn little the union can effectively do about that under most CBAs.


----------



## MNicolai (Aug 24, 2017)

TimMc said:


> As an IATSE stage hand for 20 years I know if a worker refuses to engage in an unsafe practice, he or she will not be working. The employer will dismiss that worker or simply not bring them back for future work and there's damn little the union can effectively do about that under most CBAs.



One of the issues with this case is that because the worker's comp was involved, the Exclusive Remedy clause in state law prevents the family from litigating for wrongful death or negligence. Sort of a strange provision given all of the things you can litigate and the effect it can have on not providing ample disincentive for unsafe work conditions. Most states have similar language  as well -- it's not just Nevada. There are many paths to litigation though so just because the employer can pull the bullseye off their forehead in this case doesn't mean the venue, architect, engineers, or anyone else on the periphery couldn't be found liable in some form or another if a victim's family wanted to press the issue.


----------



## Jay Ashworth (Aug 24, 2017)

TimMc said:


> As an IATSE stage hand for 20 years I know if a worker refuses to engage in an unsafe practice, he or she will not be working. The employer will dismiss that worker or simply not bring them back for future work and there's damn little the union can effectively do about that under most CBAs.



Perhaps. Good thing we have the Internet now, isn't it?

Now, it doesn't matter if you can get a news organization to take an interest in such a situation...

Or have we forgotten Sarah Jones that quickly?


----------



## TimMc (Aug 25, 2017)

Jay Ashworth said:


> Perhaps. Good thing we have the Internet now, isn't it?
> 
> Now, it doesn't matter if you can get a news organization to take an interest in such a situation...
> 
> Or have we forgotten Sarah Jones that quickly?



The short answer is yes, Sarah Jones has been forgotten that quickly. It was over 4 years ago in real time, so that's "like, forever!" in Internet Years.

Her family recently was awarded roughly $11M, but that isn't enough to get film directors to take seriously things like trespassing on railroad property or to heed the advice of crew regarding safety. The director was found guilty of criminal charges related to Jones death but was released early from jail. The production company was bankrupted and Sarah's parents will never see that portion of the judgment and CSX railway, responsible for $3m of the amount, is expected to appeal.

For those who don't recall the incident, it was during the filming "Midnight Rider" on a railroad bridge (CSX had denied permission to use it as a shoot location) that Jones, a production crew member, was struck and killed by a train.

http://deadline.com/2017/07/sarah-jones-midnight-rider-civil-trial-parents-interview-1202130721/


----------



## Jay Ashworth (Aug 25, 2017)

To my immense frustration, even the "Slates For Sarah" Facebook page failed to carry the notice of the judgement.

FWIW, though, that writer seems to think it's stuck, at least on film sets. Not in a position to speak to that.


----------



## JerseyMatt (Aug 27, 2017)

I don't think they ever released the exact circumstances of the fall, but earlier this year a rigger fell 20 feet while striking a stage after an Avenged Sevenfold concert in Germany. He landed on a stagehand below and killed him. Can't find any info on whether the rigger survived his injuries.


----------



## EdSavoie (Aug 27, 2017)

Not quite catwalk, but our enclosed Lighting bridge above the house was recently upgraded to include a kickplate, as well as having redone the bars so that the two pipes + kickplate make it basically impossible to fall out even in the event someone flat-out fainted. Once you've hung 12 instruments, (it's the position from which the six zones are hung) it is even harder to fall out.

Mind you, fainting becomes a real possibility when sharing the small area with a 10KW space heater, as well as the low hanging ventilation duct that I've had the pleasure of "meeting" on numerous occasions.


----------



## cdiamondz (Aug 27, 2017)

EdSavoie said:


> Not quite catwalk, but our enclosed Lighting bridge above the house was recently upgraded to include a kickplate, as well as having redone the bars so that the two pipes + kickplate make it basically impossible to fall out even in the event someone flat-out fainted. Once you've hung 12 instruments, (it's the position from which the six zones are hung) it is even harder to fall out.
> 
> Mind you, fainting becomes a real possibility when sharing the small area with a 10KW space heater, as well as the low hanging ventilation duct that I've had the pleasure of "meeting" on numerous occasions.



As for the duct, do you happen to have padding on it to help avoid injury?


----------



## EdSavoie (Aug 27, 2017)

Er, no.

They should have probably added some though...


----------



## RonHebbard (Aug 27, 2017)

EdSavoie said:


> Er, no.
> 
> *They* should have probably added some though...


 @EdSavoie "They" could just as easily be you since you've already admitted to: having "had the pleasure of "meeting" on numerous occasions." Familiarity it has oft' been said "breeds contempt". As you 're already familiar, you might be able to visit Home Depot and acquire some nice soft, flame retardant insulation along with an appropriate means of attachment rather than waiting for "they" or them, who are likely far less familiar, to get around to it. "They" aren't noted for their track record of useful / helpful accomplishments. Perhaps consider leaving your own thoughtful mark on the overhead duct rather than your head-sized indentation. 
Toodleoo!
Ron Hebbard.


----------



## EdSavoie (Aug 27, 2017)

You, (and the vent) have got me there.


----------



## StradivariusBone (Aug 28, 2017)

This was the one I was thinking of, Bill - http://www.palmbeachpost.com/news/k...revent-fatal-dec-fall/6RWQKvP4vV0O4pTSNk5rKI/

In our specific case there are two instances where I get concerned. Loading is problematic on certain linesets because our bridge is slightly higher than the bottom of some of the arbors, forcing a loader to reach down to get to weight. It doesn't help that it is also appreciably far away from the arbors horizontally too.

The other area is the lock rail. Being that it's at the mid travel, accessing the rear purchase line requires a tech to lean out. Not far enough where fall arrest is required, but if you were pulling down on a rear line and weren't paying attention to the location of the arbor I feel there's a chance of it catching you off balance and over the side you go. 

I think @gafftaper mentioned having a similar situation at his venue with the arbors being too low and from what I gathered in that thread a lot of it is just design difficulties when creating a platform strong enough to hold all the arbor weight, and getting it just close enough to the arbor travel without getting in the way. 

For us, the danger is mitigated through using fall arrest when loading and encouraging awareness of the arbor location on the lock rail.


----------



## tjrobb (Aug 28, 2017)

Two parts here.
A) As regards plaster ceilings, I know ours will hold 200#. It's what I weigh, and there is literally no other access to the house lights. They reused the holes from 1927 when new cans were installed in 1983 (to the point the old fixtures are sitting to the new ones). Regarding access, if you haven't been up there before you are required to follow behind someone that has, only they know the safe zones.
B) Regarding the concept of "positive control", I'm reminded of the world's most useless No Exit sign. It's maybe 6x8 inches, and sits to the right of an 8 foot wide opening (no door). Not many people are going to see that in a panic, methinks.


----------



## RonHebbard (Aug 28, 2017)

tjrobb said:


> Two parts here.
> A) As regards plaster ceilings, I know ours will hold 200#. It's what I weigh, and there is literally no other access to the house lights. They reused the holes from 1927 when new cans were installed in 1983 (to the point the old fixtures are sitting to the new ones). Regarding access, if you haven't been up there before you are required to follow behind someone that has, only they know the safe zones.
> B) Regarding the concept of "positive control", I'm reminded of the world's most useless No Exit sign. It's maybe 6x8 inches, and sits to the right of an 8 foot wide opening (no door). Not many people are going to see that in a panic, methinks.


 @tjrobb I suspect today's drywall ceilings aren't built like your vintage plaster and lath gem from the 1920's. You're fortunate to have it.
Toodleoo!
Ron Hebbard.


----------



## BillConnerFASTC (Aug 28, 2017)

StradivariusBone said:


> This was the one I was thinking of, Bill - http://www.palmbeachpost.com/news/k...revent-fatal-dec-fall/6RWQKvP4vV0O4pTSNk5rKI/
> 
> In our specific case there are two instances where I get concerned. Loading is problematic on certain linesets because our bridge is slightly higher than the bottom of some of the arbors, forcing a loader to reach down to get to weight. It doesn't help that it is also appreciably far away from the arbors horizontally too.
> 
> ...



The mention of walking on a truss makes me wonder if it was really a catwalk or a truss - catwalk truss or not. Too bad the average person can't get details of what happened - probably thanks to tort law.


----------



## MNicolai (Aug 28, 2017)

BillConnerFASTC said:


> The mention of walking on a truss makes me wonder if it was really a catwalk or a truss - catwalk truss or not. Too bad the average person can't get details of what happened - probably thanks to tort law.



Whatever they used to have at the time of accident, InterAmerica has flipped it to an all-TWG-all-the-time venue in both rooms. Nonetheless, I hope their stagehands are wearing fall protection with what appears to be knee/thigh-high top rails.


----------



## teqniqal (Nov 10, 2017)

At the 2014 USITT convention I presented a workshop where the entire content was analyzing a single event where a teenager's fall from a 30' catwalk resulted in him spending the rest of his life in a wheelchair. I can't get into the details here, but the gist of it was this: Brand new High School Auditorium building (1 week old); unsupervised access; incorrectly designed catwalk; railing, and ladder; incorrectly built railings; no illumination designed / specified, adjacent space illumination never installed; no inspectors (Architect, Engineers, OSHA, Building Inspectors, Owner's staff, General and Subcontractors) noticed / reported any of the myriad of things wrong. Very messy lawsuit due to the many guilty parties.

*Lesson to be learned:* Know your space. Don't assume anyone involved in the design, construction, or inspection process has done their job. Inspect it yourself, and provide a written report with photographs of the potential hazard(s). Do what you have to do to cordon-off access to the hazard(s) until you can get someone to address them and correct them.


----------

