Why do we need this?
The Live Performance entertainment industry in Australia is employs almost 19,000 people full time and contributes substantially to the economy in many ways. Activities carried out by the various organisations cross every sector of manufacturing, construction, hospitality, logistics and of course entertainment.
As a result the number of WHS Acts, Regulations, Codes of Practice and Australian Standards that could apply to every production is astounding and can be very confusing for anyone who doesn't deal with Work Health and Safety on a daily basis. What compounds the difficulty of finding answers is that things rarely are simple and straight forward and usually several documents are required to find an answer or 'best practice' guidance.
Other than the now 15 years old Live Performance Australia “Safety Guidelines for Entertainment Industry” there are no readily accessible safety guidelines for our industry. In 2012 the Event Safety Alliance Australia tried to bring people together to collectively write the Event Safety Guide for the entertainment industry by the entertainment industry but sadly failed to raise enough awareness, money and participation.
What is it?
The Australian Entertainment Safety Resource Guide will be roughly based on the UK 'Purple Guide' format. The Purple Guide, which was written by experts within the event industry with Government guidance, was first published in 1992, aiming to help companies, organisations and individuals who organise live events, such as the Glastonbury and V Festival, to ensure that the event runs safely. The document itself has now been revamped and it updated regularly. It was also the template for the USA ‘Event Safety Guide’ which was launched last year.
The strength of the Australian Entertainment Safety Resource Guide is that it will go beyond just the Work Health Safety Act and Regulation and include references to the Building Code of Australia, to relevant Australian Standards, to relevant Codes of Practice and common ‘best practice’ advice.
And it will be precisely that, a resource guide, a starting point providing advice on organising a safe event. Because every situation is unique, the aim is to help you interpret the current Act and Regulation and find a solution that suits you and meets the legal obligations.
Why now?
In recent years we have seen a number of large scale disasters in the entertainment industry mostly overseas. Think about Pearl Jam at Roskilde in Denmark where 9 people died in a crowd crush, the Station Nightclub fire in West Warwick, USA where 100 people suffocated and were crushed, Love Parade in Duisburg, Germany where 21 people were crushed to death or the collapse of the stage during the Indianapolis State Fair in Indianapolis, USA which killed 7 people. And of course Jessica Michalik at the Big Day Out 2001 in Sydney. But also look at less publicised accidents in the entertainment industry like the 2003 rigging collapse before a Justin Timberlake concert in Atlantic City, NJ, the Madonna roof collapse in Marseille in 2009 or the Radiohead roof collapse in 2012.
We work in a high risk, high profile industry and things can get out of control really quickly. The concern is that if there were a serious incident that warranted an investigation, a whole bunch of people with little understanding of our industry will jump in and potentially cripple our industry – think ‘Lock-Out’ laws. Having a industry recognised document may provide some relief.
Often people are trying to do the right thing but end up frustrated by not being able to find the answers they need or by getting inconsistent answers. Sharing information will improve safety without unnecessary paperwork and increase everyone's enjoyment.
This is the main drive, to give everyone in the industry the right information to make an educated decision. This is not about adding more paperwork, this is about making it simpler to find the right answer and reducing paperwork so we can focus (pun intended) on what is important for the show. And meet our obligations.
Why me?
I started working in the performance industry in 1976 and have been part of this industry ever since. In 2002 I became heavily been involved in safety and risk management for the entertainment and event industry through my company Stage Safety pty ltd.
I have been a regular speaker at conferences and professional development meetings about safety in our industry and have earned a solid reputation.
I have the drive to make this happen because my biggest fear is that something can so easily go wrong that could have been prevented if the right information had been at hand. And I fear that is something seriously goes wrong we will loose control over our industry and how we run this industry.
Why you should contribute.
This guide will be for you. If you have read this far then you must have an interest in providing a safe but also sensible workplace for you, your co-workers and the punters. This is the best opportunity you’ll get to have a set of references to consult and point to, a set of guidelines that will show you that it really isn’t as hard as many will make you believe. This is your chance to do something really positive for the industry.
So pledge generously but even more importantly, spread the news, get your workmates, bosses, venue managers, anybody involved and get them to donate.
Together we can do this but I will need all the support I can get!