Collapsing rig - scary pictures

[james jag]

having looked at the photos the roof structure does seem to be a bit flimsy, I would imagine that it has a weight loading, but does that allow for a few truss with loads spread over it total area ?, from the pics every thing is on one truss could it have been the fact that is was point loaded to heavily and the roof system failed at these points ?

[leofric]

There is a reason why the reputable staging companies cost so much, it's 'cos they do it right!

 

I wouldn't like to speculate as to the cause of this incident but looking at the various pictures surely you would be concerned about flying from this stage wouldn't you?

 

I would hope that in the uk that no one would put a structure like this up other than as a stage covering. I very much doubt that most licencing authorities would be very happy with it in the UK.

 

We still need to be aware as we approach the event season. There are several propriety staging systems on the market with all the technical data to support them. It is just that the people who buy them do not have the expertise to erect them. They will undercut the reputable firms by cutting crew costs, employing labourers instead of riggers, not having all the back up of the more expensive companies.

 

In one case a self climbing roof was beautifully erected by a marquee company, guyed off, the lot. They just forgot to allow for the slope the stage was on and the whole structure was a number of degrees from vertical.

 

In another case, another company put up a large roof system probably 50' x 40' Pa wings the lot but didn't bother to put in any vertical cross bracing steels between the top and bottom of the opposing legs and the bracing they did use was guyed of to a ground anchor sticking two foot into the air at one end and attached to a single thin cross member in the truss leg not the vertical cords.

 

It all comes down to the old saying , if the deal seems to good to be true it probably is.