Statement for safety of rig

[gerry5992]

I recently done a gig and the on site safety officer asked me for a safety statement for the rig. Now while I am very careful with every thing I do I could not provide one ,

as I do not know what is involved in doing so. All the lighting were safety chained all cables tapped down . What is involved in providing a safety cert and do you need a course/ qualification to provide this or is competence good enough.

please help as I have another event happening in the same venue pretty soon. I managed to get out of the senario as the safety officer was called out on family business ( thank god).

[paulears]

There's no rigid way of setting it out, but you have said the critical features yourself - the essential feature is to itemise.

 

All lighting equipment suspended by industry standard approved hardware, typically G clamps fitted with 10mm bolts and each having a secondary support - in this case an approved safety bond with suitable SWL. All cabling secured and safely fitted. All accessories securely attached by systems approved by the manufacturer.

 

Just fancy talk for what you've actually done. If you want to add more, then how about...

 

The installation of the equipment shall be carried out by competent persons using industry standard access equipment, with due reference to guidance or codes of practice provided/approved by the Health and Safety Executive, the Working at Height Regulations and the Lifting operations and lifting equipment regulations where appropriate.

 

All this does is formalise what you do - but they have something from you to use to pass the buck. It's just you saying you will do it properly, by using approved, suitable ways of working - and that where necessary, you will work within the regulations.

[Smiffy]

Google 'Risk Assessment' and 'Method Statement'

 

There are thousands of free templates out there for the sake of half an hours work searching for them :)

 

HTH

 

Smiffy

[Seano]

Google 'Risk Assessment' and 'Method Statement'

 

I think you may be on the wrong track there.

Hard to be sure, but I get the feeling what the elf is asking for is more along the lines of a sign-off certificate, not very different from the sign-off he'd be asking a scaffolder for on handing over some scaffolding.

 

It's just you saying you will do it properly, by using approved, suitable ways of working - and that where necessary, you will work within the regulations.

 

If so, its almost exactly as Paul says - but rather than a statement about what you will do, its a statement after you've finished rigging about what you have done. Its just a few lines to say that your rigging is now complete, you've followed industry 'good practice' when rigging and that everything now rigged is safe and secure.

 

In reply to Gerry:

I'm guessing, a bit, as to what the safety officer wants. If he's an approachable kind of an elf, any chance of a conversation some time well before the next gig to pin down what exactly he wants? Reading between the lines, he doesn't seem to be completely clear on that either so maybe it'll give him a wee reminder to look into it a bit.

[kerry davies]

For UK based folks as background; the Irish system of H&S at Work is a little different and their HSE, the Health and Safety Authority is much closer to government. EU directives make it compulsory to have H&S legislation but each national government formulates and passes the legislation. Different interpretations apply in different EU states so one needs to be careful when working abroad or advising on other countries working practices.

 

Our HASAWA is 34 years old and Ireland has a 5 year old Act, their General Application Regs of 2007 cover masses of things that we have separate legislation for, they tend to get rid of dozens of previous laws when passing new and we mostly add layers. They ask for a Safety Statement as well as an RA by law and don't seem to have separate LOLER/PUWER/RIDDOR in precisely the same way as we do.

 

The procedure there is; http://www.hsa.ie/eng/Publications_and_Forms/Publications/Safety_and_Health_Management/Guidelines_on_Risk_Assessments_and_Safety_Statements.pdf

1) Write a company Health and Safety Policy Statement.

2) Identify hazards

3) Assess Risks.

4) Decide on precautions

5) Write the conclusions as a Safety Statement.

6) Review and update.

So the safety statement is (roughly) the same as our written RA and all the safety officer needs, as Sean suggests, are the conclusions at Step 5 above, what we call the written RA. It is a relatively new system so ask advice from HSA on 1890 289 389.

Paul has hit all the buttons, simplicity being the major one, but the terminology is just a little different.

Sorry to be picky but the theory is the same, the practice different and the Irish establishment can get upset by referring to "English" law.

[GregB]

For my in house activities I use a 'Method Statment' which has a 'sign off' area at the bottom for production and managment staff.

Templates like this are available from PLASA (I copied mine from theirs)and while a little generic it seems to work reasonably well for most events. Sorry I cant find a link for you directly but would be happy to send you a copy to those who PM me.

[paulears]

Probably best to make sure were talking about rigging equipment as in 'attaching' things to something already there, rather than rigging equipment as in 'attaching' supporting equipment to a buildings structure or previously identified rigging points?

[Seano]

Probably best to make sure ... ?

Does it make any difference in this context?

[kerry davies]

As you pointed out so aptly, Sean, we don't know what "safety officer" considers the rig to be. If lifting equipment then what we have all written is OK. He might, however, regard it as structure or even scaffolding and the terminology will be different. Minor change but "safety officer" might be even more pedantic than me!

[Jivemaster]

My interpretation is that you do the job drawings and then all the risk assessment, after which you take the relevant standard method statements and the special MS that the job demands, then you produce a certificate that you have actually constructed the rig using the best methods and materials as specified in the site specific MS.

 

For the next gig, work out what is needed (in your opinion) then run this by the site Safety Manager before starting.

 

I see a parallel with UK PAT! Venues want to see the PAT Certificate for the rig, but baulk when shown the certificate for each single item used to assemble the electrical system!

[Seano]

If lifting equipment then what we have all written is OK. He might, however, regard it as structure or even scaffolding and the terminology will be different.

As you pointed out, the OP is in Ireland, and I'm responding based on my experience of UK practice, so I may be way off.

Here, at least, if he regarded it as scaffolding I'd say that made things clearer - what he's after is a certificate of completion.

 

One of the venues I (infrequently) hang stuff up in ask me to fill in a 'temporary structure sign-off' form that's quite obviously written with scaff in mind.

Its actually quite a good fit; most of the tick-boxes still apply. With a "n/a" in a couple of lines and a brief explanation in the "comments" section it makes perfect sense.

 

Minor change but "safety officer" might be even more pedantic than me!

Too bad he doesn't express himself as clearly as you, then the OP would know exactly what it is that he wants.

(I still suspect, slightly, that the safety officer himself doesn't know exactly what he wants.)

[Ynot]

(I still suspect, slightly, that the safety officer himself doesn't know exactly what he wants.)

OT, but that single, simple statement is perhaps the biggest problem that we face in the UK today when it comes to proper H & S considerations.

I've said it before, and it's still pretty much the norm across the board...

 

Whilst the HSE as a body itself is more than worthy of their position of authority, where everything starts to fall apart is when poorly trained, inexperienced josworths are given the title of 'Safety Officer' or some such, and therefore assume that this gives them some super-human power of command over all we mere mortals. Just quoting "It's Elf 'n' Safety, innnit" is enough to strike fear into the masses, and undermine those of us with half a brain and some serious knowledge of what we do.

[gerry5992]

Great knowledge from all you guys. I didnt even realise all equipment had to be pat tested in ireland . . To be honest most of my work is in places such as hotels and halls that dont give a damn about any safety statements or risk assesments and they are so useta seeing my face that they probably assume that all is in order anyway.

I realise that im probably not going to have everything in order by my next show (paperwork wise) but I am wondering about making a start . Can I just go out and buy a pat tester such as Seaward pat tester (any one recommend a good but relatively cheap model) and start testing my own equipment. Do I have to do a 1 day course or can I just start testing. I see there are cd you can buy on ebay with relavant info on them. The course is nearly 400 euro from one company here in ireland. Would much rather spend the money on the machine..

What do ya think.

[themadhippy]

do you undertstand the each of tests you need to carry out,what they mean, how to cary them out and what the results are saying?

[Brian]

do you understand the each of tests you need to carry out,what they mean, how to carry them out and what the results are saying?

I hate '+1' posts so I'll say 'spot on' instead.

 

Filling in a bit of paper, sticking on a green stickers, ticking a little box and handing over a pile of paper, whilst it *might* get you a local 'OK' will not help one little bit if anything goes wrong. In the jargon, were your procedures "suitable and sufficient".