FMP 20/4/2021 - Health and Safety in a musical concert.

Live Production Health and Safety:

There are many hazards and risks that occur whilst working in the live music industry. For example, a known hazard is the obvious sound hazard. Usually a sound above 85 decibels can be harmful. During live events, such as concerts, amplitude levels reach to about 120 to 129 decibels. The high sound levels can present a risk to the people present, due to the fact that it may cause a risk to hearing, but also due to the increased levels of vibration (legislation.gov.uk, 1974), as well as (legislation.gov.uk,2005), state that event organisers and employers must protect the workers and audiences from noise and vibrations. This means that sound and vibration levels should be monitored during rehearsals and soundchecks should be made to ensure that full control is kept, or adjustments can be made, if necessary. Ear protection should also be worn, when playing on stage, to minimise hearing loss.

Many more concert injuries are caused by overcrowding and spectators. This can involve things like unruly spectators, as well as too many people showing up to a small venue, leading to people getting suffocated or squished, as spoken about here (theworkplacedepot.co.uk), This can be managed, for example, by having people manage the crowd, who understand crowd psychology, as that is the key to managing the crowd. Another way to deal with this is to have allocated “fast lanes” for people who are able to go straight to the concert, without queuing, for example, people who don’t need bag checks. This will prevent overcrowding as only people who need to be in one area will be there. Another thing to do is to put up signs of where to go and make a system of how to go (e.g. entrances and exits), and have it clearly allocated.

Also, equipment related hazards, such as trip hazard and electrical hazard, pose a massive risk for people on stage, and potentially for the audience. Due to large amounts of microphones being used, to amplify things like drum kits and guitars, there will be a need for loads of cables. It is vital that cables are tucked away in such a way that do not pose a trip hazard or get in people’s way. Also live wires need to be covered and safe, as these can spark and cause fire hazards or electrocution. High voltage can present a risk of electrocution, meaning that cables must be safe - wires must not be uncovered, and insulation must be there so nobody gets electrocuted and to reduce fire hazard - it must be replaced if damaged, as stated on this article (www.astralsound./safety) Legislations regarding electricity at work can be found here, (hse.gov.uk).

Finally, Heavy Lifting can also be a hazard, as speakers and other musical appliances can be very heavy, meaning that they can cause severe damage if they are not handled appropriately, for example if someone was to drop something heavy onto someone, it could severely damage or even squash and kill the person on the receiving end. Caution should therefore be taken when lifting heavy appliances, such as loudspeakers or large amps. Firstly, it is necessary to judge the load of the object about to be lifted, and whether or not aid will be needed in lifting and carrying the object, as well as where the object will be placed and how it will be carried, and whether there are any obstructions in the way of the carrying path. It is also vital to get a good grip of the object being lifted - the object must be held tightly and supported in order to prevent it from falling and damaging anyone or anything, a bench or “resting place” could be implemented halfway through transit, where the carrier can temporarily rest the object and re-assert, and adjust anything, such as the grip of the object, as carrying heavy loads for a long time will bring strain and pain to the muscles. It is important to carry properly - holding the load inward, close to the waist and lifting from the legs, in order to minimise strain. More on the topic can be found here (hse.gov.uk/toolbox).

Reference List

Astralsound. (). Safety. Available: https://www.astralsound.com/safety.htm. Last accessed 20th Apr 2021.

hse.gov.uk. (). Electrical safety at work. Available: https://www.hse.gov.uk/electricity/. Last accessed 20th April 2021.

hse.gov.uk. (). Risk at Work - Manual handling. Available: https://www.hse.gov.uk/toolbox/manual.htm#:~:text=Keep%20the%20load%20close%20to%20the%20body%20for%20as%20long,while%20the%20back%20is%20bent. Last accessed 20th April 2021.

legislation.gov.uk. (1974). Health and Safety at Work etc. Act 1974. Available: https://www.legislation.gov.uk/ukpga/1974/37. Last accessed 20th April 2021.

legislation.gov.uk. (2005). The Control of Noise at Work Regulations 2005. Available: https://www.legislation.gov.uk/uksi/2005/1643/contents/made. Last accessed 20th Apr 2021.

The Workplace Depot. (). Health and Safety at Musical Concerts. Available: https://www.theworkplacedepot.co.uk/news/health-safety-musical-concerts/. Last accessed 20th Apr 2021.

RISK ASSESSMENT: