Event Safety First!

I never had one of those mothers that would load me down with protective equipment when I would go out and ride my bike. These days, it's the normal thing to see kids riding down the street with helmets on that are bigger than their body. That's a good thing! I was blessed to have not gotten more injured as a child riding BMX bikes and motorized dirt bikes with no equipment. As I got older, I began to value protecting myself from danger, if it was possible to prevent it. Moving into my profession, the way we prepared for the risks of the craft was through training and certification. The Event Safety Alliance is an organization designed to prepare event technicians and specialists on how to perform their job duties safely. Live event safety has become really big news in the last couple of years, especially since the tragic accident at the Indiana State Fair where the stage collapsed during rough weather. Since then, the Event Safety Alliance has been doubling their efforts to properly train and prepare event technicians on how to handle proper rigging of lights and sound equipment, staging, safety for audience, talent and personnel, and how to deal with hazardous weather conditions. Diana Ross's famed performance in New York City Central Park would never take place today because of the measure of safety procedures that has been put in place to keep concert patrons, personnel, talent and technology safe. The ESA provides a guidebook that can be downloaded from their website that covers the importance of practicing proper safety procedures when setting up equipment for live events. Events are held in a number of venues today: outdoor amphitheaters, convention centers and hotels, stadiums and arenas, and the traditional performance theater. The guidebook is not the only thing that the ESA offers. Amongst other resources, the ESA also provides certification and training for those that would like to be more proficient in rigging and electrical safety training, and they provide links to other organizations that teach you about audience safety and weather preparedness. They update topics through their blog and they sell advertising space on their webpage to other vendors looking to advertise on their website. Membership has it's privileges, offering discounts on products and certification exams and study guides. Having the ESA in my corner as I develop my company is going to be critically necessary. They're going to be that oversized helmet on my small little body. Thanks ESA mom!!