Take care

I have heard a very concerning rumour that a technician was electrocuted and seriously injured on Saturday night during a performance at a 'small theatre in the suburbs'.

I would be interested to know the details but would also like to state very loudly that THEATRE IS A DANGEROUS ACTIVITY!

While bad actors and directors can be a real pain a lazy or incompetent technician/set builder can be fatal. All equipment should be frequently inspected and regularly serviced. Borrowed equipment should be particulary
held suspect until thoroughly inspected.

So many times I have witnessed in the 'heat' of production shortcuts being made that could have had deadly ramifications.

I would like to express my beat wishes for a full recovery to the technician who obviously found himself in the wrong place at the wrong time and ask that ALL technicians take heed of the dangers that are just one safety check away.

I hope at least they took him for an ECG at a medical facility - but I doubt it?
I also doubt if the group or others concerned know what to do in the case of electric shock!!!. This goes for pro theatre as well - in most cases, as has been my experiance, there are a hell of a lot of theatre techies - who indulge in duobious practices with electricity - who do not hold valid liscences to do so, in some misguided beleif the act "does not apply to them - I have been doing this for years". I have had this argument with alot of Pro lighting technicains here and internationaly and they honestly believe they do not need even a limited or restricted liscense, as they have either graduated or have picked up enough experiance to be completly qualified and competant -
sorry it's just not enough, but please don't take my word for it "although I am not almost a doctor?", check out the Electrical Act and Worksafe practices and/or regulations.

The main thing is that it is not 'what you can do or get away with' - it's the problems for others you can and will cause -
"duty of care" is your responsibility.

If you are in a club or a production, you have a legal and moral right to ask and are intitled to see any liscene issued by the Department of Energy (old S.E.C) or to check that it is current and valid. If this cannot be readily supplied, you check with the Electrical Workers Board in Southport Street Leederville (WA) and they will check out the person for you.
More importantly the same goes for any Committee who hire out the venue or appiont a technicain at any time and they perform electrical work -
The piont I am getting at is, you have to protect yourselves and wear a steel plate on you backside, even if you might think you only have an insignifacnt function within the group.
Because, you can bet on it, the Insurance Company will walk away and Worksafe will walk right in.

Remeber this;- Insurance Companies are in the business of hiring out umbrellas untill it rains - then they take their umbrells back!

Sorry - I tend to prattle on about safety.

I hope the tech is alright and that the theatre has had the problem rectified or checked out by a liscensed electriciain. Also as all electrict shocks must be reported - they have done so?
If not for their sake, the technicain who got zapped.

If not - I would be be prepared to to offer my services (for FREE) if the theatre is close and handy or at least the cost of fuel if the community theatre is in the country or regions.

Joe McCabe