The Industry
Sun, 27 Mar 2005, 11:52 amWalter Plinge22 posts in thread
The Industry
Sun, 27 Mar 2005, 11:52 amJust a question to everyone out there, how to people get on crews...actors have auditions, crew have.....is it all word of mouth??
Re: The Industry
Fri, 1 Apr 2005, 11:03 amWalter Plinge
In a genenric sense it comes under Health and Safety regulations for a particular state requiring the employer to provide a safe working environment. As a guide to providing the employer with a means of providing a safe working environment, the worksafe people advise you to use Australian Standards and Codes of Practice and any legal requirements on trades areas such as a person requiring an electrical license in order to cacry out electrical work.
There are two categories of electrical licences, an electrical or contractors license that enables you to carry out building or "fixed wiring" and a restricted license that allows you to carry out a specific area of electrical work on equipment such as replacing a three pin plug or installing security equipment.
A new electrical requirement that has recently been created is the need to test and tag equipment to AS/NZS3760:2003 note that this is a standard and the requirement to do it stems from your workplace needs. In some Eastern States it is compulsorary, it is only required in WA if your employer decides to do it to reduce their insurance premiums for workers compensation, which can be a significant saving.
You do not need an electrical license to carry out testing and taging, the standards states you need to be a "competent person" which for convenience usually means doing a half day TAFE course if it is available.
The actual rigging of lighting bars etc has to be done by licensed riggers due to structural regulations. (Not my area so do not know any more).
The rigging of fixtures onto the lighting bars does not require a license but requires a safe working practice which will need reference to Australian Standards and Codes of Practice. In WA we have a new code of practice "Working At Heights" if you work more than 3.2 metres off the floor which covers most lighting bars in schools etc and requires you to wear a safety harness. As a safe working practice, you can purchase a 2.8 metre platform ladder that provides a safe working platform to access and rig lighting bars as you are walking up steps with a handrail provided and as this platform is less than 3.2 metres off the floor you do not need to wear a harness. Typical cost is $1200 for a platform ladder. It is providing a safer working environment as you cannot rig from an extension ladder without a harness. In professional theatre without flown bars you need to hire mobile work platforms which require a licens to operate.
In WA there is a Health Public Buildings Act that requires the use of safety chains on any theatre light that hangs above any area that the public has access to. This has been compulsorary for many years now and as the public has access to all areas of most theatres at some time we should see safety chains on all theatre lights everywhere.
Companies such as Julius Grafton (Connections Magazine ENTEC etc) and some TAFE colleges over east offer Certificate courses to cover all of the above points to ensure a safe working practice is carried out. These certificates are not a legal requirement but a piece of paper that makes it easier of an employer to document that they are providing a safe working environment.
There are cowboys in any industry and someone with a piece of paper may not be carrying out safe work practices. You will genrally not find inspectors in the workplace checking up on what is being done as it is self regulating, they come along as part of a coroners court when it is too late.
It is very hard to find rules or regulations that cover what you are doing, the best approach is to go through Worksafe in your state and hope you find the right inspector to advise you on the code of practice that covers what you are doing.
Hope that helps a bit.
Don Allen
There are two categories of electrical licences, an electrical or contractors license that enables you to carry out building or "fixed wiring" and a restricted license that allows you to carry out a specific area of electrical work on equipment such as replacing a three pin plug or installing security equipment.
A new electrical requirement that has recently been created is the need to test and tag equipment to AS/NZS3760:2003 note that this is a standard and the requirement to do it stems from your workplace needs. In some Eastern States it is compulsorary, it is only required in WA if your employer decides to do it to reduce their insurance premiums for workers compensation, which can be a significant saving.
You do not need an electrical license to carry out testing and taging, the standards states you need to be a "competent person" which for convenience usually means doing a half day TAFE course if it is available.
The actual rigging of lighting bars etc has to be done by licensed riggers due to structural regulations. (Not my area so do not know any more).
The rigging of fixtures onto the lighting bars does not require a license but requires a safe working practice which will need reference to Australian Standards and Codes of Practice. In WA we have a new code of practice "Working At Heights" if you work more than 3.2 metres off the floor which covers most lighting bars in schools etc and requires you to wear a safety harness. As a safe working practice, you can purchase a 2.8 metre platform ladder that provides a safe working platform to access and rig lighting bars as you are walking up steps with a handrail provided and as this platform is less than 3.2 metres off the floor you do not need to wear a harness. Typical cost is $1200 for a platform ladder. It is providing a safer working environment as you cannot rig from an extension ladder without a harness. In professional theatre without flown bars you need to hire mobile work platforms which require a licens to operate.
In WA there is a Health Public Buildings Act that requires the use of safety chains on any theatre light that hangs above any area that the public has access to. This has been compulsorary for many years now and as the public has access to all areas of most theatres at some time we should see safety chains on all theatre lights everywhere.
Companies such as Julius Grafton (Connections Magazine ENTEC etc) and some TAFE colleges over east offer Certificate courses to cover all of the above points to ensure a safe working practice is carried out. These certificates are not a legal requirement but a piece of paper that makes it easier of an employer to document that they are providing a safe working environment.
There are cowboys in any industry and someone with a piece of paper may not be carrying out safe work practices. You will genrally not find inspectors in the workplace checking up on what is being done as it is self regulating, they come along as part of a coroners court when it is too late.
It is very hard to find rules or regulations that cover what you are doing, the best approach is to go through Worksafe in your state and hope you find the right inspector to advise you on the code of practice that covers what you are doing.
Hope that helps a bit.
Don Allen
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