ESTA and PLASA announce the release of an International Code of Practice for Entertainment Rigging (ICOPER) which is available as a free download. In response to calls from the international entertainment rigging community, rigging professionals from around the globe came together to create ICOPER to promote awareness and safety worldwide by providing a model code of practice with a focus on arena rigging. However, this Code of Practice is applicable to all event production rigging disciplines.
The practices described in the Code are intended to provide a universal foundation for those engaged in planning, managing, and executing entertainment rigging. ICOPER also provides guidelines for those who wish to develop policy, design training content or help establish certification criteria.
Key areas covered in ICOPER include Pre-Installation, Planning and Engineering; Drawing Conventions; Equipment Selection; Onsite Rigging Work, Lifting Operations, Show Rigging Operations, De-Rigging Work; and Post Production. Also included are a glossary, an appendix covering determinate and indeterminate rigging systems, and a regional comparison of terms regarding Standards.
The principal authors of the Code, who met regularly via WebEx over a period of 20 months, are Nick Barnfield (New Zealand), Tiny Good (Australia), Chris Higgs (United Kingdom), Ed Kish (United States), Bill Sapsis (United States), and Roy Schilderman (The Netherlands). ESTA’s Lori Rubinstein provided administrative support for the project.
The authors believe that recognition and acceptance of this universal code will help promote regulatory harmony and reduce potential conflicts between regions around the world. They hope the resulting improvements in communications and relations with regional and local regulators will be particularly beneficial to those professionals involved in international production.
Acknowledging that regulations and standards differ around the world, ICOPER is not prescriptive, rather it provides a series of guidelines that, if followed, will produce uniformly predictable results and enhance safe practice. Adopting and supporting ICOPER therefore benefits everyone involved in event production.

Further information and to download the code: www.esta.org/icoper or www.plasa.org/icoper

[Stage Directions | Michael Eddy – link to the original article]