NEWS
The first global drone standards have been revealed
As drone use grows, rules and regulations remain in flux and vary among jurisdictions. Last month, for instance, the Federal Aviation Administration granted operators of certain drones approval to fly them in controlled airspace in the US, but the UK has an outright ban on using them within a kilometer of airports. To help establish best practices, the International Organization for Standardization has released the first draft set of global standards for drone use. The draft does suggest no-fly zones around airports and other restricted areas, along with geofencing measures to keep drones away from sensitive locations. The standards also [...]
BLUMANO Launches Netherlands Operation
BLUMANO, engineering consultancy for design and safety in the Entertainment Industry is expanding its operation with the announcement of BLUMANO Netherlands. This prime west European base will work in close collaboration with the existing offices of BLUMANO in the UK and in Italy. Michiel van der Zijde is joining the ever-expanding organisation, who in addition to his extensive knowledge of stage machinery, brings a background in project management to the dynamic equation. He is an industry professional and has an impressive track record in production design and product development spanning over 20 years with experience working as a technical producer [...]
Brexit & Product Compliance – “No Deal” Scenario
In September 2018, the UK government published a series of notices explaining how product compliance regulations would apply if a deal is not struck between the UK and the EU on the terms of Brexit – a "no deal" scenario. Specifically, the UK government commented on how goods traded in accordance with the Mutual Recognition Principle and the EU New Approach Directives would be affected a "no deal" Brexit. We outline the implications of the main UK government notices on the impact of a "no deal" Brexit on product compliance regulation below. Product compliance pre-Brexit Mutual Recognition Principle Safety requirements [...]
Brexit & Product Compliance – “No Deal” Scenario
In September 2018, the UK government published a series of notices explaining how product compliance regulations would apply if a deal is not struck between the UK and the EU on the terms of Brexit – a "no deal" scenario. Specifically, the UK government commented on how goods traded in [...]
Safely On the Run with Beyoncé and Jay-Z
Worldwide - Entertainment engineering specialist WIcreations was asked to work on two specialist elements – a moving / tracking video wall and a ‘Star Lift’ – for Jay-Z and Beyoncé’s “On The Run II” (OTR II) stadium tour, part of an epic and spectacular set design concept designed by Stufish. [...]
BSI secures membership of CEN and CENELEC
On 23 November, the General Assemblies of the European Standards Organizations CEN and CENELEC approved a plan that secures BSI’s full membership post-Brexit. BSI welcomes these decisions as a pragmatic solution that provides stability for the European standards system while meeting the needs of our stakeholders. The decisions, taken separately [...]
Three More ESTA Standards in Public Review
Lighting and Sound America has reported that three more ESTA Technical standards have been posted for public review: ANSI E1.34 -- 2009, Entertainment Technology -- Measuring and Specifying the Slipperiness of Floors Used in Live Performance Venues, is being considered for reaffirmation again (i.e., no changes in requirements, only updating [...]
Stage light crashes down during Tracy Byrd’s performance at Brazoria County Fair, injuring band member
BRAZORIA COUNTY, Texas (KTRK) -- A concert turned terrifying at the Brazoria County fair when a stage light fell and sent members of a country singer's band scrambling Saturday night. Cellphone video captured the frightening moment that occurred as Tracy Byrd's band was wrapping up their show. In the video, [...]
Lucky Dube’s daughter electrocuted on stage in freak accident
Songstress Bongi Dube, who is the daughter of the late Lucky Dube is grateful to have escaped with her life after she got electrocuted during a performance in Durban Isolezwe is reporting that Bongi’s leg and left arm was seriously injured in the freak accident. “As I was about to [...]
New CEN standard – Entertainment technology – Specifications for design and manufacture of aluminium and steel trusses (EN 17115)
Summer is traditionally the season for outdoor events, and the warm summer that is now coming to an end has been no exception: concerts, festivals, open-air theatres and cinemas have multiplied, giving people the possibility to enjoy the warm weather. Nevertheless, organising successful events is a huge technical feat: complex [...]
IEC 62443: Levels, Levels and More Levels
By now we’ve all become familiar with safety integrity levels (SIL), as they have become part of our everyday lives. However, with the recent release of several cybersecurity standards in the IEC 62443 series, things are getting more complicated. This series of standards introduces two more levels that we will need to [...]
Vigo festival collapse in Spain injures hundreds
More than 300 people have been injured, five seriously, after a section of wooden platform collapsed at an urban sports and music festival in Spain. It had been packed with people watching a rap artist at the two-day O Marisquiño event in the north-west city of Vigo, in Galicia. Police [...]
Summary : UK to apply to stay in European standards system after Brexit
The following summary is a news extract made by Blumano via the Financial Times: Recently the Financial Times published an article discussing the UK’s possible bid to stay in the “European standards system for industry products” after Brexit. According to the FT article, the UK is to apply to stay [...]
ANSI Approves Standard to Prevent Falls from Stages
On Friday the 13th of July, the ANSI Board of Standards Review approved a revised version of ANSI E1.46, Standard for the Prevention of Falls from Theatrical Stages and Raised Performance Platforms. The standard has been revised to address changes to the OSHA regulations for fall protection, while keeping the [...]
Cloudburst with winds up to 100 km/h: Pink Night stage collapses in Bellaria
An intense storm struck the Rimini coast on Thursday afternoon in the Bellaria area. It was a thunderstorm supercell which fell from the Ravenna to the Riminese, also bringing medium-sized hailstorms and gusts of wind up to 98.2 km/h. The storm manifested itself with the phenomenon of a "downburst", and [...]
Civilian Drones
This paper outlines current regulations for the use of recreational and commercial drones in the UK. It also presents recent policy development in the UK and internationally, as well as emerging technological and regulatory issues related to drone integration into domestic airspace. The Civil Aviation Authority (CAA) is the independent [...]
Man electrocuted to death after climbing stage at music festival
A concertgoer was electrocuted to death after scaling the stage and touching power cables at a music festival in Brazil. Daniel Guedes, 32, died instantly in the massive electrical explosion during the show in Natuba, Paraiba state. Images too gruesome to publish show the man’s charred body lying beside the [...]
Raising the Standard – Lluis Diaz-Guerra confirmed speaker at ITEAC 2018 conference
Twenty years ago, there were hardly any engineering standards specific to the theatre industry. Thanks to the hard work of many individuals within the entertainment industry there are now a draft of standards created both in Europe and the USA. Presented by BLUMANO, Lluis Diaz-Guerra, Michael Lichter and Bill Sapsis, in this [...]
Cirque du Soleil performer Yann Arnaud dies after fall
A Cirque du Soleil performer has died after he fell onto the stage during a performance in Florida, the company announced Sunday. "It is with immense sadness that Cirque du Soleil Entertainment Group reports that a tragic accident occurred last night, March 17, during a performance of its show 'Volta,' [...]
Qatar stadium where UK worker died was ‘downright dangerous’
British coroner says Zac Cox given substandard equipment by managers at World Cup venue. The only western construction worker killed in the building of World Cup stadiums in Qatar was provided with substandard equipment by managers who should have known the risks of a “downright dangerous” environment, a British coroner [...]
prEN 17206:2018 | Lifting and Load-bearing Equipment for Stages and other Production Areas within the Entertainment Industry
Th long-awaited EN standard draft based on CWA 15902-1 has been published for public consultation. prEN 17206:2018 Veranstaltungstechnik - Hub- und Lastaufnahmeeinrichtungen für Bühnen und andere Produktionsbereiche in der Veranstaltungsindustrie - Festlegung von grundlegenden Anforderungen (mit Ausnahme von Aluminium- und Stahltraversen) Entertainment Technology - Lifting and Load-bearing Equipment for Stages [...]
The Prevention of Unexpected Start-Up Safety Function
Introduction In Europe, the Machinery Directive, which is a legal act, establishes the necessary tasks for new machines to meet health and safety requirements. This means that Manufacturers are obliged to construct their machines such that they are safe. In practise, this means that designers should perform a risk assessment [...]
DJ killed after stage collapses during sudden storm at festival
A DJ has died after a stage collapsed on him at a dance festival in Brazil. Kaleb Freitas was performing when the structure was brought down during a storm at Atmosphere Festival, Porto Alegre. The 30-year-old, whose real name was Kalleby Frietas de Rosa, was rushed to hospital with head [...]
International Code of Practice for Entertainment Rigging (ICOPER)
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 [...]
Marilyn Manson Blames God for His Recent On-Stage Accidents
In a new interview, Marilyn Manson says God is responsible for his recent back-to-back on-stage accidents, one of which broke his leg, resulting in the cancellation of many upcoming live dates. And I don’t mean he says God is responsible as a metaphor; I mean he really does point the [...]
Lifting operations in the Entertainment Industry – Cristiano Giavedoni confirmed speaker at LiftEx 2017 conference
A session that examines current issues and challenges surrounding the integration and use of chain hoists and winches in the event industry. There are many thousands of hoists in use in the EU of which the owner or user complete the manufacture/integration of the machinery by fitting the chain, electrical connectors [...]
Marilyn Manson injured after set collapses during concert
The rock star was seen trying to climb scaffolding supporting two giant guns, before the prop dramatically fell on top of him. Marilyn Manson has been injured during a concert in New York City, when a stage prop of two giant guns backed on metal scaffolding appeared to collapse on top [...]
Charges in fatal Radiohead stage collapse stayed over lengthy trial delays
Dave McCaskill, Crown lawyer, says it's too early to consider appeal. Charges stemming from a fatal Radiohead concert stage collapse in 2012 were stayed Tuesday when a judge ruled the justice system had failed in allowing the case to take far too long to come to trial. The inordinate delays, [...]
Is theatre stage equipment subject to PUWER or LOLER Inspection?
Theatre equipment, such as cameras & lighting booms, lift and lower as part of their operation. They, therefore, have the potential to result in catastrophic and fatal injuries if they collapse during operation. However, several factors need to be considered when determining whether such equipment is ‘general work equipment’ or [...]
Tom Cruise injury halts filming on Mission Impossible 6
Director Christopher McQuarrie says the action star broke ankle during the filming of a stunt which required jumping between buildings and hitting a wall. The studio behind Mission Impossible 6 has confirmed that production of the film has been put on hiatus while Tom Cruise recovers from a broken [...]
ANSI approves E1.50-1 standard for supporting video displays
On August 14 ANSI’s Board of Standards Review approved ANSI E1.50-1 — 2017, Requirements for the Structural Support of Temporary LED, Video & Display Systems. It was published by ESTA on the same day. ANSI E1.50-1 covers the support of temporary installations of large format modular display systems, LED, video and other [...]
Guide to application of the Machinery Directive 2006/42/EC
Edition 2.1 (update of the 2nd Edition) of the Guide to application of the Machinery Directive 2006/42/EC is publicly available on the Europa website for the machinery sector (the English version for the time being, and requests for translations will be placed in French and German). The Machinery Guide will [...]
French singer Barbara Weldens dies on stage mid-concert amid reports she ‘was electrocuted’
French singer Barbara Weldens has collapsed and died on stage mid-concert, it has been reported. The 35-year-old singer, who released her debut album in February, was on stage for the Festival Léo Ferré in the Church of the Cordeliers in the village of Goudron in the Lot region in south-west [...]
Siemens digital tech makes Dubai Opera one of the world’s smartest concert spaces
Dubai Opera is one of the world’s smartest and most energy efficient performance spaces, thanks to an almost invisible - but extremely powerful - building management platform from Siemens. The dhow-shaped building is a multi-format performing arts theatre and accommodates up to 2,000 spectators. The day-to-day operations of the iconic [...]
WIcreations Moves it for Vasco Rossi in Modena
Italy – WIcreations provided StageCo with specialist automation services to move four massive towers onstage at the epic Vasco Rossi concert and spectacle in Modena – the Italian rock superstar’s only scheduled live appearance in 2017 – attended by 250,000 rapturous fans on a blisteringly hot summer’s day in Modena [...]
Gene Simmons take a fall on stage during Kiss concert
It was a moment straight out of This Is Spinal Tap. During Kiss‘ concert last night (July 17) at the Brick Breeden Fieldhouse in Bozeman, Mont., Gene Simmons took a fall on stage. As you can see in the video above, the slip happened during the show’s closing number, “Rock [...]
Acrobat death fall at Mad Cool festival in Madrid
An acrobat from Brighton has died after reportedly falling 100ft (30m) during a stunt at a rock festival in Spain. Specialist in aerial dance Pedro Aunión Monroy, was suspended in a cage during the Mad Cool festival in Madrid, on Friday night. While near the main stage, in-between the performances [...]
WI in Wonderland with Take That
UK - WI has supplied staging, elevators and extensive automation elements to the Take That ‘Wonderland’ tour which kicked off at the Genting Arena, Birmingham. The lively, colourful carnivalesque aesthetic is the vision of the band’s creative director Kim Gavin and the result of some serious creative and technical talents [...]
Writer Farzana Naz died after tragic fall from a stage at an event
Writer Farzana Naz, who sustained severe head and back injuries after falling from a stage at an event, has passed away. Naz's fall took place at the closing ceremony of a literary festival at Islamabad's Pak-China Friendship Hall. She fell from a 12ft high stage. The 36-year-old writer was immediately [...]
BLUMANO at VPT Lifting Technology conference
On the 30th of January 2017, BLUMANO participated in the conference “Hoisting Technique: 10 years later”, which was organised by VPT, the Dutch association for stage technology. The keynote speech was given by BLUMANO’s director, Cristiano Giavedoni, who entertained the large audience with a presentation called “Safety in Machinery: The [...]