ESTA Announces Fog and Speaker Enclosure Standards for Public Review

The Technical Standards Program of the Entertainment Services and Technology Association (ESTA) announces the availability of two standards they have for public review.

ESTA Announces Public Review of Draft Speaker Enclosure Rigging Standard

BSR E1.8, Entertainment Technology – Loudspeaker Enclosures Intended for Overhead Suspension – Classification, Manufacture and Structural Testing, is now available for public review, and will be through December 10, 2002. Loudspeakers suspended overhead are more than acoustical enclosures. They also are structural elements that must support significant weight. The document describes the structural requirements for loudspeaker enclosures intended for overhead suspension, which include enclosure construction, component part security, enclosure suspension hardware, manufacturing control systems, structural testing, and product representation. The standard is intended to enhance the safety of speaker rigging at music concerts and other public performances.

The standard is a project of the Rigging Working Group, part of the ANSI-accredited standards committee E1, Safety and Compatibility of Entertainment Technical Equipment and Practices. The Entertainment Services and Technology Association is the secretariat for accredited standards committee E1, and provides administrative support to the committee. Membership in the working group is open to all who are affected by standards making in the area of trusses and rigging in entertainment venues, and who are willing to actively participate in the group's projects.

Draft American National Standard For Theatrical Fog is Available for Public Review

BSR E1.5, Entertainment Technology - Theatrical Fog Made With Aqueous Solutions Of Di- And Trihydric Alcohols, is available for a second public review. These theatrical fogs and mists are often used as visual effects or to enhance lighting effects in live performances such as dramatic productions, musicals, and popular music concerts, and are commonly called "glycol fogs." This draft American National Standard describes the composition of glycol and glycerin fogs that are not likely to be harmful to otherwise healthy performers, technicians, or audience members of normal working age.

Copies of the draft BSR E1.5 standard may be obtained from the ESTA website at http://www.esta.org/tsp/ or by requesting a copy from ESTA's Technical Standards Manager via mail, fax, or e-mail. Comments on the document should be received at the ESTA office before 17:00 Eastern Time on December 10, 2002. Comments received after that time may not be accepted in this public review.

The BSR E1.5 project is an undertaking of the Fog & Smoke Working Group, part of the ANSI-accredited standards committee E1, Safety and Compatibility of Entertainment Technical Equipment and Practices. The Entertainment Services and Technology Association is the secretariat for Accredited Standards Committee E1 and provides administrative support to the committee. Membership in the working group is open to all who are affected by its work. Membership in ESTA is not a requirement.

The draft standard may be obtained from the ESTA website at http://www.esta.org/tsp/, or it may be obtained by writing via mail, fax, or email to

For more information, contact:

Karl G. Ruling
Technical Standards Manager
ESTA
875 Sixth Avenue, Suite 1005
New York, NY 10001
Fax: 1-212-244-1502
[email protected]