At its July 18 meeting ESTA's Rigging Working Group approved the initiation of two new projects: BSR E1.38 - 20xx, Temporary Ground-Supported Structures Used to Support Equipment in the Production of Outdoor Entertainment Events, Excluding Stage Roofs and BSR E1.39 - 20xx, Entertainment Technology – Recommendations for the Use of Fall Protection on Temporary Suspended and Ground-Supported Structures.
BSR E1.38 - 20xx is to establish basic requirements for the structural design, manufacture, use, and maintenance of temporary ground- supported structures used to support equipment, such as video walls, followspot towers, and audio mixing platforms, in the production of outdoor entertainment events. General public access structures, such as food vendor tents and seating bleachers, and also temporary stage roofs that are within the scope of ANSI E1.21, are outside the scope of this standard.
BSR E1.39 - 20xx is intended to establish minimum requirements for the selection and use of personal fall arrest systems on temporary structures in the entertainment industry. It also establishes minimum requirements for manufacturers and owners of these structures being used as work platforms. The purpose of the document is to provide employers and workers methods for protecting workers in the entertainment industry that meet or exceed current standards for industrial fall protection. The usual practices of industrial and construction industry fall protection are difficult to apply to the entertainment industry, but entertainment industry workers need no less protection that workers in other industries.
These two new projects are being announced so that parties who might be materially affected by the development of these standards can be made aware of the work. Anyone interested in personally working on the development of the standards also is invited to join the Rigging Working Group. The Rigging Working Group already has many manufacturer members and the working group is large, but additional voting members who might be in the User or Dealer/Rental Company interest categories would be helpful for balancing the economic interests represented in the voting body of the working group. Information about joining working groups and an application form are available on the ESTA website.
The projects are also being announced so that people who wish to offer comments for or against the projects may do so. Please send any comments by November 8, 2009 to Karl G. Ruling, ESTA technical standards manager.