Rigging at live events encompasses every operation that suspends objects overhead: truss and lighting systems, audio arrays and delay speakers, scenic elements, projection screens, banners and signage, and in some cases, performers. Anything suspended overhead can fall, and when it does, the consequences for people below can be catastrophic. industry safety guidance opens its rigging chapter with an unambiguous statement of the hazard: rigging creates life-safety risks that affect almost every person associated with an event, and the possibility of a catastrophic failure must be considered and planned for by all responsible parties (Event Safety Alliance, 2013). This is not a theoretical concern. Structural failures of event rigging have killed workers and audience members in incidents that forensic analysis routinely attributes to inadequate engineering, unqualified personnel, overloaded structures, or failures in the chain of authority and communication.

Understanding who is responsible for rigging safety at a live event is the first step in preventing these failures. The identifies five categories of personnel who bear distinct legal and professional responsibilities for event rigging, and the responsibilities of each are not interchangeable.

The Event Organizer or Producer

As the general contractor for the event, the event organizer or producer bears overarching responsibility for the rigging system. Specifically, the organizer is responsible for ensuring that a professional rigging consultant and/or engineer is involved in all phases of the event, including a final evaluation of the system prior to commencing operations; procuring reputable and competent rigging equipment and service suppliers; verifying that suppliers and individuals involved with rigging are competent and possess qualifications, training, certifications, insurance, and experience commensurate with the size and complexity of the event; and ensuring that appropriate method statements, safety policy documents, contracts, and insurance are in place before work begins on site (Event Safety Alliance, 2013).

This responsibility cannot be fully delegated. Even when the head rigger or rigging vendor assumes some or all of the duties described above, the organizer retains an obligation to verify that the required work has been completed. A contract that transfers liability to a subcontractor does not transfer the organizer’s duty of care to the public or to workers on the site.

The Structural Engineer

A qualified engineer establishes and approves the capacities and limitations of the entire rigging system and how it applies to the event’s structures. Engineering calculations must take into account and include the operation of any show elements that move or other forces that may cause loads to change during load-in, during the event, and during load-out. The engineer’s scope specifically includes the locations and weights of all rigging attachment points; static and dynamic loading of event structures; weather-related loading such as snow or wind; loading from additional production elements including lighting, scenery, scrims, soft goods, and scoreboards; and the design and specification of detailed lateral system requirements (Event Safety Alliance, 2013).

The engineer’s role is critical because the loads imposed by modern live event production are substantial and often poorly understood by non-engineering personnel. A single motor truss point in a large concert production may carry tens of thousands of pounds; a touring production with multiple video walls and automation systems may impose tens of millions of foot-pounds of bending moment on a venue’s roof structure. Only a licensed professional engineer with specific knowledge of the venue’s structure can responsibly determine whether those loads can be safely accommodated.

The Production Supervisor, Manager, or Technical Director

This role, whose title varies by production context, is generally responsible for overseeing the installation, operation, and dismantling of production elements; integrating production elements and coordinating vendors and suppliers; managing documents and information related to the event’s rigging in conjunction with the production rigger and the engineer; and serving as the event organizer’s representative and liaison between the producer, venue, subcontractors, and local authorities. Critically, the production supervisor is responsible for obtaining approved documents from the engineer and storing them in a readily accessible location for the duration of the event, and for obtaining signed statements from the responsible rigging installer at the conclusion of the rigging installation confirming that the system is safe for use (Event Safety Alliance, 2013).

The Production Rigger

The production rigger is responsible for the integrity of the event-related rigging system and its operation. Specific responsibilities include participating in development of the rigging risk assessment, fall protection plan, rigging rescue plan, and the overall event emergency response plan; reviewing the event safety policy with all rigging workers before starting work; working with and guiding subcontractors, rigging team supervisors, and rigging service suppliers during installation, operation, and removal; maintaining documentation including engineering information and an accurate as-built rigging plan; verifying actual rigging loads, particularly dynamic loads; inspecting production elements for integrity before they are raised and after they are locked off; overseeing all show elements that move, including automation; monitoring all rigging equipment operators for competence and reporting incompetent workers for removal; and contacting the design engineer to review any variations from approved engineering documents, and receiving written approval for any such variations (Event Safety Alliance, 2013).

The production rigger should meet the definition of a “qualified person” as defined by OSHA: one who, by possession of a recognized degree, certificate, or professional standing, or by extensive knowledge, training, and experience, has successfully demonstrated the ability to solve or resolve problems relating to the subject matter, the work, or the project (29 CFR 1926.32(m)).

Riggers

Riggers install and operate the rigging components. Their competency is central to safety. Riggers should be familiar with applicable regulations, industry standards and practices, the specifics of the venue and its supporting structures, and the proper use of PPE. Rigging teams consist of high riggers and ground riggers. High riggers install rigging points with the assistance of ground riggers. All members of the rigging team touch and inspect their respective elements of the rigging and should vigilantly monitor for worn or compromised equipment. They must know and use proper equipment handling procedures and rigging terminology (Event Safety Alliance, 2013).

At a minimum, a rigger should meet the definition of a “competent person” as defined by OSHA: one who is capable of identifying existing and predictable hazards in the surroundings or working conditions which are unsanitary, hazardous, or dangerous to employees, and who has authorization to take prompt corrective measures to eliminate them (29 CFR 1926.32(f)). In addition to safe installation, operation, and dismantling of equipment, all riggers are expected to observe and monitor the event’s environment for issues in support of the production rigger and to report those issues promptly.

Chain of Command

A clear chain of command and control must be established and understood by everyone on the job site prior to the start of work (Event Safety Alliance, 2013). In rigging, ambiguity about authority is not merely an organizational inconvenience; it is a safety deficiency. When multiple production companies, venue staff, and subcontractors are working simultaneously on a rigging installation, every person on the floor needs to know who is in charge, whose orders to follow, and who has authority to stop the work if a hazard is identified. The production rigger is the central coordination point for rigging operations, but the chain of command must extend to include venue staff, automation operators, and any other personnel whose actions can affect rigging loads or rigging system integrity.

Area Control

All event workers must be aware at all times of where rigging teams are working overhead and must avoid the area directly below them. A ground rigger or another designated person should be tasked with monitoring the zone under where rigging work is occurring and keeping all non-rigging crew out of immediate harm’s way. Only competent ground riggers should be in the work zone directly below the high riggers; all others must remain outside the perimeter of that work zone. Warning signage or cone markers should be used to discourage personnel from entering the work zone. Ground riggers must keep all persons in the vicinity informed of the rigging process, particularly those near the work zone below (Event Safety Alliance, 2013).

Lifting and Lowering Operations

When lifting, moving, or lowering rigging equipment, a loud and clear announcement must be made to inform all persons in the area of the intended action (“truss moving,” “grid moving,” “line set #24 — backdrop coming in”). Work, especially noisy operations such as construction activity, gas-operated blowers, audio checks, and loud conversations, must be suspended immediately before and during the lifting operation. All persons in the area should move to a safe position prior to the move (Event Safety Alliance, 2013).

The universally recognized word to halt operations immediately is “STOP.” No other term is acceptable: not “WHOA,” “HO,” “HEADS UP,” or any other word. All workers monitoring a lifting operation must know this protocol and be prepared to call “STOP” at the first sign of trouble. The first indication of a problem is often auditory rather than visual, such as a motor problem or a lift chain running from a chain bag. One particularly dangerous scenario is a hoist chain that fails to feed into the chain bag during a lift, causing the chain to run free and descend at an increasing rate of speed toward the floor. Event workers should closely watch all lifting operations and be ready to call “STOP” without hesitation (Event Safety Alliance, 2013).

Fall Protection

All workers who meet the criteria for working at height during the course of providing their services must use appropriate fall protection equipment as required by law, the event safety policy, the venue’s safety policy, and accepted industry best practices. This includes workers operating articulated boom lifts, man lifts, scissor lifts, and similar high-reach equipment (Event Safety Alliance, 2013).

OSHA’s general industry and construction standards require fall protection at heights of six feet or more above a lower level. Specifically, 29 CFR 1926.501(b)(1) states that each employee on a walking or working surface with an unprotected side or edge six feet or more above a lower level must be protected by guardrail systems, safety net systems, or personal fall arrest systems. Personnel risk assessment for fall protection must be conducted during pre-production in the rigging planning stage. Rigging staff must be trained in proper fall protection practices before coming to the job site. Load-in conditions are not an appropriate context for training new rigging crew on fall protection for the first time.

Where a fall protection system is installed in the venue, all riggers must be trained in its proper use prior to the commencement of work. The event organizer or their agent should contact the venue in advance to determine whether specialized equipment is necessary to access the venue’s rigging and whether specific regulations exist for rigging in that venue.

Personal Protective Equipment

All persons in the area below active overhead work should have PPE suitable to the working environment, in accordance with the event safety policy and the local authority. At a minimum, this includes head protection; the specific requirements are addressed in Chapter 16 of the. Drop-zone marking and PPE requirements work together: properly marking the work zone reduces the number of workers who need to be in the hazard area, while ensuring that those who must be in the area are appropriately protected.

Conclusion

Event rigging is a system of interdependent responsibilities. No single person or role can ensure safe rigging in isolation. The organizer must retain qualified personnel and verify their work. The engineer must establish and document load limits. The production supervisor must ensure documentation is available and obtained. The production rigger must maintain system integrity and communication with the engineer. Riggers must execute work competently and monitor conditions vigilantly. When any link in this chain is weak or absent, the risk of catastrophic failure increases dramatically. The standards governing rigging are not bureaucratic requirements; they are lessons derived from incidents in which people were killed or seriously injured.

References

Occupational Safety and Health Administration. (n.d.). 29 CFR 1926.32: Definitions — qualified person and competent person. OSHA. https://www.osha.gov

Occupational Safety and Health Administration. (n.d.). 29 CFR 1926.501: Duty to have fall protection. OSHA. https://www.osha.gov

Entertainment Technician Certification Program. (n.d.). ETCP certification programs. ETCP. https://etcp.plasa.org