Backstage

Tempting Fate

I think I talked about personel lifts in the past... Am I going to go back and find out... No...
I just read an article telling of a stagehand that got hurt pretty badly because the personal lift they were in tipped over. As is so often the case in the world of production, the lift was being moved, with the bucket extended. That means that either the outriggers were not screwed down to the floor, or that they had been removed completely. Naturally someone at the scene said the floor gave way, but since there was not gaping hole in the stage, that doesn't really work... Now, I didn't see the lift, so I don't know the exact model, but it was specified that it was a Genie brand lift. With very minor exception (I've never actually seen on anyplace but a catalog) all of the Genie brand lifts (AWP type personal lifts, we're not talking about other types) Have lots of warnings on them specifying injury or even death if you move the unit extended, or work without outriggers. Hell the machines are wire such that you can't raise the bucket unless the outriggers are inserted, and screwed down. Are there ways around that?.. Naturally, stagehands being the creative people they are, have found any number of ways to defeat those safety features, because they are a huge pain in the ass when you're trying to get something done... Am I going to tell you how to get around those features?... Not bloody well likely... (It is a crime to defeat the safety interlocks actually)
Have I gotten around the safety features?... Sure... Do I still do so?... Very seldom. We have switched to using scaffolding far more frequently than using the single person lifts. The scaffold I have is quite small, but is very comfortable at the heights we commonly work at. (around 15' ceilings) I've used that scaffolding at 25' levels, but never as a single tower, and never on wheels, at that point, I have tie in brackets to attach the scaff to whatever building I'm working on. (usually I use those heights for house repair, and roofing projects I end up doing on the side) At any rate, a 10' tower of scaffolding, on wheels, with the appropriate cross bracing is massively more stable than a personal lift at those same heights. You also have the ability to get right up against whatever you are working on, and can have multiple people involved in the process. That's not needed for much of the lighting, but then we put 2 people on top, and double the speed at which the work gets done, with the same number of people on the ground crew we would have for a single person lift.
Toward the end of the last busy season, we also started renting a small scissor lift rather than a personal lift. It costs us lots more to do so, but after a few shows, we feel the added safety, plus the increased efficiency of that lift will make it a break even swap out. The small scissor lets two people work in the basket, has a cantilever section so you can project the basket over an obstruction, and has the ability to lift heavy objects like speakers, video displays, or lightboxes up to their hanging points in a very controlled, safe way.
Back to the accident though... The accident happened for the same reason it always does. History, and cheapness... Historically, stagehands have always used lifts that way. Accidents always happen to someone else because the people using the lift are being "careful". I have been as guilty as any other stagehand in thinking that... The problem is we work in a pain in the ass environment that means the safety features of the lift are frequently in the way, and always slow you down... That leads to the cheap part... A single person lift may cost around $5000 for a nice unit... A scissor lift will run you $10,000 for the smallest and simplest... Naturally there is variation in those numbers, but that's a very good average. (we just priced several brands of both types a couple months ago) Scaff would run you around $500 for every 5' of height, so to be equivalent, the lifts go to 20', so $2000 for scaffold... Production departments never get enough money to begin with, so getting 10 grand rather than 5 grand is rough.. Scaff is an option, but its typically a pain to set up every time you need to make a quick change in the air... Storage is also an issue as nobody wants to loose any space backstage. The personal lift takes up less than half the space needed for a small scissor... Weight is an issue too. Scissors are really heavy (making them very tip resistant) but some spaces can't handle that... A personal lift can be as little as 350#, but typically 500# is normal... If you are looking at renting as you need them, We pay almost 2.5 - 3 times as much for a scissor as a personal lift...
What it really comes down to is that the people using the lifts need to stop using them wrong. Yes everyone wants to get the job done, and not miss a deadline, but at what cost to themselves... Once the stagehands make that stand then employers, and production houses will figure out a way to either extend the time they have to get the project done, or find the money to get the right equipment... Once they're stuck with that increased cost across the board, then the companies hiring them will simply have to foot the extra cost associated with that additional measure of safety and sanity... Yes, production companies can choose to swing the cost themselves as we're starting to do, but that can be a rocky road... Its hard to justify eating in to the bottom line when the odds of an accident are really low (1.5 lifts go over in the average year across the US. Countless lifts are in constant use every day of the year)
Realistically, looking at the cost saving isn't going to get that guy his legs back... Get the right gear.