Barry Snow started working in the events industry in the 1960s as a stage hand at the Brooke Theatre in Johannesburg and has been a very vigorous participant in the South African theatre and events industry ever since. He has been active in the promotion of safety all his working career and has been the convener of the Working Group for SANS (South African National Standards) 10366, launched in April 2006 and is currently convening the editing committee to upgrade the standard via corroboration with the SABS. He is also a past chairman of the TPSA (Technical Production Services Association) and has served on the TPSA committee before being re-elected in 2008. Given his expertise and passion around event safety, Pro Systems caught up with him recently.

Is there a safety standard for the events industry in South Africa?

There is a safety document is South Africa called SANS 10366, Health and Safety at Events. It is a document drawn up by the Technical Production Services Association (TPSA) in collaboration with the SA Bureau of Standards. SANS 10366 is based on a document that was adapted by TPSA from the British Standard “The Event Safety Guide’ a guide to health and safety aimed primarily at music and similar events. The TPSA took this guide and adapted it for South African conditions, titled the Event Safety Guide in 2000. Soon it became apparent that the document needed teeth and the TPSA approached the SABS to initiate drawing up a SA standard. This resulted in the first edition of SANS 10366 being published in 2006. This immediately underwent a number of editorial changes and a number of elements were added and the document was rearranged and re-launched in 2009.

What is the regulating body in South Africa?

Currently, the industry is regulated through the building regulations and by the Department of Labour. The TPSA does try to oversee its members are compliant with government regulations and comply with SANS 10366. We hope that we will be able, in the not too distant future, to have the standard turned into regulation. However, as it is a national standard it is incumbent on people to be compliant with SANS 10366.

Are they in line with international regulations?

As many of our members do work in overseas countries from time to time we are made aware of changes that occur with safety rules and regulations. We also (through SABS) keep up with changing standards as the bureau has reciprocity with all the standards institutions all over the world.

Would you like to see any new health and safety regulations brought in?

No, I think we have all the standards we need but, as I said earlier, we need to get the SANS standard made law that would cover much that we are discussing!

What vital elements should an event organiser be aware of in terms of safety compliance when appointing a rigging company for an event?

They should be able to provide proof of prior work and references from previous clients. They should also have all their paperwork up to date – Workman’s Compensation, tax clearance, and so on.

Is there accredited training available in South Africa specifically for event riggers?
Unfortunately, there are no government recognised rigging courses other than the courses that are orientated around rigging for the mines! A number of companies do offer rigging courses by bringing out European or American rigging trainers and they award the attendees certificates of attendance. These courses do have good value as they are very much orientated around event rigging.

Following various recent stage collapses, what do you believe is lacking from the formula to ensure structures are as safe as possible?

This is a very difficult question to give a comprehensive answer to. One of the elements I know we have in South Africa is clients continually trying to cut financial corners – they still want and expect the same standard they received previously but for a lot less. Consequently suppliers, to get the business, have to cut corners themselves and stringent safety standards may suffer.

Are there any innovations in rigging and safety technology emerging overseas that are not currently available in South Africa?

No, I don’t think so – with our international contacts within the industry and many of the South African industry members being members of UK, US and European associations there are not many innovations we do not hear of and, if applicable, incorporate into our local operations. I must also add that there are many companies here that import trussing, staging and other equipment that requires up to date rigging practises and are therefore kept up-to-date with the rigging requirements in these countries of origin.

What, in your opinion, are the top rules that riggers should follow as part of their mantra?

1) Pre-plan everything down to the last detail – pre-planning saves hours when on site.

2) Ensure that you are fully aware of what is required to be rigged and ensure that it is to the client’s requirements.

3) Ensure that all your riggers are fully aware of the job at hand.

4) Ensure that all areas where rigging is taking place are correctly signposted and there is no possibility of anyone wandering onto site that should not be there.

5) Ensure all riggers are fully equipped with the required safety gear for the job they are doing – hard hats, harnesses, gloves, etc.