Articles
Dancing Dangers
Due diligence and dance safety.
The following notes arose from experiences with Occupational Health and Safety regulations, new regulations of July 2005, Theatre requirements, and 31 pages of recommendations for the Arts & Entertainment industry! We have many responsibilities in conducting a competition, one of which is to advise and guide and help you regarding safety at South Street.
The following are but a few gems gleaned from a gigantic galaxy of rules.
**Under the regulations, You are responsible to reduce unsafe work hazards and improve the safety of your Students, Volunteer parents, and any paid Staff, involved in your school and your productions.
Where you may be considering dancing something brave or daring or outside the “normal” standards, you must write down a few notes and bring them along :-
- What could go wrong safety-wise in the dance.
- What clever choreography you use to prevent the above perceived problems.
- Specific training you give to the student(s) to handle the daring choreography.
Current “Suggestions“:-
A. For Your School.
- All people must work in a safe manner, share problems, devise safer ways of doing things.
- Allow adequate warm-up time before performance, avoid repetitive strain overwork.
- Know any medical or physical problems of your students and take precautions (eg asthma ).
- Wigs, Costumes, Shoes, and especially Make-up must NOT be shared.
- ** Unsafe work hazards now include unhygienic kitchens & toilets, also fatigue, pressure, aggression, and victimisation!
B. At the Competitions, ensure you and students know -
- How the comps work in the theatre, traffic flows, location of RSSS office, and Stage Manager, Green Room, Toilets, First Aid, Kiosk, Theatre rules etc.
- Whereabouts of all Exits, and alternate escape routes within the theatre. Know the dressing rooms and passages. Read the maps posted throughout the theatre.
- The Stage - check the Stage slope, stage surface, and Orchestra pit danger. Check time is first thing morning and afternoon.
- The Stairs - do Not run on the stairs, keep Left. Do not sit on or block the stairways. Watch out for props going up and down.
- Wear Shoes everywhere. No bare feet except on stage.
C. Production
- Props to be built safely. Allow for stage slope. Drilling/cutting MDF chipboard can release poisonous fumes, do so only outside.
- Lifting props, sandbags etc, for an adult, safe standing lift is about 16kg.
- Electrical equipment of yours must be all tested and tagged before arrival.
- Harsh Lighting. Strobes, lasers, and U.V lights are considered unsafe. We must know beforehand and alert the audience. Keep their use to a minimum.
- Sound, music volume now limited to average 85dB, short maximum 140dB. No hair raising “louds” anymore.
- Medication for your students with a known problem to be kept side stage (eg asthma puffers, water, nose bleed towel).
D. Specific suggestions
- Platforms. Maximum height of a box / stand / platform or ramp is 1.2 metres. Anything higher needs handrails, or walls, or safety net, fall pads, and other complications. At 1.8 metres or more the rules are horrendous, don’t go there.
- Strength. Boxes/stands/platforms should be strongly built. They can be still light weight but use decent carpentry to support the proposed load and not wobble. Allow for stage slope. Width of base should be at least 1.25 times the height.
- Steps. Steps or stairs must be provided to reach such stands. Maximum height of each step is 19cm. Steps need to be firm, and not slip away from the stand, ie be joined/strapped to stand, or held by people.
- Jump off. If your choreography requires a jump down from a stand etc greater than 30cm high, be very careful. Are there persons there to help, what is the landing surface like, do you need a mat? Plenty of practice, don’t do it in costumes which are large or block vision.
- Ramps. Should have a grippy surface, (unless you plan students to only slide down and not run up).
- Ladders. Be very careful on a sloping stage. If there is vigorous dancing on the ladder, you may need a commercial ladder rather than a domestic light-weight. If just posing, don’t go beyond 1.2metres up. Consider whether the ladder needs to be held by someone. The ladder must slope no steeper than 1 length out at base to 4 lengths vertical.
- Wheels. Bikes, scooters, skateboards, roller blades, mobile props carrying people, and trampolines etc. Choreograph for safety, especially on a sloping stage. (Run them across stage, not down or diagonal, keep well back from the orchestra pit etc).
Do a Risk Assessment of what could go wrong and what you have done to prevent it. Contact the Theatre Technician well before the event and discuss the mechanics you propose to use.
- Cartwheels, Aerials, Acrobatics. Plenty of training and practice and skill. Be aware of the stage surface grip, and slope. If you feel you need a “crash mat” in the middle of your dance, you must ask and we shall provide one. Or, don’t do acrobatics at all in a dance competition! OH&S weighs heavily here, we must all do what is reasonably safe, and not be driven by heroics.
E. First Aid
- Your medical interventions should be minimal, due to litigation. You need a First Aid certificate. Have the Parent involved in any incident, they (or mature student) should decide on any medication such as linaments or panadol. Stick to band-aids, bandages, and ice for injuries. *Please note Cold Packs straight from the freezer are far too cold and should not be used as “ice”. Any doubt, seek medical help, Hospital emergency department, ambulance, etc. Keep records of any injury in your school.
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