Tips, Tools, & Resources

17 Nov 2015
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The Top 10 OSHA Violations of 2015 and How to Avoid Them

Sticky Post By On November 17, 2015

OSHA released the top ten most common workplace safety violations for 2015 in October, and you’ll most likely not be surprised by what you read. These top ten violations have been identical for the past 5 years, and are recurring issues across the industry for many years now. They are also areas that are very common to our industry, and situations that ourselves and our colleagues deal with every day. Here’s the list, along with some tips on how to avoid a hefty OSHA fine in the future:

  1. Fall Prevention (6,721 citations)

    Our crews are frequently working at height, and are mandated to use proper personal fall protection and fall arrest systems where necessary. Falls are the leading cause of fatalities in the construction industry.

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25 Aug 2015
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The Meaning Behind the Name “Lodestar”

Sticky Post By On August 25, 2015

The CM Lodestar® is one of the most renowned hoists in the entertainment industry, but do you know why it’s called the “Lodestar”?

In response to this question, CM replied on their blog with the explanation of the iconic name “Lodestar”:

Our entertainment trainer, Dave Carmack, travels the world to teach and share important information about entertainment rigging and hoisting safety. At the end of his classes, he likes to stump his students with this question: “Can you tell me why we spell our hoist, LODESTAR, instead of LOADSTAR?”

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15 Jul 2015
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Inspecting your Fall Protection

Sticky Post By On July 15, 2015

It takes a trained eye to properly inspect fall protection. A working knowledge of the product, its purpose, and its components is crucial to make sure that nothing is missed. Harnesses, for example, have a good amount of hardware that all needs to be inspected, as well as every strap and connection point.

Here is a series of videos from Capital Safety that explain the steps to take when inspecting 3 common fall protection products in our industry: harnesses, lanyards, and self-retracting lifelines (SRLs).

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09 Jul 2015
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Understanding OSHA vs. ANSI

Sticky Post By On July 9, 2015

I think it’s safe to say that we’ve all encountered and are familiar with “OSHA” and “ANSI” over the course of our careers. These two organizations have helped articulate and enact many of the accepted safety standards/regulations that maintain safe working conditions and compliance in the equipment we use, on a daily basis. OSHA and ANSI regulations affect every aspect of the entertainment industry, but do you know the difference between the two?

osha-logo

OSHA

Signed into law in 1970, The Occupational Safety and Health Act was enacted by President Richard Nixon. Its purpose was to ensure industry and manufacturing sectors possessed the most effective safety protocols, and minimize the risk faced by workers in inherently hazardous environments.

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01 Jul 2015
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What is Suspension Trauma?

Sticky Post By On July 1, 2015

We spend a lot of time training with our safety gear. After all, a product is only as good as the knowledgeable person using it. From donning a harness to establishing anchor points at height, our crews are always trained for heightened awareness when it comes to safety (and if you aren’t, what are you waiting for?).

Along with knowing the proper use and handling of fall protection items on site, workers also need to be aware of the dangers that occur after an incident happens, and how to quickly act. We invest a lot into fall protection systems to prevent the unthinkable, but there are always inherent dangers that come with our jobs that we can’t always avoid.

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11 Jun 2015
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4 Softgood Materials We Can’t Live Without

Sticky Post By On June 11, 2015

It’s not all steel and aluminum – softgoods are an important aspect of our stage systems that are also used in our rigging department for chain bags and weather covers. Combined with custom printing, softgoods can transform your event into a unified, branded experience. Here are the 4 most common softgood materials that we just can’t live without, starting with…

Vinyl Mesh

Applications: Stage Audio Bay Panels, Masking, Custom Print Branded Softgoods, Chain Bags

Our most commonly used softgood material is our vinyl mesh. Our 14oz. Vinyl Coated Polyester (VCP) Mesh is a standard in the industry, and serves a variety of purposes in both our staging and rigging departments. If you think of our stage systems as the bare skeleton, softgoods are the skin.

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05 May 2015
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3 Topics to Consider when Planning/Upgrading a Rigging Installation

Sticky Post By On May 5, 2015

Planning a full rigging installation is not your everyday project. Period. Whether in an arena, theater, house of worship, or any other venue, there are always challenges to overcome and hours of due diligence to make sure that you’re getting the most out of your budget.

An installation is comprised of many parts, and also requires the skilled technicians to maintain it and the proper safety equipment integrated into the system. The foundation of any install lies in quality equipment, which is why we rely on CM and Motion Laboratories’ products.

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15 Apr 2014
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Softgood Size Chart – Mobile Stage Fleet

Sticky Post By On April 15, 2014

Prepare your softgood designs with the help of this infographic below! Each mobile stage in our fleet is capable of supporting custom printed scrims, and it could be a burden to keep track of the right dimensions for your exact stage. We’ve developed this size chart for our specific mobile stages, so that you can plan your artwork accordingly and maximize your design. Click on the image to view at full size.

 

Mobile Stage Softgood Sizes

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28 Oct 2013
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7 Tips to Ease Your Printing Pains

Sticky Post By On October 28, 2013

Optimizing artwork for large format printing

Mountain Productions' large format banner/scrim printing

Festival branding printed on vinyl mesh (scrim)

A creative and bold graphic theme can elevate an event into an experience that not only sounds good, but also visually looks just as appealing. Festivals such as Lollapalooza, Hot 97 Summer Jam, Made in America and Boston Calling have created a tight unity between their brand and their performers by using dynamic artwork and cohesive, cross-application graphical themes.

Brainstorming possible ideas, selecting a festival theme, and then executing all of the graphic work for an event can be an impressive task. (As a graphic designer myself, I understand the pains and stress of this process!) The last thing you want is to end up with production issues with your submitted artwork, sometimes only days before your event.

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19 Sep 2013
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Learn about our extensive Hoist Servicing (Part 2)

Sticky Post By On September 19, 2013

In Part 1 of our coverage of hoist servicing, we discussed the inspection process and the steps that our rigging department take to ensure your hoists are in top condition. Even though an annual inspection is performed to certify your hoists are in proper working order doesn’t mean you shouldn’t take care of your hoists every time you handle them. Maintaining your hoists will result in a longer lifespan and less repairs required when inspection rolls around.

Tips on Maintaining a Proper Hoist

weathercover

We use weather covers at our own location to protect our motors from the elements

Because many of our events occur outside, it’s important to be prepared for the often unpredictable, but unstoppable force called Mother Nature.

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