I was on a panel discussion last week at a theatre conference. The questions came from all tech theatre disciplines from TDs around the country. One of the questions was where to get a theatre inspected for safety issues. The TD felt that there were some big safety issues at his theatre. One of the panelists told him that he should call the local OSHA office and have them send someone down. Two of us on the panel looked at each other in a panicked way. While I think OSHA is a very important agency in protecting workers, some inspectors write citations like crazy. I suggested getting together with other theaters in the town and hiring a safety consultant to come through to point out safety issues, give correction advice and create a report for the administration. The original panelist said that he gets along famously with his local OSHA inspector and they point out issues and give them ample time to fix them. The assumption here is that all inspectors are the same (they are not). I am not endorsing unsafe workplaces or procedures but I am saying that it is best to get all of your ducks in a row before you invite what might be a hungry fox into the duck pen! With all of that being said, be sure to get a safety inspection as theaters can certainly be very dangerous work environments!
