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In this episode of Sound Design Live I talk with the executive director of the Event Safety Alliance, Jim Digby. Digby has worked in the entertainment business for over 30 years as a live event and concert production manager for bands like Linkin Park and Backstreet Boys. We talk about the elements that are necessary to produce safe events, what you should know about labor and safety standards in the U.S., and a few surprises I discovered in the new Event Safety Guide. We also discuss  employer-supported hearing conservation and answer these important questions:

• Is the rate of event related deaths and injuries going up or down?
• Who is the Event Safety Guide for?
• Should sound engineers carry professional liability insurance?

The larger our voice, the more effect we have on making sure that everyone who comes to a show goes home from a show, not in a body bag.

Show notes:

1. All music in the this episode by Fish & Sheep.
2. Event Safety Alliance on Twitter, Facebook, and LinkedIn
3. The Event Safety Guide
4. Production Manager responsibility = All facilities and assets (sound, lighting, buss, trucks, etc.) required to produce a live show.
5. Tour Manager responsibility = Keep the artist happy.
6. The Purple Guide
7. OSHA = Enforcement of safety and health legislation
8. PLASA = UK-based trade association representing member companies worldwide who work in the entertainment and venue technology fields.
9. ADA compliant cable ramp
10. The horrible summer of 2011
11. Corporate Manslaughter = Knowingly allowing an action to occur that permitted the death of another person.
12. Quotes
    1. As an unregulated industry, we do really well and produce a lot of safe events.
    2. This is a best-practices book, not a how-to manual.
    3. Our behavior of the past has been cowboy-esque.
    4. The book is a framework for all of us to begin speaking the same language with respect to safety.
    5. It’s not more costly to do it right, it’s more costly to do it wrong.
    6. There’s always someone around the corner that’s willing to do it less expensively and less professionally for you.