Our Safer Venue program mantra is, "Inspect, Train, Maintain." Often, venues have no way of knowing whether or not their rigging system is safe and secure. Flyhouse offers initial rigging inspection and analysis performed by our trained and qualified staff, followed by essential training and maintenance. It is crucial to stay up-to-date on the state of your current rigging system, AND to know how to use it correctly.
Several theatrical venues at Northwestern University in Evanston, Illinois— including the Cahn Auditorium and Josephine Louis Theater (part of the Wirtz Center for the Performing Arts)—call on the expertise of the Flyhouse Safer Venue program. We were contacted by Northwestern’s Risk Management Department and OSHA Specialist Lead to help solve numerous recent OSHA concerns in these older theater spaces. Both venues required major updates to their backstage fall protection.
Cahn Auditorium By the Numbers:
1,000
Linear feet of linear steel flooring (boxtube) installed on grid
400
Linear feet of OSHA compliant hand rail installed in loft areas and grid
10
Days - Worked with client to minimize interference and meet tight schedule for grid and handrail installation
7
Days - Worked with client to minimize interference and meet tight schedule for rebuilding of OSHA compliant four lighting platform positions
Brought into compliance:
1
Grid, including all loft block wells
2
Lighting rooms with (2) platforms each
1
HVAC platform
1
Loading bridge
Together with the Risk Management and SHA Specialist Lead, we designed clever solutions to address and transform these two theaters, and bring them into compliance with modern OSHA requirements (which have evolved since those theaters were built almost a century ago).
Once our Flyhouse team completed these updates, we got to work developing a comprehensive fall protection plan and provided extensive training to their in-house crews on their new fall protection system. One of the more unique aspects of the Flyhouse design was solving the walkable grid. Current OSHA guidelines require a maximum of a 2” opening for walking surfaces and the existing rigging grid at Cahn was spaced with 3” openings.
Wirtz Center for the Performing Arts By the Numbers:
2,500
Linear feet, linear steel flooring (boxtube) installed on grid
450
Linear feet of OSHA compliant hand rail installed in loft areas and grid
200
Llinear feet of existing handrail modified to conform to OSHA standards
14
OSHA compliant grid pass-throughs installed for venue use
14
Days – Worked with client to minimize interference and meet tight schedule
Brought into compliance:
1
Grid, including all loft block wells
1
Grid hatch opening
1
Head block platform
4
Box boom positions
1
FOH catwalk
Flyhouse was able to develop a channel system throughout each venue’s rigging grids, covering Cahn’s 2,100 sq ft and Wirtz’s 2,900 sq ft. This system is secured in place to achieve the required OSHA tolerances, while also allowing for the channels to be easily removed to create passthroughs for hoisting points and/or other rigging equipment to be used as needed for typical theater operation. These designs also include self-closing gates, required as part of OSHA standards, installed at the top of ladders and staircase, along with hundreds of linear feet of railings. At Wirtz, we also installed horizontal lifelines and several single self-retracting lifeline units to bring that venue up to the OSHA standard.
