Stage Construction Injuries

Although many concert and theater stages are permanent structures that are rarely disassembled or moved, there is also a huge demand for stages that can be moved or assembled in a relatively short period of time. Outdoor music showcases, touring music shows, one-day performances, and other events often require the construction and breakdown of stages on a regular basis.

Workers who are required to assemble and move stages as a part of their duties may be put at risk of injury or death. Portable stages and other structures designed for transport often require parts that are quickly assembled and disassembled and may be held together with many pins and small connective pieces. When many easy-to-remove pieces are used to hold up a structure, there is a great risk of problems, defects, and accidents.

Common stage-construction injuries include:

• Workers injured by falling parts during construction

• Stage-collapse injuries

• Injuries sustained by falls from the structure

• Trauma caused by falls from elevated positions during construction

• Faulty materials causing pieces of the structure to fall

• Lacerations caused by jagged parts and faulty construction

• Back injuries from transporting heavy parts of the structure

Temporary structures should be placed on an even surface and should be tested before use. It is important to check the structural integrity of a stage or platform before people are allowed to walk on it or use it for a performance.

Although stage collapses may injure performers and audience members, it is usually the workers who are required to build the structure that suffer the most injuries in stage construction accidents. Workers are often put at risk due to the hazards of the building and de-construction process.

It is recommended that all stage-construction workers examine the parts and pieces thoroughly before building the platform. Any parts that exhibit excessive wear-and-tear should not be used. Any parts that are broken should be immediately replaced, and workers should never skip steps in the building process. The use of defective materials and failure to obey safety rules can result in serious injury to workers and employees.

If you have been injured in a stage construction accident, you may be eligible for worker's compensation benefits to help you as you recover from the accident. If you would like to know more about worker's compensation, visit the website of the Pennsylvania worker's compensation attorneys of Lowenthal & Abrams, P.C.

Joseph Devine

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