Indiana has responded to the disastrous results of the deadly concert stage collapse in high winds with a new safety inspection rule covering temporary stage rigging that was called urgently needed by the chairman of the Indiana Fire Prevention and Building Safety Commission. The new rule is only a temporary emergency measure until Indiana passes a law governing the subject. Our stage collapse lawyers specify that the new safety inspection rule requires inspection of concert stage riggings that support overhead sound, video, or other equipment.
Such rigging is the type that collapsed suddenly and heavily in high winds during a storm last summer on August 13th at the Indiana State Fair, killing 7 people and injuring dozens more. Those killed and injured stood in the VIP area right beside the concert stage or on the stage itself.
Our stage collapse lawyers note that the new safety inspection rule does not apply to such permanent structures as a park’s permanent band shell. State inspection laws already cover those types of permanent structures. But Indiana laws left a gap in inspection regulations relating to temporary structures and their rigging. In the wake of the deadly Indiana State Fair’s concert stage collapse, safety officials and lawmakers are now addressing that gap.
Specifically, the new safety inspection rule applies to rigging that is not attached to the stage platform and that holds equipment. Our stage collapse lawyers also mention that the new rule also requires landlords over the property where concerts are held to develop an evacuation plan and create “set-backs” away from the stage to protect concertgoers in the event of a stage collapse.
The new safety inspection rule for outdoor stage rigging and related temporary structures is an emergency measure required under legislation signed into law last month by Indiana’s governor. During the summer, a legislative committee is scheduled to draft recommendations for the next legislative General Assembly to consider in order to pass a permanent law covering the structures.
The State Fire Marshall stated that his office would carry out the necessary work to inspect temporary stages and their rigging. But he cautioned that people should not assume that the new safety inspection rule is a failsafe that will prevent all future tragedies. He said, “You never want to assume you can eliminate risk. Weather is always an unpredictable factor.”
For more information on how weather forms a prime risk factor for outdoor stage collapses, read this linked article by our stage collapse lawyers discussing the topic.