Hi,

what do all you do at your gigs t ensure you comply with health and safety ru8les and regulations.

Is there anything else to be added to this list

Public liability insurance

PAT testing

suitable hanging clamp and safety chains on all your hanging lights

gaffa tape on any cables that the audience may trip over

keep your smoke machine(s) on the floor and NOT above head hight and keep the VERY HOT nozel away from people.

are there anymore precortions that should be taken, i am in the process of sorting out all these little things (obviosily insurance is pretty big) and just wanted to know how to keep my rig as safe as possible.

Dfinn

Paula will be good on this one. However, as usual with mobile discos, there rules dont specifically cover us in all circumstances. It is highly advisable to make sure you think about any possible risks to yourself and your audience and hopefully, by using your own common sense, you will keep a nice safe rig in operation.

Yes, a Paula type question certainly.

If you go into HSE the list can be endless, however most of it is common sense. Don't stack speakers up so they become unbalanced, make sure lighting is secure and safety lanyards (cables) are a good idea for high lighting rigs. Lasers should be above head height and not shone into peoples eyes. Electrical Equipment should be safe and pat tested. Don't overload electrical outlets. Don't block firedoors when you set up.

Safety clamp all lighting to your rig, Chris could sell you some of these for a couple of quid each (ish).Well worth the money

Another good idea is not to spill beer over any electricial equipment

Of course when andy was 14, there wasn't any risk from beer spillage onto your decks, Gramaphones were wound up, and not mains operated

Remember those black round things you had to put on them, thier name escapes me at the moment

BTW Do you know how many grooves a standard 7" record had ?

BTW Do you know how many grooves a standard 7" record had ?

1 each side unless it was the M pop musik single which had 2 on 1 side

Vinnie

Do you still need advise DFinn, Or have you found the above posts, and of course the other place you popped this question on to be satisfactory.

Let me know Allways willing to help

talking of HSE i passed my construction HSE exam yesterday

some very good points here!!

Something i also do is make my riggers wear toe capped boots(speakers are damn painful when you drop them on your feet!)
and 'hi-vis' vests are now worn when loading the trailor as we have had problems with tired people in car parks or even drunken people nearly knocking over my crew and myself after gigs. this may be seen as over the top but since i have made my crew wear the vest there have been no more problems in car parks or streets etc so it does work.

also dont forget to display the correct signage at gis for strobe lighting etc

dont forget to ensure you monitor the db level of your rig too! you might think it sounds fine and not too loud but Djs are often behind the speakers spend a few minutes on the dance floor and the back of the room in your sound check and make sure its not too loud, as there are often young children at your gigs and how many times have you seen them walk in the room and cover their ears....

I havent had the problem of anyone knocking into me or my rig when loading up! Being usually one of the only sober people at the end of the night I am usually much more firm on my feet! Thank God for that, I wouldnt want to wear one of those vest of a pair of steel toe-caps! I think it goes without saying, that most of us would automatically go in front of our rigs to sound check before anyone arrives!

i only really inforce the boots thing if we are rigging and building up the stage from scratch its very similar to scafold so i use the same rules i would on site at work.

and the vest thing although you may feel silly it does actually work. we had an incident were we were doing a big party near sivlerstone race track for a plant hire company and my roadie was walking around outside on his mobile and had a very close call with a giant excavator.. although that is an extreme place to be working in anyway.... but how often do you work in those annoying clubs where you have to use a side street to load your gear and there has been the odd boy racer tearing down the street and you have had to move out of the way or them jam on the breaks... i guess i just dont want to have to pay out a maissive fine or even go to jail as i am the md of my company i am also incharge of health and safety there for with the new laws i would be liable for any damages caused to this emloyee etc.

i think im just paranoid lol but that comes with my day job and sadly people die at work from time to time. and its almost second nature to me now use these 'over the top' means

and i would hope that every dj checks there sound before people arive from all areas of the room... just saying sometimes the simple things are missed

there are certain tricks i have never mastered but when ever i have played big venues with bands and have been on stage and done a sound check the soundman usually makes it sound all horrible a tinny but it sounds great when people arrive... but i dont know what they do lol

Consider buying a Behringer unit with an Auto EQ. You position the Mic at some point in the room and it will automatically adjust the EQ Settings continuously, allowing for changes in music, volume and acoustics. They are not 100% efficient but they are better than SOME sound engineers , and if set up correctly can be a useful addition to larger P.A's

Again, OTT and not required for the average D.J, but for large P.A rigs or fixed installations, they are a useful tool.


, there I go again, trying to get a sale

you know i had no idea somethine like that existed! it sounds amazing lol

and Chris you and your pushing sales when will you learn??

Finn, Your Health and Safety responsiblite is to ensure that YOU, other people that work for you and your guests are protected from the dangers of your job.

Your main one will be electricity, which will come in with your PAT testing and the care you provide in between such testing, ie maintance and storage of your equipment and visual inspection of leads cables etc.

Chris has advised you on securing your lighting, you should also note that you must not exceed the manufactures max weight load on any stands/trussing etc as this would most definately land you in the mud!

Manufactures guidlines on anything should be followed at all times as they are the ones that have done the risk assesments in the first place.

Common sense is a major factor, Set up should be based around power supply so as not to have trailing leads, nor should you set up in front of a fire exit and nor should any venue ask you too.
The venue itself is responsible for your health and safety and welfare while on there premises but you should familirise your self with the fire escape route!

There is no percific guidlines for DJ's really well none that I know of, all I can say is you familirse yourself and acknowledge the basics.
You can do so at the following links.


HSE
Pat Testing


Chris, wheres the thread we had not so long ago on H&S?

Also Finn I wouldnt go as far as to start wearing steal toe capped boots when setting up, this is more for the employer who is ensuring the safety of his staff, someone that definately owns more that 4 speakers and a disco stand

Shaggy
Well done on your pass, I allways thought that with the size of Karen's rig that she would be better off with some advice from the construction and maybe building control side of H&S, any pointers and advice from you to her could be usefull.
Also I dont think your paranoid on your H&S advice or the procedures you follow, I gather you are an employer with over 5 employees seen as you are adhering to such regulations.

Blimey.... you are so clever for an airhead!!! xx

Thanks everyone, i got a little list of bits to get like tape and safety ropes


Thanks everyone

Daniel

Glad we helped you Daniel & Kazza! Thanks!
I think that spell worked

Just on the subject of PAT testing once again, say if I was in a venue and a piece of my equipment burnt something in the room as long as the item had been PAT tested then is it still my problem? Because at the end of the day all the certificate proves is the equipment was safe on that day of testing, a bit like an MOT on a car. So I could take a tested appliance the following day and cut the plug off and wire it myself, or like my mate did go down and buy a reel of PAT testing stickers to put on his gear.

Does your equipment have to have the little green and yellow pat testing stickers on and do you have to have a certificace to proove that all your equipment has been tested. I know quite a few people who are lisenced to pat test the equipment but i doubt if they would have the stickers etc, just the equipment necesarry, where can you get the stickers from and if i need a certificate, how do i obtain one.

Daniel

[or like my mate did go down and buy a reel of PAT testing stickers to put on his gear. ]
Wouldn't like to try to face an insurance claim with those hanging over my head!

Not a good idea
Vinnie

OK, So should i always carry the certificate to the gigs incase I need to show it

Yes. Some venues (More Southern ones) often won't allow you to set up until you produce some proof of your PAT compliance. It rarely happens further north, i've been asked once in 16 years.

Ok, i just thought it is best to do things by the book incase somthing bad happens and then I get in a lot of trouble

Ok, The venue I do a lot of my Gigs at at the moment doesnt seem to mind this but i am getting my equipment tested shortely.

thanks for all your help

daniel

A lot of what the PAT test is, really just is common sense. The biggest danger from our point of view is electrocution. For this reason Its often a good idea to carry around an ELCB - this is an electrical trip which just plugs into the socket and then your main distribution board plugs into that,

If a potentially lethal situation arose, then the trip would trigger cutting of the mains supply to your gear before anybody got hurt. Most modern hotels have these fitted to their double socket outlets in function rooms as part of the installation, however there are a lot of old buildings and halls still without them, so for around £10 it's a good investment, both for your safetly and your clients.

Other common sense rules apply - keep drinks away from your gear, and electrical outlets. Don't allow punters to place drinks on your speakers or near your gear. Make sure that you replace the standard 13A fuse supplied plugs to one more in line with the loading of the appliance its connected to. If fuses blow, don't be tempted to replace them with tin foil, nails, bits of wire etc .

Don't overload sockets, if you notice the main wire / plug feeding your gear getting hot by the end of the gig then consider splitting the load out by using another outlet. It's often a good idea to split your usage up between 2 Different sockets in any case. 1 Socket for the lighting and the other for your audio equipment. Lighting is more likely to blow a fuse (when a lamp fails for example) or develop a fault than audio gear. So if your lighting fuse fails due to a minor fault, you won't have the embarrassment of your sound going off at the same time .

Ensure all of your wiring is safe and any damaged flex replaced. Use rubber or plastic plugs - they won't break if dropped unlike ceramic ones. If equipment fails, get it repaired by an engineer, don't be tempted to try repairs yourself, if you don't know what you are doing.

Hi,

yes I run sound and lighting of separate plugs,

now I know my amp and cd player and desk lamp require 13amp fuses in them and so does my desk lamp but what about the lighting.

I have a little uv light and strobe whick i know use 13 amp fuses but can someone tell me what a geni spark, chauvet obsession and the OLD twister 2 use, just to make sure. i think i have 5 amp fuses fittted in them but my obsession has a 3 pin connector which i have connected to a pc power lead for temporary and i think a 13amp fuse is fitted to that.

Daniel

Hi,

Ok I will check later to see what is actually in them.

Dan

I have just checked and

amp has 5 amp

cd player has 3 amp, all my light cables are not accessable at the moment but i am hoping to check them this weekend.

daniel

Hi,

are these correct

Daniel

You have covered the main things, tape on wires etc, PLI, PAT, hot stuff etc, remember its not just the audience H&S its your own too, so watch those wires behind the DJ stand etc The venue also has a duty of care in respect of sockets etc, some are very bad, thats why I like to visit the venue before hand, dodgy stairs, blocked fire exits and poor electrics can kill you too! We have refused one venue on this basis so far.

Another thing I always check once we have set up and started is fire escapes, its surprising how many vanues have them chained up, I want to get out if theres a fire, and on the way be able to use the PA to everyones advantage so its useful to know where they are.

I keep an eye open for spillages on the dance floor and let the bar staff know.

We had a client who wanted us to keep a big bucket of water behind the stand with flowers for her friends in, we told here where to get off, water and dj stuff does not mix......

If theres small kids around we sometimes also put an announcement out asking that parents do not let their kids get too close to the dj area and that they must not play with the karaoke tv or mics etc

If that doesnt work, a quiet word telling them that the mics cost £200 each and if their little darlings break themn they will have to pay for them usually works, afterall they dont know how much a mic costs.....