InBroadcast - November 2024 - 20

20
www.inbroadcast.com | Vol: 14 - Issue 11 | November 2024
InStudio
Crew safety first is OB priority
W
henever you take kit on the road, the risk
of failure is great. The risk to reputation,
especially in a live event, is potentially greater.
But the greatest risk of all, and by 'greatest' we
mean the risk that should be at the top of all risk
assessments, is the risk to people.
Brian Allen is Head of Design at protective case
manufacturer, CP Cases. He doesn't mince his
words: " Broken kit can be replaced, broken people
cannot. "
He adds: " It's vital when designing protective
solutions for cameras or racked electronics etc.,
we think about the welfare of the team as well as
protecting the kit. "
Ensuring your kit is protected from the elements,
or from the risk of drop shock, or overheating is
important. But it's not enough. At the very least,
having perfectly
functioning state-of-the-art
equipment is useless if the operator puts their
back out when moving it from the truck to the
stage. Having great kit is also pretty useless if your
licence to operate at a venue is revoked for failing
to meet health and safety standards.
In the UK these rules are unequivocal. Employers
in the UK are required by law to protect their
employees, and others, from harm. The Health
and Safety at Work Regulations 1999 say the
minimum employers must do is to identify hazards,
including what could cause injury or illness in your
business, work out the level of risk and take action
to eliminate or control the risk.
Getting it right from the design stage
" We supply a lot of production houses and live
broadcasters, " says
events
Brian. " Regardless
of whether they are buying one of our standard
solutions or we are developing something more
bespoke for them, our approach is the same. We
always begin with an understanding of how their
products will be used and what environments
they will need to work in. From that point we can
make suggestions on how best to protect both the
equipment and the people who will be using or
moving the equipment. "
It ain't heavy?
When it comes to crew safety, one of the
first areas to consider is payload and ease of
portability. Although the UK's health and safety
laws don't set specific weight limits, employers
have a duty to reduce the risk of injury from
any hazardous manual handling to as low as
reasonably practicable. One way to do this is to
eliminate or reduce the need for manual handling
at all.
Cases with fork-lift
skids, wheelboards
or
edge wheels can all make the job of moving
equipment around easier and safer for technicians.
Wheelboards with brakes can also help when
moving equipment on ramps or sloping ground.
" One way to lower payload weight is to reduce the
weight of the case it is in, " adds Brian. " Our AirShip
cases have been designed with an exceptional
strength to weight ratio, coming in at more than
50% lighter than similar style conventional cases. "
It's not just moving heavy kit that can present a
risk to crew. Piles of cases present a topple hazard.
Cases that are designed to stack can help promote
safety. Locking interstackers
can help ensure
cases can be secured safely on top of each other,
minimising the risk of falls.
It's technical
When investing in cases
for cameras and
electronics, anti-static foam and earthing straps
will help protect the contents from electrostatic
discharge. They should also protect your crew from
unpleasant static electricity shocks.
It's elemental
Rain, hail, snow and humidity can cause havoc
with electrics. Solar glare can cause overheating.
And wind can drive dust and sand into places
where you really don't want it to go.
Brian adds: " If working in cold and even sub-zero
conditions, it's safer to use cases with handles
that can be operated without the need to remove
your gloves. Handles-for-gloves are one of the
customisation options we offer with our hard
cases. "
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https://cpcases.com
Lightweight Protective
Aircraft Cases
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InBroadcast - November 2024

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