New California Law Addresses Workplace Hazards at Public Events Venues
A bill signed into law by California Governor Gavin Newsom on Sept. 29 is intended to help ensure the safety of workers involved in the setup, operation, and tear down of live events held at public events venues in the state. The text of AB 1775 acknowledges that there is a history of accidents, injuries, and fatalities among these workers and states that many of these accidents have to do with lack of training and experience in safety protocols and best practices within this sector. The new law outlines requirements for safety training and certifications for entertainment events vendors—including contractor and subcontractor employers—involved in the setting up, operation, or tearing down of live events.
“These workers handle complex systems in all weather conditions, including excessive heat, rain, and windy conditions, working on rigging at great heights, and set up stages often on unknown surfaces, such as damp ground, sand, hot asphalt, and other unstable foundations,” the bill reads.
Under the new law, employees of entertainment events vendors involved in these activities must complete the Cal/OSHA-10, the OSHA-10/General Entertainment Safety, or the OSHA-10 training that applies to their occupation. Workers who are heads of departments or leads must complete the Cal/OSHA-30, the OSHA-30/General Entertainment Safety, or the OSHA-30 training. Department heads or leads must additionally be certified through the industry-wide Entertainment Technician Certification Program for the tasks they supervise or perform. The law also requires vendors to certify in writing that they have verified that all employees, including any subcontractors’ employees, meet these training and certification requirements.
The California Division of Occupational Safety and Health, or Cal/OSHA, will enforce the provisions of the new law. See the full text of the bill for more information.
Related: An article scheduled to be published in the upcoming January 2023 issue of The Synergist will discuss public event safety.