Scaffold collapse during Ringling Bros. show

Re: Scaffold collapse during Ringling Bros. show

It wasn't a "scaffolding collapse". The initial reports have it wrong (surprise, surprise.)

The performers were suspended on a chandelier-type framework, which itself appeared to be suspended by a single point. The assembly appears to have failed at or close to the attachment point just at the top of the framework.

A video of the actual event that you may not want to watch: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=L05lRvSBAxY
 
Re: Scaffold collapse during Ringling Bros. show

Ben Lawrence said:
Man that video is brutal. I started to read the comments on there but that's a mistake.
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yeah the stupid in the comments killed several thousand of my brain cells in the split second before i could look away...

i do sometimes wish that there was closer correlation between decency/intelligence and life expectancy. it'd get the idiots off the planet more quickly...
 
Re: Scaffold collapse during Ringling Bros. show

Milt Hathaway said:
Very well-written update that uses the proper language for the hardware involved: http://www.startribune.com/lifestyle/257895231.html?page=all&prepage=1&c=y#continue
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It will be interesting to read the final OSHA report on this.

There are a few things that stand out in that article. One is the lack of an independant fall protection anchor (typically required in industrial situations - must be separate from the positioning anchor). Another is the relatively low rating of the carabiner, assuming that the 5T rating is ultimate strength. 5T is roughly 45kN (assuming static loading), or about what you'd see on a typical 1/2" steel carabiner intended for rescue situations. 5T is also the required anchor strength for fall protection for 2 people. It is less than the rating of the typical 5/8" shackles used in entertainment rigging, and while 5T rated hardware is acceptable for a 3/4T static load that only yields a 6.6:1 factor of safety, a bit low for suspending people, especially acrobats that may present a dynamic load. If the 5T is SWL, with an ultimate strength of >25T, that's a more appropriate piece of hardware, but that's also a 3/4" shackle (and I'm not aware of any carabiners that large).
 
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