"The first few months of 2008 saw the Live Event safety passport grow from a good idea to a scheme that is gaining acceptance across the whole back-stage production area," said Andy Lenthall, general manager of the Production Services Association which represents companies and contractors in the live entertainment industry.
"With safety passport holders now numbering 1,000, and candidates spread across all disciplines at all levels, the PSA is confident that both the concept and course content deliver real benefits in terms of safety awareness."
Lenthall said that many major suppliers were now delivering safety passport courses to their in-house staff, with many insisting that sub-contractors should also hold safety passports.
"The companies that supply casual crew to events have embraced the scheme with enthusiasm, using it as a general health and safety induction for new entrants to the industry," he said.
"With some major venues and event organisers looking closely at the growth of the scheme, demand for safety passports in our sector is bound to grow."
The scheme is one of several introduced into many business sectors by the UK's leading authority in health and safety passport schemes, Safety Pass Alliance (SPA), based in Southam, Warwickshire.
Ray Gibbs, SPA's managing director, said that the scheme was aimed at rental companies and freelance sub-contractors involved in the installation and dismantling of sound, lighting, and video equipment at live events, as well as operators involved in the erection and dismantling of stages.
"We believe our scheme is having a real impact on accident statistics and will set a safety standard for the live entertainment industry," said Gibbs.
SPA's safety passport involves a specialist one-day training course that follows the Health and Safety Executive's guidelines. It contains information specific to the industry, such as regulations covering noise at work, and working at heights. Successful candidates receive a robust and secure passport with a tamper-proof photograph of the successful trainee.
Gibbs added: "We developed the first safety passport scheme over seven years ago and have introduced it into a wide range of business sectors - from general manufacturing to quarries, and from underground railways to the petroleum sector. We have achieved solid results in all sectors with major companies reporting dramatic reductions in their accident rates."
(Jim Evans)
