Health and Safety Practices
When working as a DSM or ASM you have to be aware of certain Health and Safety practices. These have to be followed and abided by when working within the industry.
Ladder Safety/ Working at Height
When working at height you will either have to use a ladder. When using a ladder you have to abide by the following rules;
Three Points of contact- Three points of contact must be had at all times whilst working on a ladder. This is so that if you were to lose your balance you would have three points on the ladder for you to hold onto. These three points should be two feet on a rung of the ladder and a hand on another rung. At no time when you are on a ladder should you reach across to grab something as you are losing three points of contact and the ladder could topple over causing you to fall.
Sensible Clothing- When working on a ladder at height you should ensure that you are wearing suitable clothing. This should be trousers and t-shirts that will not get caught when climbing up and down the ladder and shoes with a sole on them that is not hanging off or has mud or any other substance that could cause you to slip when climbing.
Suitable Weather- If you are working on a show that takes place outside and you are required to work at height you should ensure that the weather is suitable to be using a ladder. If there are strong gusts or heavy rain it is best you don't use a ladder as the gusts could cause the ladder to be blown over and the rain could cause the rungs to be wet and therefore cause a slip hazard as you are climbing up it.
Suitable Ground- When workign outside with a ladder you should also ensure that the ground is flat and the ladder is not placed on unlevel ground. If a ladder is used on unlevel ground it may fall over when you climb up it.
When using a ladder you must also make sure that the angle a ladder is placed against as wall is not to steep that it will cause the ladder to slip away from the wall. You should also refrain from standing on the top two rungs of the ladder unless there is a suitable handrail. Finally when using a ladder you should always ensure that their is someone footing it to prevent it from slipping away from the wall.
Safety when Lifting
When lifting heavy objects of the ground in order to move them you must ensure that you do the following. When you go to lift a heavy object you must ensure that you bend and lift with your knees and not with your back. If you lift heavy objects with your back it could cause you to hurt your back and therefore put you out of action when you may be required to crew a show. If you go to lift and object and you feel it is too heavy for you to lift on your own ask someone to assist you in lifting it. No one is going to think any differently of you for asking.
Safety when using Electrical Equipment
When using electrical equipment you must ensure that you do the following to avoid injury. If you have wet hand when using electrical equipment you could end up with an electric shock. To avoid being shocked you should always ensure that your hands are dry before using the equipment. Also when using electrical equipment you must ensure that you know what it is and how it works because you could go to use something and have no clue what you are doing. This could result in you injuring yourself or causing someone else harm because you are unsure with how to use the equipment. Finally when using electrical equipment you mus ensure that any cables it has are taped down or out of the way. This must be done to prevent injury to yourself or others that your are working with.