Concerned about the safety of people at events: it’s only a matter of time before the tragedy occurs Names

Through the hair of tragedy. This would describe these incidents at various events in recent years.

Back in 2016 a giant screen fell during the Song Festival rehearsal. Fortunately, there were no outsiders in that place at the time. It is true that the Vilnius municipality did not see any violation at that time.

In 2017, the safety of visitors to the Žagarė Cherry Festival was a concern: the fact came to light that the uncovered power cables were run through the busiest area, right in the middle of the square.

One of the most recent cases is a metal structure that fell on cars during a “dragon tree” race held in Panevėžys a few weeks ago. A video circulating on the Internet shows that the people around him could barely leave in time.

At risk to human security

And although the organizers of the event in Panevėžys claim that the structure was installed in accordance with all requirements, and blame only the wind for the incident, 15 minutes The interviewees say something else: according to them, in most of these situations, the lax approach to human security is to blame.

“Can a structure that could remain on an arena in the absence of wind be kept outdoors and withstand wind gusts? I don’t think any manufacturer should sign that such a solution is safe for outdoor use, “said Yevgeny Sokolov, the event’s technical coordinator, who has been working in the field for almost a decade.

J. Sokolov named more situations known to him. It is said that even the scenes themselves are sometimes staged without thinking of the possible consequences during events.

“Someone took the stage from a home floor and the dance team even refused to go up because the edges were swollen, it was possible to get injured.” In addition, by putting together a scene in a meadow with telescopic legs instead of a scaffold frame, the legs are placed on the ground 10 to 15 centimeters during the event. All this is insecure and, thank God, no one has died yet in those events, ”said the interlocutor.

According to Jevgenijus, there are still organizers who simply decide to throw uncovered electrical cables during various concerts or festivals across the meadow where people walk.

“Nothing has happened yet, but one day something will definitely happen, the high-voltage electricity will be cut off, because there are around 20-30, sometimes more than 100 kilowatts, and the cables go through people’s steps without any protection ” I think it is better not to do an event than to know in advance that it will not be safe, “Jevgenijus feared.

J. Sokolov is convinced that such a lax approach to the event business is also determined by the desire to save. Possibly because of this, some organizers, ignoring the possibility of rain, decide to install the outdoor stage without a roof. However, the weather is not predictable, the forecasts are not always accurate.

“Very often, customers ask to do it as cheaply as possible, as easily as possible. Some organizers want to save and trust the faith, maybe there is no wind or maybe there is no wind. But it is wrong to think that, because God will not always help. Of course, it’s always possible to be cheaper, but insecure solutions can cause problems, so it’s always better to make sure, “said J. Sokolov.

Jevgenijus emphasizes that to avoid disaster, service providers must ensure the safety of spectators, participants and employees during events. Unfortunately, there is no shortage of situations when looking at it with your fingers. According to J. Sokolov, the situation would be facilitated by compulsory civil liability insurance for all companies that provide the aforementioned services; then, at least, the victims would be compensated for the damage.

Admittedly, Yevgeny revealed that event equipment rental companies have long been discussing the establishment of an association to oversee companies working with events.

“It must be established that no one who has come from the street can begin to build and be responsible for the safety of people.” Of course, the association has been talked about for about 15 years, because it requires unpaid work and since everyone is busy, nobody is going to organize. But maybe it’s time to start and not wait for death? J. Sokolov considered.

And so far, according to the interlocutor, there is a complete disaster on this issue. There are no institutions that supervise the companies responsible for installing the event equipment, people work without certificates, they are given the freedom to act. As a result, we see the aforementioned consequences of falling structures.

“There are companies that buy structures and follow the approach, well, I will come back, maybe they will. Or those where you are trying to weld the roofs yourself, but if that roof will withstand a certain amount of water and gusts of wind, just don’t think. Don’t think about the integrity of the structure, just trust the weather forecasts, even if they’re not reliable. And you must follow the rules, the teachings, but do nothing or nothing. “

Only tragedy will pay attention?

Viktoras Voroncovas, the head of Layher Baltic, the scaffolding and secondary systems company company, also performed for Eugene. According to him, the main problem of the entertainment business is that it is out of control. After all, issues related to stages and other structures used in events should be coordinated only by organizers and service providers, and the law does not require dialogue with state institutions regarding temporary structures.

“There is a construction and industry labor inspection, at least minimal control. Scaffolding construction is done only by professionals, with calculations, trained and even stricter requirements in the industry, and the entertainment business does what it does. Anyone can do it, a big change of people, people are forced to work at night, tired of the need to build a structure before the event. Then additional students are hired, and then the problem is already in the problem. ” 15 minutes the situation was highlighted by V.Voroncov.

Viktoras regretted that he thought it was only a matter of time before a tragedy occurred in any Lithuanian event. The interlocutor considers that only she will report the aforementioned problem to the authorities.

“I have no doubt that we will have a big disaster with the viewers in the near future, because from a security point of view, things are not going as they should. When there is a disaster, everyone will run immediately and only then will the movement in institutions, laws will be created and the labor inspectorate will be empowered to control events. Here, as always, the focus comes only after a disaster. Once avoided, second, third, but everything repeats, no one draws conclusions , there is no supervisory authority.

Look back: we have a warning sign every year. Already after the screen at the Song Festival, everyone had to worry. Imagine that the screen fell where the children were sitting five minutes ago. In a normal state, there had to be a scandal, the people responsible had to be punished, and everyone here quickly forgot about it, ”said V. Voroncov.

V.Voroncovas had also expressed concern about the condition of the scenic constructions of an event in Kalnai Park a few years ago. Then he wrote that he was standing on rotten benches reminiscent of Soviet times, the supports of the structure were not connected to each other, the structure itself was not attached to the ground.

Commenting on one of the most recent cases, in Panevėžys, V.Voroncovas stated that it is clear to any professional that this temporary structure was not installed correctly.

“There was no ballast there. And the fact that there will be wind should be evaluated. Don’t you think you are fixing the structure with posts to the ground and it will be maintained? There is a special device that checks what load those poles will support, but do you think it will Are you testing? No. Someone comes John, goes to the store, buys parts and hits the ground with a hammer. This is not a childish approach, because business should be done by professionals, not amateurs, “lamented V. Voroncov .

V.Voroncovas also commented on the scene that caused the scandal on the Mindaugas Bridge on July 6. He is considering that The explanations from the organizers that the ceiling was not possible due to the shallow depth of the stage., only evasions.

“We live in the 21st century, there are thousands of solutions to make a roof on a small stage. There was no need for something big there, but there is a special ceiling where you can put a plywood ceiling and everything will be luxurious. We are not Russia or Belarus, where it is difficult with new technologies, we have everything on the market, only, of course, quality costs and those who want to build as cheaply as possible appear, but they sacrifice quality ”, V. Voroncov was angry.

He advised looking at examples from other countries, such as Estonia. According to Viktor, a completely different culture exists, so even in the smallest township on stage a roof is required.

“And with us, it’s all about ‘I want to win public procurement at a low price, and then I think about how to get the most out of that price.'” We believe that Lithuania, like Spain, will not rain, and then we look, and, if we have won public acquisitions, we will choose cheaper details, cheaper labor and why that ceiling, if the probability of rain is 50 percent ”V. Voroncov gave the comparison.

According to Viktor, to avoid such cases, it is necessary to take measures by the authorities: to provide an authority that controls the organization of public events, to clearly describe the security rules. However, as the interlocutor pointed out, unfortunately it is not a matter of the first order for the Seimas.

“It just came to our attention then. There is no control, and if there is no control, people know they can do anything. And in fact, employees must first be trained, provided with knowledge, then there must be control and only then will there be order ”, emphasized V. Voroncov.

He added that so far he can be happy at least with the existence of the scaffolding association: after seeing violations, building unsafe scenarios, its members write complaints and organize trainings.