January 29, 2016
Inspection of Your Stage by Local Authorities
Every municipality, city, county, state, or other governing body has emergency plans in place to deal with public events. In order to make an emergency plan for the event that you’re organizing, authorities will require a detailed plan and an accurate map of any and all structures that will be in place—they will need to know pretty much everything about the site and how it will be arranged. Where will the stages be set up? How will they be set up—on what kind of ground, and in what manner? What kinds of stages are you planning to use? These are the first of a long series of questions you will be required to answer in order to make certain your event meets safety standards.
The promoter is always responsible for overseeing and making certain that the facilities in place comply with all standards and codes.
The Mobile Stage: Making Life Easier for Promoters
Unlike a traditional stage, a mobile stage is delivered to the location of your event as a finished product, rather than something to be constructed on site. Traditional stages require on-site inspection by an engineer, who provides authorities an inspection report including an analysis of stage plans and installation procedures. Mobile stages, on the other hand, streamline this process by providing preassembled equipment ready-built to perform specific functions, support rated loads, and withstand winds. Stageline’s mobile stages come pre-approved by the manufacturer and an engineer, meaning the conditions of use (including installation) reflect established and recognized standards and codes.
If your Stageline mobile stage is being assembled by a crew trained by a Stageline-certified trainer, there is no need to have the stage inspected and certified by a third-party engineer. This saves an enormous amount of time, and accordingly lightens the load on your pocketbook even as it decreases stresses associated with making sure a stage is up to code. That’s a hard advantage to beat.
After all, we know how many things you have to keep track of in the process of organizing an event. Stageline has been in this business for nearly 30 years—a lot longer than many of the promoters we deal with! If we can help you save time, streamline the stage set-up process, and ensure the safety of the structure, then everybody wins.
7 good Questions to Ask Your Stage Supplier
A safe and well-designed stage guarantees a smooth and easy inspection process that will save you time and worry. Here are the key points you’ll want to bear in mind when considering a stage:
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What type of stage is it? What is the process for installing it?
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Who is the manufacturer? What kind of safety record do they and their products have?
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If you’re looking for a mobile stage, which model do you need?
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Does the stage come with documents confirming that its equipment all meets applicable standards? Are these documents stamped with the seal of a professional engineer?
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What level of wind-resistance does your stage offer (with and without windwalls)? Does your supplier include procedures for dealing with wind?
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What is the load-capacity for the structure? Is this capacity clearly detailed on the engineer-certified plan?
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What is the load & safety factor of the stage?
This handful of questions should help provide you with the knowledge you need in order to be certain the stage you use is safe and will not pose any problems under inspection—which means one less thing to worry about on your to-do list!