Last month, the American National Standards Institute’s Board of Standards Review approved four ESTA standards: two brand-new, safety-related documents and two control protocol documents that were reaffirmed. These, and all of ESTA’s published standards, are available for free download to everyone, courtesy of ProSight Specialty Insurance, at tsp.esta.org/freestandards, or they may be purchased from ANSI or IHS.
ANSI E1.46 – 2016, Standard for the Prevention of Falls from Theatrical Stages and Raised Performance Platforms — The users of theatrical stages and raised platforms can suffer debilitating injuries from falls into orchestra pits, open stage lifts, and similar openings in stage floors. Health and safety regulations require action to prevent these falls by employees, but offer little guidance that is suitable for theatrical environments. This document provides that guidance to protect all people at risk.
ANSI E1.43 – 2016, Entertainment Technology-Performer Flying Systems — This standard establishes a minimum level of performance parameters for the design, manufacture, use, and maintenance of performer flying systems used in the production of entertainment events. The purpose of this guidance is to achieve the adequate strength, reliability, and safety of these systems to ensure safety of the performer, other production personnel, and audiences under all circumstances associated with performer flying.
ANSI E1.30-1 – 2010 (R2016), EPI 23, Device Identification Subdevice — This EPI (EPI stands for E1.17 Profiles for Interoperability) specifies a collection of properties which may be exposed by a DMP device to provide detailed information on the manufacturer, model, serial number, hardware and software revisions, and other administrative details of the device. These properties are described in a standard format as a templated DDL (sub)device.
ANSI E1.3 – 2001 (R2016), Entertainment Technology — Lighting Control Systems — 0 to 10 V Analog Control Specification ANSI E1.3 describes a method of controlling equipment by means of an analog control voltage in the nominal range from zero to 10 volts positive, with the controller sourcing the signal current.
According to ANSI Essential Requirements: Due process requirements for American National Standards, ESTA’s approved American National Standards must undergo periodic maintenance. This means that all ANS must be reviewed every five years from the date of approval, and either revised to be current, withdrawn as an ANS, or reaffirmed. Reaffirmation means that the document needs no substantive changes, and is designated with an R and the year of reaffirmation in parenthesis following the standard’s designation and original year of approval.
The ESTA Technical Standards Program is an ANSI-accredited standards development organization, created and administered by the Entertainment Services and Technology Association (ESTA) to serve its members and the entertainment technology and live event industries. The TSP publishes standards that solve problems faced by users, designers, manufacturers, and dealers of entertainment technology. Membership in ESTA is not a requirement for TSP participation, but there is a $100 annual fee for all individual participants, regardless of the number of working groups to which you apply.
There are eight working groups: Control Protocols, Electrical Power, Floors, Fog & Smoke, Followspot Position, Photometrics, Rigging, and Stage Lifts. People with a material interest in the work of any of these groups may join by submitting a working group application to standards@esta.org, one for each working group of interest. More information at the URL below.
