Theatre Design & Technology - Winter 2010 - 60

heAlth & SAfety
* Fire hazards from lighting instruments being placed too close to
curtains and drapes.
* Injury hazards from using damaged tools.
* Fall hazards from improperly installed fixed ladders.
as he was concluding his address, dr. davidson said, "We strongly
urge those in authority or in any supervisory capacity to 'properly train
for competency' those individuals and technicians who are under their
care as employees, volunteers or students and who are subject to these
hazardous exposures." this is the ongoing work of the Health & safety
commission.
i am happy to report that much has changed even since 2001. the
hazards listed above are still present, but there are many indications that
a tangible shift towards a more safety-conscious theatre culture is underway. i have seen attendance at sessions presenting safety and health information steadily increasing, as have requests for our assistance throughout
the year. Proactive efforts to work with osHa have been initiated and pursued, with consultation service representatives frequently sharing their
expertise and resources at usitt conferences, both regional and national.
another very positive change i have seen is the increasing inclusion of
formal safety training in theatre technology programs at colleges and
universities across the country.
in the past few years, usitt has recognized the need to further improve the health and safety resources available to its membership. a grant
from the commissioners' fund allowed me to complete the necessary
training to become an authorized osHa outreach instructor. response
to this initiative was so positive that discussions are underway to identify

1988

Eric and Cecelia Fielding, co-editors of TD&T from the
Fall 1988 issue until the Summer 1995 issue. The cover image
of their first issue is a conceptual drawing for Cecil B. DeMille's
film, The Ten Commandments.

another member willing to complete the training.
usitt is also pursuing the opportunity to join the osHa alliance program, whereby usitt would be recognized as a professional organization
dedicated to improving the health and safety of this industry. engaging
in this program can bring a number of benefits to usitt, including the
assistance of osHa to develop and publish best-Practice guidelines, increased support from osHa consultation service representatives at the
annual usitt conference & stage expo as well as at regional events, and
(hopefully!) their assistance to develop a formal entertainment technician safety training program.
as was noted earlier, the work of the Health & safety commission
is not glamorous, but it has its rewards. We are proud to have been an
integral part of usitt for the past fifty years, and plan to continue serving
and supporting the members of this great organization for the foreseeable
future. Happy birthday, usitt! v
David C. Glowacki is the Production Manager for the Rozsa
Center at Michigan Technological University in Houghton,
Michigan. He serves as Vice Commissioner of Programming for the
Health & Safety Commission of USITT, and as the Associate Editor
of Health & Safety for td&t. Prior to assuming his current position
in the land of deep snow, Dave lived and worked in the Cleveland
area and was active in the USITT-Ohio Valley Regional Section. In
2006 he completed USITT-sponsored training to become an OSHA
Authorized Outreach Trainer

1989

Publication in TD&T (Spring issue) of
"Job Satisfaction Among Technical Directors"
by Dennis Dorn and Lisa Anne Schlenker
Aitken.

1989

Publication in TD&T (Winter issue) of
"The Technical Director in Educational Theatre"
by Willard F. Bellman, a USITT position paper
establishing guidelines for evaluating the
performance of a technical director for
the purposes of retention, promotion,
and tenure.

1988

Publication of the revised edition
of the "Internship Directory," edited by
David Flemming and members of the
Education Commission.

1989

29th Annual
USITT Conference &
Stage Expo, Calgary,
Canada.

theatre

design

1989

Publication of first
issue of Cutters' Research
Journal.

teChnology

W I N T E R

2010

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of Theatre Design & Technology - Winter 2010