Innocent Festoon- or lurking killer?

11 Feb 2013

A Question from a reader:

What do you think of the electrical safety and OH&S implications/issues of the use of hanging globes (such as you used in the Feb Episode) and 240 Volt Festoon lighting….  They are commonplace in Hire Depts, Decor and production.

My concern is that they are getting more and more popular and I’m worried that someone will break a globe, touch a filament and DIE!  Is this a worthwhile topic to discuss with your gurus??  I understand that RCD Technology is becoming commonplace but they are not installed in all the places that these lights are being fitted.

I have decided to take them out of our product range and replace with LOW Votlage solutions…  To prove my point to the staff I grabbed a screw driver, removed a lamp from a string of festoon lights and shorted the two pins… RCD did NOT activate…  These lights only have a NEG and ACTIVE and nothing safe about them…

Oh… and they obviously are used in numerous outdoor events attached from tree to tree – I shudder when I see them hanging reasonably tight and seeing tree swaying 2m in the wind.. Doesn’t take much for the thin 240V cable to snap and fall down on un-protected bystanders..

It’s bizarre when we fill out Risk Assessments & JSA’s to set up Audio and Lighting on stages at Council Run Events .. and then the Decor companies run around flying 240 volt power everywhere…

It’s mad that we are reasonably well trained professionals and have to jump through hoops – and yet the marquee and party suppliers that pay the lowest $$ to monkeys do ridiculously unsafe practices..

Stav Hatzipantelis
Pro Light & Sound

WHAT DO YOU THINK? Comment below…..