Who Sets Safety Standards

Who Sets the Standards for Safety?

There are several associations which help to set safety criteria for rigging, such as OSHA, ASME and the NFPA, in addition to the rigging associations and training programs.

State Supported Safety

OSHA (The Occupational Safety and Health Act) has standards set into place which help keep workers healthy and safe. It's up to each state to develop and operate its own job safety and health programs which are approved of and certified by OSHA. If an employee has a complaint about the working conditions of an employer - and the employer has not moved to correct the problem - then the employer has the right to demand the proper improvement.

State Supported Safety

ASME (American Society of Mechanical Engineers) is, according to wisegeek.com, "a professional organization which promotes advances in engineering, along with professional development, education, and engineering safety". This organization has ongoing codes and standards which affect many of the processes that a rigger has to undertake during a job.

Fire-Reducing Safety

The NFPA (National Fire Protection Association) offers codes and standards, along with research and reports, which help riggers to avoid life-threatening, and business-threatening, fires that could occur from sparks, electrical mishaps, and misuse of combustibles and heat sources.

Since rigging can often require wiring, there is also the standard known as the NEC (National Electric Code) which is meant to keep people and equipment safe when it comes to using electricity, preventing possible fires and electrocution.