Ringling Bros. enhancing safety for aerial acts

PROVIDENCE – Ringling Bros. and Barnum & Bailey Circus will implement safety enhancements in aerial acts to protect employees against injuries like those its aerialists suffered during a “hair hang” act last year at the Dunkin’ Donuts Center.
According to a U.S. Department of Labor news release, the circus, which is owned by Feld Entertainment Inc. and headquartered in Palmetto, Fla., also must pay a $7,000 fine – the maximum allowed by law – levied by the department’s Occupational Safety and Health Administration.
The proactive measures are part of a settlement agreement with the U.S. Department of Labor concerning the citation issued to the circus by OSHA in connection with the May 4 incident in which eight employees were seriously hurt.
The carabiner used to support the aerialists failed during the act, causing them to fall more than 15 feet to the ground. A ninth employee was hurt when struck by the falling circus workers, the release said.

OSHA’s inspection determined that the carabiner used to lift performers was not loaded according to manufacturer’s instructions.

The agency cited the circus for one serious violation of occupational safety standards and proposed the maximum fine of $7,000. The circus initially contested its citation and penalties to the independent Occupational Safety and Health Review Commission.

“This agreement goes beyond this one case. It commits Ringling Bros. to continual, effective and detailed corrective action that will address and enhance safety for all its aerial acts, so that catastrophic incidents, such as the Providence fall and the needless worker injuries that resulted, never happen again,” Patrick Griffin, OSHA’s area director in Rhode Island, said in a statement.

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“We sought and achieved a settlement that will maximize safety for the circus’ employees and minimize the possibility of future falls and injuries. It’s incumbent upon the circus to follow through on its pledge with a thorough, effective, proactive and continuous safety program,” Michael Felsen, the department’s regional solicitor of labor for New England, said.

Under the settlement, the circus agreed to take the following actions on an ongoing basis, in addition to paying the full OSHA fine:

  • All new and existing aerial acts will be reviewed by a registered professional engineer.
  • For each act, it must assemble and provide to each circus unit a technical book.
  • Develop a written checklist for equipment and hardware inspections for each act.
  • Each circus unit will conduct an annual safety day that will address employee safety topics.

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