opinion on safety cables?

**DJ Higgumz** · 04-08-2012, 02:31 PM

currently i run 10+ lights on my truss without safety cables, and i hook them on with bolts. i don't really understand why i would need them, since i dont see my heavy duty bolts breaking anytime soon. i have so many cords from dmx to power that i dont want to add more. what is your opinion on safety cables? has anyone ever had a light fall? my lights seem very robust, especially my martin 812s. they weigh like a tank and are built like one too. (minus the headache when the yoke crashes the mirror when you set don't set it down carefully! not the best design.)

**Synaxis** · 04-08-2012, 03:30 PM

ALWAYS use safety cables. I cannot stress this enough.

Are you 100% certain that ALL of the bolts are defect free and will not break?

It's not about having your lights break, it's about having them fall on the crowd.

If one of your bolts does break, and a 15 pound light falls on someones head, they will sue you, and in court they will ask you if the light was properly rigged. And by properly, I mean with safety cables in place.

And yes, I have heard stories where equipment has fallen because they didn't have cables.

It was on another forum, some guy hung up Video Cameras for an event, didn't use safety cables, and the video camera fell into crowd area. Luckily, this was before the event, so no one was in that area at the time. Let's say he learned his lesson.

Safety cables are like $3, so go and spend the $30 and have piece of mind.

Have a look at: http://www.controlbooth.com/forums/l...ty-cables.html

**windspeed36** · 04-08-2012, 06:32 PM

Slightly off topic, but does anyone use the ETC hook clamps for rigging? There has been a problem over the last few months with dodgy Chinese steel and the hook clamps are breaking and fixtures are falling all over the place. If you do have ETC clamps, get in touch with them..

**BillESC** · 04-08-2012, 06:46 PM

Are you bolting the fixture or using the bolt on a clamp?

**DJ Higgumz** · 04-08-2012, 07:05 PM

I drilled holes in the truss, and bolted it. The bolts are atleast 3/8 diam., they could easily handle 200+ pounds each. That's why I asked. Is it in case the yoke is faulty or what are they for? If I had a clamp of any sort I would have cables regardless. There's just alot of fudge room for things to break. That's what I like about bolts. Very straight forward.

**Coronaoperator** · 04-08-2012, 07:18 PM

Bolts can vibrate loose. Safety cables are like fire extinguishers, you hope you never need to rely on one but if you do your glad you have it in place.

**DJ Higgumz** · 04-08-2012, 07:32 PM

good point. after this next gig i will buy enough for my setup. i know how luck works, if i dont they will fall because i ignored advice!

**Buszaj** · 04-08-2012, 09:43 PM

Originally Posted by DJ Higgumz

I drilled holes in the truss, and bolted it. The bolts are atleast 3/8 diam., they could easily handle 200+ pounds each. That's why I asked. Is it in case the yoke is faulty or what are they for? If I had a clamp of any sort I would have cables regardless. There's just alot of fudge room for things to break. That's what I like about bolts. Very straight forward.

You never drill through truss. It weakens it. It's just plain stupid. Just use industry standard C or mega-clamps, and always safety cable your fixtures. There's no question about it.

**Subprime** · 04-08-2012, 10:19 PM

1. Everything in the air should have a safety cable, not sure about where you are but here this is a legal requirement. As has been said, failure of the bolt, clamp, yoke is unlikely but if any of it does fail people die.

2. Drilling holes in truss is big no no. You have seriously compromised the structural integrity of your truss, and you may need to replace it. Truss is made of relatively thin metal, and it's only strong by its shape. Even large dents in truss can weaken it critically. You should be using clamps. Again, when you are risk assessing this, the chance of failure is relatively low, but the result of any failure is catastrophic.

This is serious business. Heavy objects falling from height do people serious harm, even at the low heights (I assume) we're talking about for your DJ lighting setup.