UK - The entire crew from the much-anticipated reunion tour by The Stone Roses took time out during rehearsals at LS-Live to complete their Event Safety Passport (SPA) certificate at the industry training centre on site, Backstage Academy.
Ahead of their shows in Manchester, production manager Tony Gittins wanted the crew to be up to speed with the latest health and safety considerations whilst working on a live event.
He booked all the crew onto the one-day course at the Academy, which is based at the LS-Live rehearsal studios in South Kirkby, West Yorkshire.
He said, "For the larger tours I do, I always send all the crew to do their Event Safety Passport because it raises their awareness of health and safety when they are working around the set.
"When we booked the production rehearsals for The Stone Roses at LS-Live, I was pleased to learn that the facility now incorporates the Backstage Academy training centre, as it meant I could put all the crew through the course on one of the quieter days.
"Even the more skeptical crew who had been in the industry a long time thought it was worth doing and found it useful."
Backstage Academy is increasingly becoming a leading resource for industry training for leading production professionals as well as those starting their careers in the entertainment industry.
Tour and Production Manager Dave Lawrence of DNG Production Ltd, who has worked with the likes of Madness, Massive Attack and Dizzee Rascal, recently brought three crew with him to complete the Event Safety Passport.
Said Lawrence, "For me as someone who has been in the industry for over 20 years, I see it as the thing to do and I made sure I brought three people that I work with to do the course, none of whom had done it before.
"Doing the course at Backstage Academy in their facilities was perfect as it's all properly set up. The course was properly delivered by someone who has a full-time career in health and safety."
The Event Safety Passport training course is a nationally recognised qualification designed by the Production Services Authority (PSA) and the Safety Pass Alliance (SPA) for people in the events industries to demonstrate basic health and safety awareness.
Following the one-day course, successful candidates are provided with a credit card sized passport, which indicates to employers in the live event production sector that the individual has a basic knowledge of site safety, common hazards and safe working practices.
