Spiderman vs. workers compensation
I love using anecdotes to explain liability insurance, workers compensation, equipment insurance, and the like to individuals who have (luckily) never had to acquire such a thing. Don’t know why a public artist may need liability insurance? Well, the piece could cause a car accident on the highway. You might want artwork coverage in case an angry patron takes to your piece with a crowbar.
Usually I identify and utilize particularly juicy nuggets as soon as they cross my desk (see the examples above!). But I’ve been cogitating for a while on how best to utilize Spiderman: Turn Off the Dark.
- A cautionary tale? (risk management is actually important so that your performers do not get injured!)
- An educational anecdote? (aren’t we glad that the show’s workers comp coverage was there for the poor actor who fell 20’ and ended up in the hospital and is now in physical therapy?)
- A simple rant? (Spiderman! You’re ruining it for the rest of us! I’ve spent the past two years trying to convince insurers that theater performances are not risky to insure! Yet a few broken wrists, a concussion, and an emergency room visit later and you’ve probably made all of my work in vain!).
A new fact came to light recently. The New York State Insurance Department has issued two safety violations and have threatened the revocation of permissions allowing the over-audience flying sequences if all safety precautions are not properly adhered to. I say hurrah: we’re all used to complaining about insurance for one reason or another (health, liability, or otherwise) but I wouldn’t have this job if I didn’t believe that it was important and beneficial (when applied reasonably, and in reasonable amounts).
This decision by the State effects exactly what the workers compensation laws were built to do: force employers to be responsible when it came to the safety and well-being of their employees, and help employees to feel safe and secure when it came to their jobs. This is risk management at its finest. The actors can rest assured that the production is enacting its due diligence, because they now have the threat of the famous flying sequences being removed. The precautions being requested (two technicians attending to all harnessing and rigging, verbal confirmation with the stage manager that the proper protocols have been enacted) are perfectly reasonable requirements when people’s lives and livelihoods are on the line. Stricter protocols will help the humans performing on stage stay up there, safely, as long as this epic show runs on Broadway.
Tags: liability insurance, risk, spiderman, workers compensation insurance
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