A new San Diego law aims to prevent deadly stage collapses and other tragedies that can happen at live concerts and large events.
The City Council unanimously approved this week a law requiring more training for workers who set up stages, lighting fixtures, sound systems and other equipment at live events in city parks and other city venues.
The law applies to events at Petco Park, Pechanga Arena, SeaWorld, the San Diego Zoo, the Civic Theatre and the waterfront convention center. It does not apply to street fairs and other events staged within city streets.
The legislation mirrors a state law — AB 1775 — that took effect in 2022 requiring the same training for events at state venues, which locally include the Del Mar Fairgrounds and Snapdragon Stadium in Mission Valley.
The city and state law both require organizers of such events to pay for many hours of federally certified safety training for all their supervisors and lower-level workers.
The laws require 10 hours of Occupational Safety and Health Administration training for lower-level stage workers and 30 hours of that training for supervisors. Supervisors must also complete an entertainment technician certification program, which was developed by industry leaders to assess stage technicians.
The county approved a less rigorous version in 2021 that applies in county parks, including Waterfront Park on Harbor Drive. Workers must do the 10-hour course and get certified, but no 30-hour course is required.
Councilmember Raul Campillo said the goal is avoiding tragedies that have claimed lives at events in Indiana and Oklahoma, and more recently in California at the Coachella and BottleRock music festivals.
He said San Diego is the first city in California to pass such a law.
“It’s best to take this proactive step now, rather than see such a tragedy happen in our city,” Campillo said Tuesday before the council’s 9-0 vote in favor of the new law.
“All workers deserve to know that they will come home safe and sound after finishing their shift,” he said. “By requiring common-sense training, we can prevent many injuries on the job for live event workers in San Diego.”
The law was advanced 14 months ago by the council’s economic development committee. Campillo said the long delay in finalizing it was due to the need to make sure it was written well enough to be easily enforced.
The new training requirement is strongly supported by the labor union representing stage builders and similar workers, Local 122 of the International Alliance of Theatrical Stage Employees.
“This work can be dangerous — or in rare cases catastrophic — if workers aren’t trained properly to spot various hazards,” said Greg Sowizdrzal, president of the Local 122.
Carlos Cota, an international vice president for the union, said universal safety standards are crucial.
“Workers have fallen, been electrocuted and even lost their lives due to inadequate training,” said Cota, contending that most live events generate enough revenue that it’s reckless to skimp on training. “There’s no excuse for operating like that.”
The San Diego-Imperial Counties Labor Council, an umbrella group for local unions, praised the city law for setting a clear industry standard at a time when training requirements are being rolled back in some places.
The law won’t take effect until July 1 to give live event organizers time to prepare.
