TSP News | Way-busy, good and bad adoption of our standards, either verbatim or by reference, will help bring uniformity to the local regulations. Touring will become more diffi cult if stages have to meet one set of requirements in Indianapolis, another set in Muncie, and a third set in Ft. Wayne—and safety is not likely to be enhanced if the stage and the plan for managing the site in stormy weather have to be repeatedly changed. So far a watch for [“stage collapse” + legislation] in the news has not turned up any moves yet to adopt regulations for portable stages, only news about the law that caps the state’s liability in Indiana. However, while Internet searches are good, they are not perfect. PLASA members are asked to please contact PLASA’s standards offi ce (standards.na@plasa.org) if they know of local plans to regulate portable stages, so we can contact the municipal authorities and let them know about our standards. Late summer isn’t generally the season for municipal legislation; local laws are more often written during the winter and the spring. It may be that work to write local legislation for portable stages won’t get started until early next year. Perhaps by then, with luck and hard work, we’ll have a new version of ANSI E1.21 to offer them, one that will cover all the portable structures subject to the weather, such as followspot towers and audio delay towers, in addition to the structure that goes over and besides the stage. That will be good. It’s not likely that the weather is going to get better. Karl G. Ruling is PLASA’s Technical Standards Manager. Karl also serves as Protocol’s Senior Technical Editor. He can be reached at karl.ruling@plasa.org. Call for members The PLASA TSP works to maintain a balance of interest on the working groups to help ensure that the standards developed are for the benefit of everyone: the people who make equipment, the people who sell or rent it, the people who specify it, and the people who use it. To do this, periodically the TSP issues a call for new members in particular interest categories. At this time, the following working groups are looking for voting members in the noted interest categories to help balance the interests in the working group. Camera Cranes : designers, general interest, users Control Protocols : dealer/rental companies, designers Electrical Power : dealer/rental companies, designers Floors : dealer/rental companies, designers Fog and Smoke : dealer/rental companies, designers, manufacturers Photometrics : dealer/rental companies, designers, users Rigging : designers Stage Lifts : users, general interest Voters in PLASA’s Technical Standards Program are required to attend meetings and to vote on letter ballots. Membership in PLASA is not a requirement for participation in the PLASA Technical Standards Program. More information about becoming involved in the Technical Standards Program is available at http://tsp.plasa.org/tsp/working_groups/index.html. PR R OPE OPE R TY Y & C AS A S UA U L TY Y I N NS U RA AN CE CE FOR O B US S I IN ES S S Serving as the official insurance agency for PLASA since 1988, PRISM understands the entertainment technology industry; P.O. Box 1777 Greenville, SC 29602 864.836.4197 864.836.4199 fax neil@prism-ins.com our clients include manufacturers, dealers, and production companies. For prompt, professional service, and competitive rates call 864.836.4197 for a free consultation and quote. FALL 2011 65 PROTOCOL