IBJNews

Bill requiring Indiana stage inspections advances

Back to TopCommentsE-mailPrint

All temporary outdoor stages like the one that collapsed last year at the Indiana State Fair, killing seven people, would have to be inspected before they are used for performances under a bill approved Tuesday by a state Senate committee.

The bill also would require the state's building safety commission to set standards for the stages and equipment being used for outdoor performances.

Sponsor Sen. Tim Lanane, D-Anderson, said he and other legislators were surprised to learn that no inspections were required for the large stage blown over by strong winds before an Aug. 13 concert at the state-owned fairgrounds. Along with the seven killed, more than 40 people waiting for the country duo Sugarland to perform were injured.

"You go to a performance, you just assume all's well and that this has been put up in a safe manner and you're not going to have to worry about any danger," Lanane said.

The Senate's homeland security committee approved the bill Tuesday, sending it to the full Senate for consideration. The new law would require applicants to submit proof to the state that a qualified inspector had checked out the stage.

Indianapolis code enforcement director Rick Powers told the committee that city regulations require inspections for the dozens of temporary stages being put up for activities connected with the Feb. 5 Super Bowl. He suggested the bill be expanded to include temporary indoor stages.

Lanane said not all cities and counties have temporary stage regulations like Indianapolis and the new law would set statewide standards.

The Indiana State Fair Commission has decided to permanently move concerts from its outdoor grandstand to the Pepsi Coliseum, which is scheduled for renovations before the 2014 fair. Organizers have decided to have the 2012 fair's concerts at Bankers Life Fieldhouse in downtown Indianapolis.

ADVERTISEMENT

  • feel good
    this is nothing more than a feel good measure. People died, and people are permanantly injured, and the state has to do something. If this happened at Deer creek what would have happened? The families would have sued, and insurance would have covered most of it.
  • Stage Inspections Are Already Required
    It is not true to state that inspections of temporary outdoor stages are not currently required in Indiana. The requirement is found in the Indiana Fire Code. This applies to all areas of the State of Indiana, including the City of Indianapolis.

    Post a comment to this story

    COMMENTS POLICY
    We reserve the right to remove any post that we feel is obscene, profane, vulgar, racist, sexually explicit, abusive, or hateful.
     
    You are legally responsible for what you post and your anonymity is not guaranteed.
     
    Posts that insult, defame, threaten, harass or abuse other readers or people mentioned in IBJ editorial content are also subject to removal. Please respect the privacy of individuals and refrain from posting personal information.
     
    No solicitations, spamming or advertisements are allowed. Readers may post links to other informational websites that are relevant to the topic at hand, but please do not link to objectionable material.
     
    We may remove messages that are unrelated to the topic, encourage illegal activity, use all capital letters or are unreadable.
     

    Messages that are flagged by readers as objectionable will be reviewed and may or may not be removed. Please do not flag a post simply because you disagree with it.

    Sponsored by
    ADVERTISEMENT

    facebook - twitter on Facebook & Twitter

    Follow on TwitterFollow IBJ on Facebook:
    Follow on TwitterFollow IBJ's Tweets on these topics:
     
    Subscribe to IBJ
    1. these guys only skill was to steal from other's hard earned savings.

    2. I voted for him last time and it WAS the LAST time. He needed to to quit running around the world on useless trips, and giving our $$ away to sports teams. I'll vote for anyone but Ballard next time. BTW...we gave $40M to the Pacers and cannot even watch the games on TV.

    3. For the people concerned about traffic, you should know that mixed-use projects (like the one being proposed), actually allows for and encourages more people to walk and bike, thereby mitigating additional automobile traffic. If we continue to design and build suburban-type projects in the City (i.e. automobile-oriented projects), we are not offering anything different from what the suburbs offer, which means we will continue to lose jobs/people to the suburbs. The reason Broad Ripple is somewhat successful today is that people want to live in a place that offers the convenience of being able to walk/bike to restaurants, retail, nightlife, the Monon, etc. Why would you not want to support a project that is complimentary to what already makes the area desirable? The real argument with this project should be its lack-luster design and layout, not the density.

    4. It is unfortunate that there is a perception that celebrities validate an event. The Indy 500 stands on its own, especially for those coming in from out of town. It was always so disturbing to read the gushing descriptions of Ashley Judd threaded throughout the local coverage. Very happy that era is at an end.

    5. Good ole' Obamacare. Thanks liberals and those who didn't bother to vote.

    ADVERTISEMENT