Year book of motion pictures (1926)

Theater Accidents Analyzed -By Holgar Jensen The following analysis of theater and moving picture accidents was made by the National Bureau of Casualty and Surety Underwriters. The object of the study of these accidents was to arrive at engineering measures which would prevent similar accidents. Consideration has been given to "frequency" rather than monetary losses. The outstanding causes have been divided as follows: % of No. of Total Cases Cases 1— Falls 1,012 66.1 2 — Injuries from falling obstacles 172 11.2 3— Fire 97 6.3 4 — Door accidents 32 2.1 5 — Injury from crowd .... 30 2. 6 — Accidents to, from and on stage 24 . 1.6 7 — Tripping on, or coming in contact with nails, bolts and sharp edges.. 23 1.5 8 — Unguarded equipment or apparatus 18 1.2 9 — Collapse of roof 11 .7 10 — Accidents of general nature 112 7.3 1,531 100 This gives us a very good perspective of the problem for consideration. The principal cause is "falls," and in analyzing this, we find that of the 1,012 cases : 359 occurred on exit stairways. 185 on stairways in balconies and aisles. 94 on steps to and from seats or boxes 167 on the auditorium floor. 43 in the lobby. 15 in the rest room. 69 from seats. In addition to these, 28 occurred on unguarded openings inside and outside of theaters and 52 on sidewalks. The causes of "falls" inside the theaters and on exit stairways were due to: Insufficient light. Defective stair treads. Defective floor coverings. Slippery steps. Foreign objects. High heels. In _ the lobby a few were caused by tripping over mats and slippery floors: the latter, no doubt, being due to inclement weather. "Falls" from seats were caused by: Collapse of seats. Broken seats. In two cases, seats were removed. "Injuries from falling objects" have been separated into two groups — those which occurred inside of theaters and those occurring on the outside. Those in the theaters were caused by falling plaster, signs, and other objects of a general nature, in most cases, dropped by patrons. While 123 persons were injured in theaters by falling objects, only 49 were injured on the outside. These accidents were caused by billboards, signs, ladders, etc. "Injuries from crowd" total 30, 20 of which were charged to poor management and 10 to panic. In considering the elimination of the great number of accidents due to "falls" on stairways, it is gratifying to note that a number of the large theaters, which have been erected within the last year have supplemented stairways with ramps. Where stairs are provided it is, of course, of the greatest importance to have sufficient light, and the treads should be of anti-slip material. If covered, they should be kept in the very best condition to prevent tripping. Stairs leading from the main entrance to the auditorium floor should be uniform in height, not to exceed 7)4" and a width of 10^" is recommended. Stairs leading downward from exits should have a space of at least 1" between the door opening and the edge of the top step. All stairs should be provided with substantial hand rails, same to be between 30" and 36" above the treads. Where stairs are built between walls, the rails should be firmly secured to the walls and have a clearance from the wall of about 3 inches. In the theater, indirect system of lighting should be used. Soft, diffused light can be easily regulated. The effectiveness of this system can be controlled a great deal by the color and finish of the walls and ceiling. A glossy white will, of course, reflect the most light. A slight, creamy tint gives a very pleasing illumination to the eye. The side wall and ceilings lights in the aisles should give sufficient light to enable the ushers to show persons to the seats without difficulty during the performance. Theaters should be provided with storage batteries of sufficient capacity to operate at least the emergency lights. Some theater have found it desirable to have storage batteries of a capacity that will furnish sufficient current for several hours in case of any electrical disturbances that might occur. Stairs and aisles should be kept free from foreign objects. This, of course, is a housekeeping provision and needs constant supervision. The width of the aisles in the auditorium should 8