Stagecraft Safety Audits — EasyStagecraft Consulting
WorkSafe Victoria compliance · Performing-arts venues & schools

Your fly system is legally classified plant. Can you prove it's safe?

Under the Victorian OHS Regulations 2017, counterweight fly systems, rigging grids and powered flying are plant — they legally require a documented risk assessment and inspection by a competent person. Most venues have neither. A stagecraft safety audit gives you the paperwork that proves compliance, before an incident or a DET audit does it for you.

Delivered personally by Daniel Gosling — 20+ years live production · WorkSafe high-risk work licences (rigging · scaffold · crane · EWP · forklift) · theatre-native, not a generalist OHS firm.

Why this can't wait

If a student or staff member is injured on a fly system and the venue has no compliant documentation, liability falls on the principal or venue manager personally. DET's OHS Assurance Program audits schools on a ~4-year cycle. "We've always just used it" is not a defence. The fix is inexpensive; the exposure is not.

The audit

A thorough on-site inspection, in plain English

A half- to full-day site visit and a written compliance report your board, principal or insurer can actually read — not a 40-page document you'll never open.

Counterweight fly systemLine sets, arbors, weights, guides, locks, limit stops
Flying infrastructureGrid, loft blocks, head blocks, purchase lines
Rigging pointsRated loads, anchor condition, certification dates
Electrical & distroDimmer racks, 3-phase supply, earthing
Working at heightCatwalks, ladders, fall arrest, edge protection
Records & competencySWPs, operator training evidence, sign-on documentation

You receive: a written compliance report, a Red / Amber / Green priority risk register, a plain-English summary for principals and boards, a populated Plant & Equipment Register, and a costed action plan — plus a 3-month EasyRisk seat so your team can keep the records current.

The engagement ladder

Start with an audit. Add only what you need.

Start here

Compliance Safety Audit

From $800 · half to full day
  • Full site inspection across all plant & rigging
  • Written report + R/A/G risk register
  • Plain-English principal / board summary
  • Populated Plant Register + action plan
  • 3-month EasyRisk seat included
Best for: a school or PAC that wants to know exactly where it stands before an audit or renewal.

OHS Audit + Documentation

From $3,500
  • Everything in the audit, plus
  • Drafted production risk assessments
  • 4–6 SWMSs for your high-risk activities
  • Sign-on QR posters + crew induction pack
  • 6-month EasyRisk seat + team onboarding
Best for: a board safety review, council-owned PAC, or a school with parent OHS concerns.

Compliance Fix Management

From $1,800/day or fixed quote
  • Specification of the correct remediation
  • Contractor tender management (3 quotes)
  • On-site supervision of works
  • Post-works inspection sign-off
  • Catches oversized / cowboy quotes
Best for: venues whose audit surfaced work that needs doing right — and priced fairly.

Compliance Partner

Retainer · $12,000/yr
  • Annual on-site re-audit (full day)
  • Quarterly remote compliance check-in
  • SWMS + documentation kept current
  • Unlimited email / phone advisory
  • Priority incident call-out line
  • EasyRisk Pro seat included
Best for: venues without a dedicated safety officer that want a standing compliance brain on call. Extra on-site at $1,800/day + travel.

Managed Compliance

Retainer · $18,000/yr
  • Everything in Compliance Partner, plus
  • 2× on-site visits per year
  • Crew competency + licence tracking
  • Inspector-liaison / audit support
  • Annual board-ready safety report
  • Full EasyStagecraft Suite included
Best for: venues that want compliance largely off their plate. Extra on-site at $2,200/day + travel.
Why EasyStagecraft, not a generalist

A theatre person who happens to do compliance.

He was actually there

20+ years focusing lights from FOH, rigging fly systems and running counterweight rails. Generalists guess; Daniel has done the job.

Licensed to say it

Multiple WorkSafe high-risk work licences — rigging, scaffold, crane, forklift, EWP — plus access to a working theatre for bench testing. Credibility a Word-doc consultant can't match.

Tools, not just paper

Every engagement comes with EasyRisk so your compliance stays live after the report — it doesn't die in a drawer.

How it works

From first call to report in under two weeks.

Discovery callA free 15-minute call to scope your venue and answer the liability question.
Quote in 48 hoursA fixed quote against a one-page site brief. No surprises.
On-site auditHalf to full day on site. 50% on booking, 50% on delivery.
Report + follow-upYour written report, action plan, and a follow-up call two weeks later.
For architects & design teams

Designing a theatre? Catch the errors before the concrete.

Before the audit and the compliance retainer, there's a cheaper conversation: a theatre-practitioner review of your drawings before you build. FOH lighting that can't clear the ceiling, a fly tower too short to hide scenery, a get-in door the truss won't fit through — cheap to fix on paper, a demolition invoice once built.

See the design-review service →

When did your fly system last get a formal written inspection?

If you can't answer that, you're already non-compliant — and it's a quick, inexpensive fix. Book a free 15-minute discovery call and find out exactly where your venue stands.

Book a discovery call