TSE Entertainment is pleased to announce the publication of the Outdoor Stage Safety Compliance Handbook, a comprehensive technical resource designed to support safer outdoor events across the United States.
Authored by Robert M. Brecht, Ph.D., Managing Partner of TSE Entertainment, this 100-page handbook provides practical, code-aware guidance for:
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Cities and counties
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Parks & Recreation departments
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Fire Marshals and Authorities Having Jurisdiction (AHJs)
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Event producers and festival organizers
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Staging vendors and production companies
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Insurance and risk-management professionals
Outdoor stages, both temporary and permanent, present unique safety challenges involving wind, weather, ballast and anchoring, rigging loads, ground conditions, and governance. Many incidents occur not because risks are unknown, but because responsibilities, thresholds, and enforcement expectations are unclear.
This handbook was created to help close those gaps.
What the handbook covers
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Outdoor stages as temporary buildings under IBC/IFC §3103
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Engineering requirements and load management
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Ballast, anchoring, and ground condition risks
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Weather Action Plans and enforceable wind thresholds
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AHJ roles, inspections, and permitting workflows
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Municipal and Parks & Recreation responsibilities
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Permanent outdoor stages (amphitheaters, bandshells, park pavilions)
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Mobile stage safety and operational limits
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Daily inspections and red flags that precede failures
Free and ungated access
The Outdoor Stage Safety Compliance Handbook is available as a free PDF and is not gated – no registration or email required.
You’re encouraged to download it, share it internally, reference it in policies or permit materials, and link to it as a public technical resource.
This handbook is intended to support, not replace, local codes and AHJ authority, and to provide a shared technical baseline for safer decision-making at outdoor events.
If you work with municipalities, inspectors, event organizers, or production partners, please feel free to forward this announcement or share the link.