IOSHA, Stagehands Negotiate

State lawyers and a local stagehands union are negotiating an agreement to turn over documents related to the fatal stage collapse at the Indiana State Fair Aug. 13.

Reps for the Indiana Occupational Safety and Health Administration and the International Alliance of Theatrical Stage Employees Local 30 went before a judge Oct. 19 regarding IOSHA’s search warrant requesting apprenticeship training records, disciplinary records and other documents for the stagehands involved in erecting the scaffolding the day of the accident, according to the Indianpolis Star.

Union lawyer William Groth told the paper he’s willing to cooperate. At issue is whether IOSHA, which investigates workplace accidents, has jurisdiction to search the union hall. The union maintains the stagehands were employed by the State Fair Commission and the safety agency’s focus should be there.

“We are trying to resolve this in a non-adversarial way,” Groth told the paper. “We want to cooperate. We just think a search warrant is the nuclear option.”

Indiana State Department of Labor spokeswoman Chetrice Mosely told the Star that both parties are working to resolve the dispute.

Marion Superior Court Judge David Shaheed extended a stay of the search warrant until Nov. 3, according to the Star.

Seven people were killed and more that 40 injured Aug. 13 when high winds roared through the Hoosier Lottery Grandstand causing the stage scaffolding to collapse into the crowd just as Sugarland was to take the stage.

Stagehand Nathan Byrd was among the fatalities, and about nine other union members were injured, the paper said.

Meanwhile, more than 50 tort claims, or notices of intention to sue, have been filed by victims and victims’ estates to seek class-action status for the filing by a Nov. 1 deadline.