Frayed straps failed when storm hit concert stage

Fatality inquiry told equipment not up to snuff

CAMROSE — Small ratchet straps contributed to the collapse of a concert stage at the Big Valley Jamboree that killed a woman in 2009, a fatality inquiry heard Wednesday.

The five-centimetre-wide straps helped secure the stage towers, but ended up snapping during a sudden windstorm, consulting engineer Travis Hagglund told the inquiry, held at Camrose provincial court. The accident killed Donna Theresa Moore, 35.

There were several problems with the straps, Hagglund said.

First, they were weak. One strap, which appeared as if it was in relatively new condition, should have been able to withstand a load of 10,000 pounds. It turned out that the strap likely failed at 9,200 pounds. Others broke under approximate loads of 7,000 and 6,400 pounds. The ratchet straps were not strong enough to hold everything together during the heavy wind.

This could have been because they were secured to stage towers in a way that reduced their effectiveness by as much as 75 per cent, he said. But it could also have been due to their age — Hagglund said some were visibly weathered and fraying.

Another problem with the straps was that being polyester, they could stretch and behave “like an elastic band,” he said.

Instead of securing the stage, they allowed it to move back and forth.

Hagglund called the stretching “a big problem” and “a contributing factor” to why the structure came down.

He recommended that a professional engineer inspect any straps before any stage is erected. Old ones should be retired.

When asked by Judge William Andreassen if there were more effective ways of securing stage parts, he said that though there are better methods, they are often more expensive and time consuming.

The festival has since improved its stage design and added stronger anchor straps. Police and festival organizers also improved their emergency response plan, which now includes a social media alert system and access to their own meteorologist.

During Hagglund’s investigation, workers laid each piece of stage equipment out on a field beside the stage in an attempt to recreate what the structure would have looked like before the storm.

He searched for damaged parts that might tell a larger story. He also scoured the Internet for photos, examined manufacturers’ documents and Alberta building codes, and sent off some parts to be further tested.