San Francisco Opera fined

San Francisco Opera has been slapped with a $70,000 fine by the California Occupational Safety and Health Administration after a June 27 accident in which stagehand Francis Kenny, 43, suffered a broken leg and head trauma after falling 22 feet from a hydraulic lift while removing scenery.

Cal-OSHA has cited the opera for allegedly knowing it was improperly using the lift when it tipped over, causing Kenny to crash to the floor. The organization charges that the opera committed a “willful serious violation” by taking off two of the lift’s four stabilizing “outriggers,” or legs, to fit into a tight space.

Though the opera’s technical director, Peter Markle, was unavailable for comment Monday, but told the San Francisco Chronicle that “since the day of the accident, the Opera has been working very closely with Cal-OSHA and will continue to do so.” He also declared that the opera provides an environment that is “as safe as other theaters’ ” for its workers. An opera spokeswoman said that the company took the accident extremely seriously and hired a safety consultant after the mishap.

Kenny is recuperating at home and plans to return to work after rehabilitation.