EIM NC II key terms

The agreed set of channels, formats, and escalation steps a team uses to share information, such as logbooks, radio call signs, and shift handover briefings, so messages reach the right person without confusion.

A structured briefing at the end of a shift where outgoing crew pass on task status, unfinished work, safety concerns, and equipment faults to the incoming team, usually recorded in writing as well as spoken.

The defined chain of people to notify when a problem exceeds a worker's authority or skill, listing who is contacted first, what information to give, and how quickly a response is expected.

A written instruction from a client or supervisor describing the work to be done, including site, schedule, equipment needed, and special requirements, used as the basis for planning and confirming completion.

Concentrating fully on a speaker, noting key facts, and confirming understanding by repeating back or asking clarifying questions, which reduces errors when instructions are given in noisy event environments.

The documented allocation of duties such as rigger, spotlight operator, audio mixer, and stagehand to specific crew members, making clear who reports to whom and who covers each position during breaks.

The scheduled moment a crew member must arrive on site and report ready for work, set by the production schedule so that setup, briefing, and safety checks finish before doors open.

Specific, behaviour-focused comments offered to a teammate to improve performance, delivered privately and respectfully, and paired with a practical suggestion rather than blame.

A step-by-step approach to settling disagreements between crew members by hearing each side, identifying the real issue, agreeing on a solution, and recording the outcome for follow-up.

The standards of honesty, confidentiality, and fair dealing expected of a technician, including refusing bribes, protecting client information, and declaring conflicts of interest.

A company's written rules on acceptable behaviour at work and on client sites, covering attendance, uniform, substance policy, respectful treatment of others, and consequences for breaches.

The duty not to disclose a client's event plans, guest lists, pricing, or technical designs to outsiders, and to share such details internally only with people who need them to do their job.

A personal document listing the skills, certifications, and experience a technician intends to gain over a set period, with target dates and the training or mentoring needed to reach them.

A formal review comparing a worker's demonstrated skills against the requirements of a qualification level or job role, often using observation checklists, portfolios, and written or practical tests.

The process of spotting anything on site that could cause harm, such as loose cables, unstable truss, or excessive noise, before work begins and again whenever conditions change.

A written evaluation that rates each identified hazard by how likely and how severe the harm would be, then records the controls chosen and the person responsible for applying them.

The ranked order of ways to reduce risk, from most to least effective: eliminate the hazard, substitute it, engineer it out, change work practices, and finally rely on personal protective equipment.

Wearable gear such as hard hats, safety shoes, gloves, harnesses, and hearing protection issued to a worker to reduce exposure to hazards that cannot be removed by other controls.

A safety procedure in which a power source is switched off, physically locked, and marked with a warning tag so equipment cannot be re-energised while someone is working on it.

A factual record completed after an accident, near miss, or equipment failure, stating what happened, who was involved, immediate actions taken, and what should change to prevent recurrence.

An agreed benchmark for how work should be performed and checked, such as cable dressing neatness, audio clarity targets, or lighting focus accuracy, against which output is inspected and accepted.

A planned check of completed or in-progress work against the quality standard, using a checklist to record pass or fail results and any corrective action required before sign-off.

The habit of reviewing how each job went, collecting crew and client feedback, and adjusting procedures so the same faults are not repeated on the next event.

A running list of minor defects or incomplete items found near the end of a setup, assigned to named crew with deadlines, and cleared one by one before the client accepts the job.

A fixed pattern for naming digital files, such as project-date-asset-version, so that show files, audio sessions, and lighting cues can be found and identified quickly by any technician.

A duplicate of important data, such as console show files or audio sessions, stored on a separate drive or location so work can be restored if the original is lost or corrupted.

A common plug-and-play interface used to connect control surfaces, storage drives, and interfaces to a computer, with different connector shapes and speed ratings that must match the port.

Software that lets the operating system communicate with a piece of hardware such as a lighting interface or audio card, and which must match the hardware and operating system version.

A modular aluminium framework of chords and cross-bracing used to hang luminaires, speakers, and scenery above a stage, rated for a stated load that must never be exceeded.

The maximum mass a truss, hoist, clamp, or fixing point is certified to carry in normal use, calculated with a safety factor and reduced when loads are dynamic or unevenly distributed.

A drawing and schedule showing where trusses, hoists, and fixtures are positioned, their weights, and the attachment points, used to confirm the structure can take the intended load.

A digital control standard that sends up to 512 channel levels per universe over a shielded twisted-pair cable, used to drive dimmers, LED fixtures, and moving lights from a console.

The starting channel number assigned to a fixture within a DMX universe, which must match the console patch so the correct control channels operate that fixture.

A resistor fitted at the end of a DMX line to absorb signal reflections that would otherwise cause flickering or erratic fixture behaviour on long or branched runs.

The planned setting of levels through an audio chain, from microphone preamp to mixer output and amplifier, so signal stays above noise but below clipping at every stage.

The path an audio or video signal takes from source through processing and mixing to amplification and output, which a technician traces to locate faults and set correct levels.

A howling or ringing sound caused when amplified audio from a speaker re-enters a live microphone and is re-amplified, controlled by microphone placement, equalisation, and sensible gain.

The documented mapping of physical inputs and outputs to console channels or control addresses, kept as a written or digital list so any technician can trace and change connections.

The scheduled phase when equipment is unloaded, moved to position, and assembled on site, carried out to a plan that sequences heavy items first and keeps access routes clear.

The phase after an event when equipment is dismantled, packed, checked against the inventory, and loaded for transport, with damage reported and cables coiled and labelled correctly.

Scheduled servicing of equipment, such as cleaning fans, checking connectors, testing cables, and updating firmware, performed before faults occur to extend equipment life and avoid show failures.

Installing manufacturer-supplied software into a device's internal memory to fix faults or add features, done only with the correct file version and after saving current settings.

The saved configuration of a lighting or audio console containing all cues, patches, and settings for a production, which must be backed up and labelled before every show.