Staging

Staging particularly for use in group photography comprises spaced support assemblies 1, 2. Each support assembly comprises a rearwardly inclined truss member 3, 4 supported by a respective pair of legs 5, 6 arranged in an inverted-V configuration. Each truss carries a series of support brackets 14 to which decking members 15 are connected for pivotal movement in vertical and horizontal planes enabling the support assemblies to adopt different attitudes. The feet of the legs 5, 6 and the lower ends of the trusses swivellably stand on ground plates 13. The lower ends of the legs 5, 6 are pivotally coupled to a bracing bar 9 and their upper ends are pivoted together enabling the legs to be adjusted in length for coarse levelling of the support assemblies. A tie rod 11 joins the bracing bar 9 to the lower end of the respective truss 3, 4. The upper ends of the legs are releasably coupled to the respective truss, and extension sections 3a, 4a are provided for connection to the upper ends of the trusses to support further decking members.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 
1. Field of the Invention 
This invention is concerned with staging of the comprising a plurality of 
decking members arranged in a stepped configuration for supporting a group 
of people. The present staging has specifically been developed for use in 
group photography, although the staging may also be used in other 
situations where it is necessary to support a standing group of people, 
e.g. at a show or game. Some aspects of the invention are also applicable 
to staging for use in audience seating. 
2. Description of the Prior Art 
Existing staging structures for use in group photography are heavy and 
bulky to transport and are slow and difficult to erect, particularly on 
uneven or sloping ground. For example, in one such structure each decking 
member is supported by two or more timber trestles which must each be 
individually erected and levelled. In other existing photographic staging 
the decking members are supported by a scaffolding arrangement comprising 
numerous bars, clamps and other components which must all be connected 
together. That structure also has many individually adjustable feet which 
must all be correctly adjusted to avoid undesirable stresses being 
produced in the structure. There is also a large timber structure in 
commercial use which requires a team of erectors and a fleet of about 
seven lorries to transport it. 
Generally speaking, all of the existing photographic staging discussed 
above has a large number of feet that must all be individually levelled. 
Apart from being extremely time consuming, failure to perform this task 
correctly may result in instability of the structure and/or undesirable 
stresses in the structure, both of which may increase the risk of 
structural failure when fully loaded. 
U.S. Pat. No. 1,839,679 discloses a staging structure for use in audience 
seating in which the decking members are supported by spaced rearwardly 
inclined trusses. Each truss is in turn supported by spaced pairs of props 
or legs arranged in an inverted-V configuration. The lower ends of the 
legs are joined by common bracing bars running parallel to the decking 
members, and a single tie bar lying below each truss connects the bracing 
bars to the bottom of the respective truss. This earlier staging is 
therefore a relatively rigid form of construction and consequently great 
care must be taken to ensure that each of the feet is individually 
levelled. 
BRIEF SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
An important consideration in the design of the present staging has been to 
provide a form of staging which can be erected quickly and easily by a 
minimum number of personnel. This consideration applies equally whether 
the staging has a relatively small number of decking rows, say four or 
five, or whether the number of rows is increased to around ten or more. 
It is very important to appreciate that for staging to be suitable for use 
in group photography the decking members must be stepped at a relatively 
steep angle compared with staging for audience seating, where the angle is 
typically between 20 and 27 degrees. This presents particular problems in 
erecting the staging, especially if the staging has a large number of rows 
so that the height of the staging could easily exceed ten feet. Thus, a 
form of staging which is suitable for audience seating may not necessarily 
be suitable for adaptation to photographic staging. 
According to a first aspect the present invention provides staging for 
supporting a standing group of people, comprising a plurality of 
transversely spaced trusses, support means for supporting the trusses at 
rearward inclinations of greater than 30 degrees to horizontal, and a 
plurality of decking members bridging the trusses in a stepped 
configuration. 
The concept of supporting the decking members from common spaced main 
structural members in the form of inclined trusses has given rise to a 
design of staging which is simple to erect since the trusses can, for 
example, be laid in their correct positions on the ground and then raised 
to the inclined position. 
The trusses are preferably inclined at an angle of more than 40 degrees and 
less than 50 degrees, 45 degrees being the optimum angle within an 
acceptable tolerance band of 42 to 47 degrees. Below 42 degrees the heads 
of people will tend to become obscured by the people in front, or the 
number of rows will be reduced. Above 47 degrees the steepness of the 
staging has been found to have an alarming psychological effect on the 
users, and the available space between the rows is reduced. 
Preferably a plurality of decking members are connected together in 
end-to-end relation for relative pivotal movement in a substantially 
horizontal plane whereby the staging can be curved into an arc. Such an 
arrangement is particularly useful in group photography enabling all the 
subjects to be equidistant from the camera. 
A second aspect of the invention concerns the problem of arranging the 
staging to stand firmly on uneven or sloping ground. The proposed solution 
to this problem is equally applicable to standing and seated group 
staging. 
According to a third aspect the invention provides staging comprising a 
pair of mutually spaced support assemblies, each support assembly 
comprising a truss and a pair of legs arranged in an inverted-V 
configuration to support the truss with a rearward inclination, and a 
plurality of decking members bridging the trusses in a stepped 
configuration, the decking members being connected to each truss by a 
flexible joint whereby the support assemblies are able to adopt mutually 
different attitudes. 
This solution takes advantage of the fact that a tripod structure will 
always stand firmly on uneven ground. Thus, although some coarse levelling 
adjustment of each support structure may be desirable, the work of 
levelling is greatly reduced. This basic structure can be used to provide 
a lightweight easily erectable staging up to about five rows of decking. 
Furthermore, as will be explained below, the structure can be extended to 
provide up to ten or eleven rows whilst still retaining the important 
features of ease of assembly and stability. 
The flexible joints are most importantly arranged to permit pivotal 
movement of the decking members in a vertical plane although some movement 
in a horizontal plane is also desirable from the point of view of creating 
a stable structure. Both planes of movement may be achieved by separate 
joints although they are preferably provided by one and the same joint. 
The decking members are preferably releasably connected to the trusses for 
ease of erection and dismounting. 
The legs and the front ends of the trusses preferably all stand on 
swivellable ground plates. 
Preferably at least one of the rear legs associated with each truss is of 
adjustable length. Adjustment of one, or preferably both of the rear legs 
allows rapid coarse levelling of each support structure on uneven ground. 
Each pair of legs is preferably bridged at their lower end by a brace. 
Each brace is preferably connected to the front end of the respective 
truss by a tie element. The legs are preferably pivotally coupled to the 
bracing bars and the legs of each pair are preferably pivoted together at 
their upper ends, where they are preferably releasably connected to the 
respective truss. 
In a further aspect the invention is addressed to the possibility of adding 
further decking members. In the existing staging based on trestles this is 
a major task requiring the erection of further trestles and decking 
members. In group photography of between say 100 and 1000 people it is 
desirable to optimize the height of the group in order to make optimum use 
of the available space in the final prints, thereby permitting the face 
size of each individual to be increased. This requirement is also relevant 
to seated group staging. 
According to another aspect the invention provides staging comprising a 
plurality of transversely spaced trusses, support means for supporting the 
trusses at rearward inclinations, each truss comprising a plurality of 
interconnectable sections, and a plurality of decking members bridging the 
trusses in a stepped configuration, the arrangement being such that all 
the corresponding sections of the trusses are bridged by at least one 
decking member.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION 
The basic four deck staging section shown in FIG. 1 comprises two spaced 
support assemblies 1, 2. Each assembly includes a box section truss 3, 4 
which is rearwardly inclined at an angle of about 45 degrees to horizontal 
and is supported by two forwardly inclined rear legs 5, 6 arranged in an 
inverted-V configuration, thereby forming a tripod structure. Each pair of 
rear legs are joined at their lower ends by a brace 9, and a tie rod 11 
connects the lower end of the respective truss 3 or 4 to the mid-region of 
the respective brace 9. The lower ends of the trusses 3, 4 and rear legs 
5, 6 are all seated on ground plates 13 to increase their bearing area and 
prevent them from sinking into soft ground. The front upper faces of the 
trusses 3, 4 carry a series of spaced V-shaped brackets 14 for supporting 
four substantially horizontal decking members 15 which bridge the support 
assemblies 1, 2. 
As shown in more detail in FIGS. 2 and 3, each of the rear legs 5, 6 
comprises an upper tubular section 17 within which is slidably inserted a 
lower section 18 enabling the length of the legs to be adjusted. The upper 
section contains a series of holes 19 enabling a locking pin 20 to be 
inserted through any one of the holes and through a corresponding hole 
(not shown) in the lower section to fix the leg at a particular length. 
The length of the legs can thus be independently adjusted on either side 
of a nominal position in which the truss is inclined at the desired 45 
degree angle with the staging on level ground. FIG. 3 shows the legs at 
their minimum length and FIG. 2 shows them in an extended position. At 
their lower ends the legs are pivoted to the brace 9 by a releasable 
connection 21. The tie rod 11 is similarly releasably pivoted to the brace 
9, but is non-releasably pivoted at 22 to the lower end of the respective 
truss 3 or 4 such that the rod can be stowed beneath the truss held by a 
clip 23. 
Towards their upper ends each pair of rear legs are secured to a pair of 
L-shaped members 25 which are pivoted together at 24 FIGS. 3 and 4) to 
form a U-shaped head. The inner faces of the L-members are provided with 
opposed upwardly open sockets 26. A pin 27 which is received in a hole 28 
in the respective truss (see below) can therefore be dropped into the 
opposed sockets and retained therein by catches 29 which are pivotally 
mounted on the upper faces of the jaws 25 by nut and bolt fasteners 30 
carrying dish washers 30a. 
The trusses 3, 4 and legs 5 and 6 all have part-spherical feet 80 (FIG. 2) 
which in use are swivellably seated in a socket formed by a hole 81 in the 
corresponding ground plate 13. Thus, on uneven ground the ground plates 
can be inclined at different attitudes but the feet will still firmly seat 
within the sockets 81. The plates 13 are provided with upstanding wire 
loop handles 82 at one edge by which the plates can be slid under the feet 
80. 
It will be noted from the side view of FIG. 2 that the decking members 15 
are arranged in a step configuration, each member being higher than the 
one immediately in front. Furthermore, the vertical rise between the upper 
surfaces of the decking members is substantially equal to their width 
(front to rear distance). It will also be noted that the rear edge of one 
decking member does not overlap the front edge of the decking member 
immediately above it. This allows an upstanding photographic baffle to be 
attached to the rear edge of each decking member without running foul of 
the decking member immediately above. 
In FIGS. 1 and 2 the basic four deck staging section thus far described has 
been extended upwardly to convert it into a six deck section. The trusses 
3, 4 are provided with axial spigots 85 (see FIG. 2 and detail of FIG. 5) 
to receive box-section truss extension pieces 3a, 4a. These extension 
pieces have open lower ends forming sockets 86 to receive the spigots 85. 
The holes 28 that receive the pins 27 are formed in the lower ends of 
these spigots 85. The pins 27 have ball catches 87 which are loaded by 
compression springs 88 to locate in co-operating grooves inside the holes 
28, thereby retaining the pins within the holes. The lower ends of the 
extension pieces are notched at 89 (FIG. 2) to receive the pins 27. The 
spigots 85 also contain spring loaded plungers 90, the outer ends of which 
locate in corresponding holes 91 in the sockets 86 to retain the extension 
pieces on the spigots. Although the spigots are formed of a solid block of 
alloy for strength they each have a slotshaped cutout 92 to reduce their 
weight. 
The upper front faces of the truss extension pieces 3a, 4a each carry two 
further V-brackets 14a, 14b and 14c, 14d respectively, (FIG. 1) for 
supporting two further decking members 15a, 15b. As shown in FIG. 2, at 
their upper ends the extension pieces 3a, 4a may have internal apertured 
plates 95 so that a post 96 can be inserted through the open end of the 
extension piece, through plate 95 and through a corresponding aperture 97 
in the lower rear face of the extension piece. These posts support one or 
more transverse rear guard rails 98. 
FIG. 6 shows how the basic four row section can be extended by a further 
four rows and the two row extension section added to make a total of ten 
rows. The four row extension section also comprises a pair of truss 
extension pieces 3b, 4b, again provided with sockets at their lower ends 
to receive the spigots 85. However, these extension pieces also carry 
similar spigots (not shown) at their upper ends to which further extension 
pieces can be added. Extension pieces 3b, 4b each carry four V-brackets 
14e-h and 14i-l respectively to which the four additional decking members 
15c-f can be secured. An additional pair of rear legs 5a, 6a is added to 
the upper end of each extension piece 3b, 4b in the manner previously 
described in relation to legs 5, 6. These additional rear legs are of the 
same basic structure as legs 5, 6 except that they are of course longer. 
They are again seated on ground plates 13 and each pair of legs is bridged 
at their lower ends by a removable brace 9a. A tie rod 11a releasably 
connects the mid point of the brace 9a to the mid point of brace 9. The 
two row extension section of FIGS. 1 and 2 is added to this four row 
extension, as shown. Further four row extension sections could also be 
added as required, in similar manner. The various sections could of course 
carry decking members other than the number specified. For example, the 
basic section could have say three or five rows, and the intermediate 
extension sections could have say two, three or five rows. The uppermost, 
unsupported extension section could have from one to three rows. 
As will shortly be described, each decking member is flexibly connected to 
the respective truss or extension piece for pivotal movement in both 
vertical and horizontal planes. This ensures that the staging will stand 
firmly on the ground even if the two support assemblies are inclined at 
slightly different attitudes. In addition, the basic four row staging 
section, together with any upper extension sections, can be extended 
laterally as shown in FIG. 7. Further decking members are added to each of 
the support assemblies 1, 2 and these are connected to further support 
assemblies 101-104 of the kind described. In the case of photographic 
staging in particular, it will often be desirable to curve the staging 
into an arc as illustrated in FIG. 7. It will be noted that the central 
decking members added between support assemblies 2 and 102 are shorter 
than the rest. A further staging section comprising support assembly 103 
is then added to this central section having standard length decking 
members. The articulation of the decking members in the horizontal plane 
permits support assemblies 1 and 103 to be set forward relative to support 
assemblies 2 and 102, as shown, to form an arc. Although further standard 
sections could also be added to extend the arc in similar manner, it is 
preferred to use special end sections. These comprise standard support 
assemblies 101 and 104 but have decking members which progressively 
decrease in length towards the front of the staging as shown. The end 
support assemblies 101 and 104 are thereby radially angled towards the 
camera to produce the correct visual effect. 
One way in which the decking members can be connected to the trusses will 
now be described in detail with reference to FIGS. 8 and 9. A horizontal 
upper limb 31 of each V-bracket 14 carries an upstanding headed pin 32 
about half way along its length. The pin is screw threaded into the limb 
31 and is held by a washer 33 and lock nut 34 threaded onto its lower end. 
At one end, each standard decking member 15" has a stepped upper surface 
to form a tongue 35 of lesser thickness than the main portion of the 
decking member. This tongue contains a longitudinally extending closed 
slot 36 to drop over the pin 32. It will be noted that the upper surface 
of the limb 31 has a convex curvature in transverse section to accommodate 
angular movement of the decking member in a vertical plane relative to the 
bracket 14. The decking member is also free to move angularly in a 
horizontal plane about the pin 32. 
The opposite end of each standard decking member 15' has a cranked end 
portion 38 providing a stepped undersurface such that the end of decking 
member 15' can overlap the opposite end of decking member 15" with their 
upper faces lying on a common plane. More specifically, the end portion 38 
comprises a flat portion 39 extending from the main body of the decking 
member and leading into a downwardly inclined portion 40 which in turn 
leads into a further generally horizontal portion 41. A longitudinal slot 
43 is formed in the lower portion 41 and is open at one end to receive the 
stem of pin 32. However, the decking member cannot lift off the pin 
because the head is unable to pass through the slot. The lower face of 
portion 41 is convexly curved so that decking member 15' is also able to 
move angularly in both a vertical and a horizontal plane about the pin 32 
independently of decking member 15". 
Each decking member is hollow and has a steel cable 45 running 
longitudinally within it. One end of the cable is anchored adjacent to 
flange 35 whereas the opposite end passes through a guide pillar 46 and 
travels within a sheath 47 through an aperture 48 until it lies above the 
cranked portion 38. As can be seen in FIG. 9, a catch 51 formed of a 
G-shaped stamping is mounted horizontally above the cranked portion 38 and 
is pivoted to the upper portion 39 at 52. The cable 45 is anchored to a 
longer limb 53 of the stamping which extends longitudinally to one side of 
the pivot 52. As shown in FIG. 8, this limb is cranked in a vertical plane 
such that a nose portion 54 having a rounded outer edge 55 intervenes 
between the pin 32 and the open end of slot 43. A further, shorter limb 56 
of the stamping extends longitudinally at the opposite side of the pin 32 
and is connected to a tension spring 57 which is anchored at 58 to 
inclined portion 40. Thus, the spring 57 urges the catch into such a 
position that the nose 54 prevents the pin 32 from leaving the slot 43, 
but by pulling the cable 45 the catch can be pivoted in a clockwise 
direction (as viewed in FIG. 9) so that the nose no longer holds the pin 
captive. On the other hand, the rounded edge 55 of the nose allows the pin 
to be inserted into the slot by displacing the catch against the action of 
spring 57. 
FIGS. 10 and 11 show an alternative, somewhat simplified connection between 
two decking members and the bracket 14. The left hand decking member 15" 
again has a projecting tongue 35 at one end containing a longitudinally 
extending slot 36 to receive the pin 32. However, this slot is extended 
through the end wall 225 of the decking member at 36'. The other decking 
member 15' has a further tongue 226 which projects from the mid-thickness 
of its end wall 227 to overlap with tongue 35. The upper surface of this 
tongue is flat but the undersurface 228 is convexly curved longitudinally 
of the deck to permit independent vertical pivotal movement of both 
decking members. The decking members can also pivot independently about 
the pin 32 in the horizontal plane. The tongue 226 contains a longitudinal 
slot 229 which is open at the free end of the tongue to receive pin 32, 
but it is too narrow for the head of the pin to pass through. A catch 
plate 230 is mounted on the upper surface of the tongue 226 and this will 
now be described in detail. 
The plate 230 contains two spaced slots 231 disposed transversely of the 
deck through which a respective headed bolt 232 is inserted into the 
tongue 226 to secure the plate in place but at the same time permit 
sliding movement of the plate transversely of the deck. The plate is urged 
to the left by a compression spring 234 located in a transverse slot 235 
in tongue 226, bearing againt the right hand end of the slot and against 
an abutment 236 rigid with plate 230. The plate has a cutout 237 which 
lies above slot 229 and comprises a nose 238 which locates behind the pin. 
However, the outer edge 240 of the nose is inclined so that as the pin 32 
enters the slot the plate is urged to the right. The plate then returns 
under the action of spring 234 to prevent the pin 32 from leaving the slot 
229. To disconnect the deck from the bracket 14 the plate is slid to the 
right, the ends of the plate being upturned at 241 for gripping. The deck 
can then be slid off the pin, and since each standard deck has a tongue 35 
at its opposite end the elongated slot 36 enables the deck to be removed 
in one smooth sliding and lifting action. 
The fishplate 242 projecting from the end of deck 15' above plate 230 
protects the catch plate from being trodden on. 
The coupling arrangement of FIGS. 12 and 13 is even more simplified and has 
been developed specifically for use with smaller staging. Here, the 
horizontal upper limb of the decking support bracket is shown as a round 
tube 14' which carries pin 32. Decking member 15" again has a projecting 
tongue 35 at one end containing an aperture 36 to receive the pin 32. The 
other decking member 15' has a hollow tongue 245 which projects from the 
upper edge of the deck to overlap with tongue 35. An elongate spacer 246 
of curved section is located on the pin 32 between the overlapping tongues 
35 and 245 to aid the independent vertical pivotal movement of both 
decking members. The decking members can also pivot independently about 
the pin 32 in the horizontal plane. The lower wall of tongue 245 contains 
a keyhole shaped slot 247 comprising a first portion 247a through which 
the head of the pin 32 can pass, and a narrower portion 247b into which 
the stem of the pin can pass but not the head. This second portion extends 
towards the free end of the tongue 245. Thus, after dropping the decking 
member onto the pin the decking member is locked thereto by sliding the 
decking member to the right so that the stem of the pin enters the 
narrower portion of the aperture 247b. Alternatively the entire truss 
assembly can be pulled slightly to the left as shown. In the case of 
curved staging the movement of the support assemblies towards the curved 
position will automatically cause the pin to enter the narrower portion of 
the aperture. The decking members are removed by the reverse process. 
In addition to being of shorter length, the decking members of the central 
staging section shown in FIG. 7 also differ from the standard members in 
that they each have a lower tongue 35 at both ends. 
FIGS. 14 to 16 show how the end decking members can be connected to the 
outermost support assemblies 101, 104. The support brackets 14 are again 
provided with headed pins 32 but the lower portion of the end decking 
member 15 is stepped at its end to form an upper tongue 110. 
This terminates in a transverse box member 111 which contains a hole 112 in 
its lower face to receive the pin 32. Thus, the decking member is again 
capable of articulation in a vertical and a horizontal plane. As shown in 
FIGS. 15 and 16, a knob 113 is secured to a spindle 114 which extends in a 
freely rotatable manner through the box member 111 adjacent to the hole 
112. The underside of the spindle has a flat to which is secured a catch 
plate 115 by screws 116. When the decking member is lowered onto the pin 
32 the head of the pin lifts the plate and freely enters the hole 112, a 
slot 117 in the lower wall of box member 111 ensuring that the plate 115 
clears that wall. The plate thereafter returns under its own weight to a 
horizontal position in which it partially overlies the hole 112 and 
prevents the head of the pin from leaving the hole. When it is required to 
dismantle the staging the plate is rotated by the knob 113 to the position 
shown in broken outline in FIG. 16 and the pin is thus free to leave the 
hole 112. 
The decking members may be lightweight metal extrusions. FIG. 17 shows how 
a decking member can be formed of two identical extruded lengths 250, 251. 
Each extrusion comprises a rectangular box portion 252, the two wider 
faces of which are extended to one side forming a pair of parallel arms 
253, 254. The outer edge of one arm 253 is stepped inwardly at 255 forming 
a flange portion 256. This flange overlaps with the edge 257 of the other 
arm and abuts a rib 258 provided on its inner surface. The pairs of 
overlapping edge portions 256, 257 are fastened together by rivets 259. 
FIG. 18 shows how an additional lower decking member that can be provided 
for each staging section. Each truss is associated with an upstanding 
pedestal 120 which carries a top plate 121 having a hole 122 to receive 
the foot 80 of the truss. A locating peg 123 enters a corresponding hole 
in the lower end of the truss. The pedestal is mounted on a base plate 124 
which is slidably received between inverted-L shaped guides 125 mounted on 
a ground plate 13. The ground plate again has an upstanding handle 82 at 
one edge. The front of the pedestal carries lugs 128 which are pivotally 
connected at 129 to a depending limb 130 of a support member 131 for a 
further decking member 132. The front of support member 131 has a 
depending spigot 133 which is received within a tubular leg 134 upstanding 
from a respective foot plate 135. A locking pin 136 can be inserted 
through leg 134 and spigot 133 to determine the distance between the foot 
plate 135 and decking member 132. Spigot 133 and limb 130 both have 
vertically spaced holes providing a choice of heights for the decking 
member. The additional decking member 132 is pivotally connected to 
support member 131 by a similar arrangement to that described above for 
decking members 15. The pivotal connection 129 ensures that the decking 
member 132 remains stable on uneven ground. 
All the major structural components of the staging are of aluminum alloy to 
reduce its weight to a minimum. 
The staging may be assembled by opening each pair of rear legs flat on the 
ground and connecting the braces 9. Each truss is then laid on the ground 
with its top portion between the feet of the respective legs, and the tie 
rods 11 are connected to the braces 9. The top end of each truss is than 
lifted, the rear legs are raised to an upright position, and the pin 27 is 
dropped into the sockets 26. The tripod arrangement of each truss and its 
associated support legs ensures that the truss assembly will always stand 
firmly on uneven ground such as a sports field for example. If required 
the rear legs can be adjusted in length to bring the respective truss to 
the required inclination, the pivotal connections 21 between the legs 5, 6 
and the braces 9 and the pivotal connection 24 at the upper ends of the 
legs enabling this adjustment to take place. It will be noted that the 
holes 19 only permit relatively coarse adjustment but this is of no real 
consequence because of the flexible coupling between the decking members 
and the trusses already described. In fact adjustment of the legs may only 
be essential on extremely uneven ground as small undulations can easily be 
accommodated by the deck joints. The decking members are then connected to 
the trusses as described. 
If the two row extension illustrated in FIGS. 1 and 2 is to be added the 
additional truss extension pieces 3a, 4a are dropped onto the spigots 85 
either by climbing up the existing decking or simply from standing on the 
ground. The additional decking members can then be carried up the decking 
members of the lower section for attachment. The rear guard rail assembly 
is then dropped into position by access from the decking. 
If a four row extension is to be added instead of the two row section the 
additional rear legs 5a, 6a are first attached in a similar manner to that 
in which the legs of the base section are added. After attachment of their 
respective brace 9a to the respective tie rod 11a, which is in turn 
connected to the brace 9 of the bottom section, the additional leg 
assembly is raised to an upright position and connected to the respective 
truss extension piece 3b, 4b. This is followed by attachment of the 
additional decking members which are carried up the decking members of the 
lower section. 
The two row extension section can be added to the four row extension 
section, as described above. Any additional extension sections are added 
in similar manner. 
The staging can be dismantled by a reverse procedure. With the upper 
decking members removed the extension pieces can be slid off the trusses 
and the remaining decking members removed. The trusses can then be lifted 
out of the sockets 26 and the trusses and the rear legs lowered to the 
ground. The tie rods 11 are then disconnected from the braces 9 and stowed 
beneath the trusses. The braces are then removed allowing the rear legs to 
be pivoted together. 
It will thus be seen that the staging is quick and simple to assemble and 
dismantle, and the ability to extend the staging sections upwardly by 
climbing up the lower sections is a great advantage. The staging is easily 
transportable in its dismantled state, and indeed, the staging is designed 
so that all of the components will fit into a standard estate car. 
The tie rods 11 could be replaced by flexible elements such as chains.