Keeping safety simple

Safety is a vital consideration at any event, big or small – but one that isn’t always at the forefront of a planner’s mind when dreaming up some exciting hi-tech interactive display or festival extravaganza.

By law, event organisers have a duty of care to the people attending and the staff involved. So, whatever the size of the event, you need to identify any potential hazards and take the necessary steps to protect those taking part.

Rather than becoming a tedious checklist or a bureaucratic nightmare, you just need to apply some common sense while planning ahead in case anything goes awry. Here are some pointers to help you keep everyone safe at your next event.

Venue

When deciding on the venue, ensure:

it is the right size to safely accommodate the number of expected participants
there is sufficient access for individuals and vehicles, as well as enough emergency exits
it includes appropriate facilities for your particular audience, such as disabled toilets
the site is served by the necessary infrastructure, including public transport links and proximity to supporting services
environmental hazards such as overhead power lines or underground pipes won’t be damaged by any of your equipment or installations
you provide a detailed site plan to all staff, contractors and suppliers working on the event.

Risk

Carry out a risk assessment, identifying anything that might pose a potential risk to people’s safety – your staff, contractors, attendees and the general public – rating the level of risk from low to high. Then, working closely with your suppliers, agree how each risk will be managed and reduced.

Risks could include:

Crowd management. Consider the potential for overcrowding and crushing or rowdiness and aggressive behaviour.
People might trip over cables or guy ropes, or come into contact with generators or other electrical equipment.
Health issues. Assess the risk of anyone getting injured by taking part in the various activities at your event.
Think about what might happen in the event of particularly hot, cold, wet or windy weather – such as slippery ground, unstable structures or over-heating equipment.
Take into account where people might smoke, how an electrical fire might break out and if there are fire extinguishers on-site.
Look at the chances of people being burned by cookers, hot water dispensers or food and drink containers.
If children are involved in an event, check whether staff need to be DBS checked and have plans in place if a youngster gets lost.
Environmental impact. Assess what effect your event might have on the site – could it damage the ground, leave rubbish behind or cause pollution from spillages?

Plan

It is important to draw up contingency plans in case of emergencies, which could range from gale force winds to fire, a gas explosion to stage collapse.

Emergency plans should cover:

raising the alarm and informing the public
immediate on-site emergency response
alerting and liaising with emergency services
managing crowds
evacuation to a place of safety, taking into account the demographic of your attendees – for instance, children or people with mobility issues
managing traffic, including access for emergency vehicles and public traffic leaving the site
first aid

Once you have your emergency procedures in place, allocate clear roles for the various responsibilities. Then make sure to share your plans with all the necessary partners and staff, so everyone knows what to do if the worst happens. This includes the venue management and, for larger events, local emergency services.

Test

Test your emergency plan with a table-top exercise, where you and various team members discuss in detail your response to different scenarios and assess how effective they would be. Of course all communications systems, including two-way radios and public announcement systems, must also be tested before the event.