Module 7 : Health
and Safety for Events

What events planners have to watch out for How to run an event safely

About managing
health and safety during the event How to plan for emergencies

By the end of this chapter,
you will have learned:

What events planners have to watch out for

How to run an event safely

How to take care of employees
and contractors

About managing
health and safety during the event

How to plan for emergencies

7.1  : Introduction

Health and safety isn't just something
events planners choose to

focus on, it's a legal requirement.

When you don't engage in health and safety, you become criminally liable for any accidents that occur. Worrying
scenarios you might face include
being sued, being prosecuted for negligence, and losing your reputation as an events planner.

7.2  : What Must Events Planners
Watch Out For?

You have a few basic health and safety obligations as an events planner.

This
includes:

Making sure your workers are insured and safe

Keeping yourself
safe

Protecting members
of the public and their belongings

Taking care of any contractors you've hired to work at the event

7.3  : What is a Health
and Safety Policy?

It's a policy that states the procedure
of an organisation and how it will relate to health and safety.

This is a very important
thing, no matter what part of an organisation you work in, lower level, or upper management; it should be a policy that you follow strictly.
It is also a way to show that your company is dedicated to the health and safety of your workers or people who attend your events. It is usually the case that a company who has at least five employees should always have a policy for health and safety in place.

Most event planners
will have a team of people working
for them and with them. For this reason they should have a policy set forth that will be followed
by any member of their team when working

for an event. You should make sure that you are complying
with any Health and Safety at work laws that apply to your jurisdiction/country at all times.

In some cases, like music events, there is not a set employer, there will be no kind of legal requirement on the planner at this point to produce a policy for health and safety. But you will still have the responsibility in managing any contractors or other workers you may have on the site. In this case, though, while you are not required to do so, you may want to still provide a policy so that you have procedures that should be followed.

7.4  : Review Policies

Any time that you create a policy you should have it reviewed.

This will allow you to be sure it's
organised and that all arrangements for a smoothly running event will take place. A management structure
should be pointed out in detail in the policy. This will show the hierarchy of how the policies should be enforced.

If the event is taking place in a location
such as a stadium, they should liaise with the venue management to plan out the policy, or use the policy that is already in place for that particular
location.

When you want to plan an event there are key elements you must consider
to ensure health
and safety, they are:

Creating a policy that you use for safety and health.

Making sure that policy is used.

Making sure you've organised
a management team for structure
and who will make sure the policies
are followed.

Be sure the health and safety is monitored.

Reviewing along with auditing
performance of individuals involved in planning.

7.5  : How to Run an Event Safely

Planning effectively is all about prevention.

This can be done by identifying any problems that could arise and eliminate
the chances of them happening. This may take some time, so be sure you have it set aside and look through every possibility when it comes to the event and possible risks and hazards. Depending on the size of the event, this may be something you'll have to start months in advance.

Before the event begins, determine
who is going to be in charge of health and safety.

Depending on the size of your team, this could be you, or an individual who has been designated to focus on health and safety specifically.

Before making any decisions, consider:

How big the event is

The number of people in attendance

The type of audience

Where the event is being held

The time of the event and the day of the year it's being held

7.6  : Phases of Your Event

Any event that you plan can be separated
into parts as follows:

Build-up. This is where you plan the design of the venue, selecting
workers, and contractors.

Load-in. The step where you plan for any delivery and installation of items built by workers
or

any stage equipment that may be used.

Show. Planning
of crowd management, how it will be handled, any transportation that is needed,
and welfare steps, such as planning for first aid issues, fires, or something
in the risks and hazards category.

Load out. Planning to safely remove equipment and/or services you've used in the event.

Break-down. Controlling any risks that can arise once your event is completed.

Each Step is Very Important

Each step of the event is detailed
and you need to make sure you don't miss a single step. As you can tell, this is a job where you must be organised, not only to ensure the event is one that many enjoy, but also to make sure everyone involved is safe.

You need to make sure that you know the
steps of each phase of your event. A policy for health and safety is something that will help you and
workers who are helping with the planning stages of your event.

A good management team, who will ensure that everyone who is involved
is following your policy, is a must. You need to have people who will check and recheck things that could go wrong. All it takes is
for one mistake and a catastrophe could possible take place. This is not
something that any event planner wants to be associated with, and you shouldn't either.

That is why you should take this seriously, read the health and safety laws that are put out by your government, and follow them. If you are unsure of how to set up a policy, read the manual, it will help.

7.7 
: Choosing
the Right Contractors

When you hire someone who is not a usual part of
your events team, you need to make sure they're trained in the right health and safety skills.

This includes:

Making sure they're aware of potential
hazards

Asking for evidence of them being trained in health and safety procedures

Looking for evidence that they have the right resources to carry out the work you're hiring
them to do

Asking for evidence that they've worked on similar projects in the past

7.8  : Taking Care of Employees
and Contractors

Prior to the event, you need to ensure the right facilities
are in place for your employees and contractors to remain safe.

This includes toilets,
other sanitary facilities, an adequate supply of food and water, somewhere for them to rest, and first aid. You also need to ensure they have a means of evacuating the premises or arena in the event of a fire.

7.9  : Managing Health and Safety
During the Event

As an events organiser,
you have a duty to manage health and safety risks for the duration
of the event.

Some
of your basic duties include:

Making sure everyone, including the staff, are aware of hazards

Identifying risks and having appropriate health and safety measures in place to control them

Making sure employees and those in attendance are aware of the potential
safety risks threatening them

Ensuring the staff are competent enough to undertake
their roles safely

Monitoring health and safety compliance throughout
the event

Reviewing health and safety arrangements throughout
the event to ensure they're still appropriate

It is important to remember
that the nature of your health and safety management tasks will change

as the event goes on. The more people arrive, the greater the need to manage them.

One of the simplest ways to make sure health and safety is prioritised and easy is to work towards securing
staff coordination. When work is coordinated on-site,
staff is less likely to get in each other's way, which means there are less health and safety risks present.

As an events planner, you're responsible for presenting your own staff with an overview of health and safety risks. At the same time, you need to make sure the companies you hire staff from also let their staff know about potential
health and safety risks. By passing the information on to them, you're contributing towards contractor safety.

Throughout the event, monitor the risks and try to spot new ones. When the event is small – such as a wedding – you should be able to do this yourself
with a simple checklist. Larger events – such as festivals – will need a dedicated
health and safety team.

7.10 
: Ensure You Plan for Incidents
and Emergencies

Two of the key ways to plan for incidents
and emergencies are having a first aid presence on-site and introducing an evacuation plan.

Consider which emergency
procedures you might need to implement, such as how to respond in the event of a fire or a structural collapse.

If an event is large, you're probably
going to need to draw up a health and safety plan that's discussed with the local ambulance, police, and fire service.

Ideally, your emergency plan should include:

How to get people away from danger

Summoning the emergency services

Handling casualties

Liaising with emergency services

Dealing with non-injured persons

Protecting property

Your procedures should include:

Raising the alarm

Alerting the public

Evacuating

Evacuating people
with disabilities

Managing traffic

Alerting the emergency services

Controlling the incident

Offering first aid and medical assistance

7.11 
: Crowd Management & Safety for Larger Events

As an organiser
it is paramount that you do your best to ensure the safety of your attendees.

If there is a serious
incident, you may find yourself
liable if there are serious
lapses that can be considered negligent. Most developed
countries have national/federal and/or state/local laws that ascribe
the responsibility for providing safety of staff and attendees
at such events.

Often, certain aspects
of crowd safety can be passed on to venue operators and contractors. For example: doormen/bouncer/cooler, security company, stewards and specialists such a pyrotechnic companies. However, the overall responsibility will rest with the organiser.

7.12 
: What are the Dangers to be Aware Of?

There are a host of dangers, which increase in risk and potential rapidly with numbers.

They
can be categorised as follows (note - this is NOT an exhaustive list):

Risks due to volume of attendees:

Crushing between people - especially with respect to children, elderly
and pregnant women.

Trampling - When a crushing crowd moves, there is risk of people falling and being trampled
on. This increases
drastically during a panic.

Being crushed against the wall or object - This can include objects
specifically set to control the volumes, such as barriers and gates.

Silly or aggressive behavior
- Being cramped in is a sure way to increase
people's ire, it only takes a spark and a fight can ensue. In a tight confine,  this 
can  be  very 
dangerous  and  can 
cause trampling. Objects
being thrown, vandalised, climbed on, or generally tampered
with can exasperate a tentative situation
and can cause serious injury,
surging and trampling.

Temperature
and sickness - Bodies close to
each other generate heat. This can be stifling and can cause fainting and/or nausea. This is not only dangerous to the
individual who may be trampled, but can cause surging. It may also cause loved ones to become aggressive
or belligerent.

Risks presented by the venue itself

Some hazards are important in small events, but become very important
as the volume increases. Some examples are:

Wet floors - especially in toilets and on dance floors. It is not always possible
to stop spillage, best efforts should be made to mark off the area and clean it up as quickly
and efficiently as possible.

Sometimes a decision must be made, such as a leaking urinal making the male toilet floor wet, against the danger of having inadequate
toilet facilities (or cross-flow - see later). If you decide to keep the toilet open, someone needs to be assigned to try and keep the floor as dry as possible and signage put in place.

Litter, damaged
floors and carpets
- Litter needs to be removed
as quickly and efficiently as possible, otherwise
there is real risk of tripping - which may lead to trampling. Damaged floors and carpets should have been assessed before the event started and either repaired,
removed, covered or cordoned off. The venue operator is responsible for state of the building,
but you may also be liable if you allowed the event to go ahead in light of the situation. If in doubt, insist the venue fixes it beforehand - or change venues.

Poor lighting
- Mood lighting may be part of the event ambiance,
but certain areas need to be adequately lit. These are stairs, ramps, inclines, obstructions and low ceilings,
exits and toilets.
Low height lamps, or down-lights, can illuminate floor level hazards without ruining the atmosphere. LED strips can illuminate jutting
edges and low ceilings. Use barriers to cordon off ad hoc hazards such as camera tripods or beverage crates.

Vehicles - Outdoor events may include road vehicles using the same thoroughfare as attendees. It is vital that such routes are marked clearly and very low speed limits are imposed - especially so if children
are expected. If possible try and ensure all exhibitors that require their vehicle on site, arrive well before the event starts to limit the impact.

This may also include exhibit items, such as scenic railways, cart rides, disabled/elderly event transport, etc. Indoor events may have exhibitor vehicles,
or industrial vehicles
like raised platform
vehicles, motorised floor cleaners and forklifts.

Barriers - Barriers, gates/turn-styles and ropes/tapes may cause crushing,
and also may fall and cause injury. They should be used sparingly, where necessary, and their placement
should be viewed with safety in mind. If they block off a thoroughfare, then people will try to get around them, which may cause their misplacement or collapse. Where possible, barriers
should be supervised. If necessary, consider
removing them or replacing them with a more mobile alternative: such as a tape rather than a fixed hard barrier.

Exits and fire escapes
- By law, in whatever country you are in, there will be requirements that fire escapes
are kept clear, unlocked and visible/lit. They may be 
alarmed  or  they 
can  be  manned, 
if there is worry of a nefarious
use. The exits will be the responsibility of the venue, but as the organiser
to should check them before the event begins and intermittently throughout
the event - or allocate
it to a contractor. Fire extinguishable and sprinkler systems are somewhat beyond the direct remit of the organiser, however it is advisable to check with the venue that they are adequate and tests up to date.

Obstructions - The organiser should ensure beforehand that all exhibitors
know where they may and may not place items. Obstructions may cause direct injury through
tripping, impact or crushing; they may also cause a cross-flow (see next). It is imperative
that you keep on top of this and direct the exhibitors to remove any inappropriately placed object immediately. For very large events, it may be appropriate to have wardens manage the site throughout.

Cross-flow - Cross-flow is where two steams of people cross. This can be caused by inappropriate placement of exhibits
that cause queues,
such as bars. People needing
to cross a hall to get to and return from the toilets may find themselves pushing through a stationary queue of people. This causes
turbulence which leads to crushing,
pushing and ultimately aggression. Attempts should
be made to keep flows of people travelling in the same directions, fore-and-back.

Stalls and exhibits - Exhibits are, by their nature, obstacles. However, as it is why the attendees
are in attendance, somewhat necessary.
Their placement may be complex,
but well worth the time and planning.
Keeping food stalls in sets of small groups around the venue around the edges will allow for a minimum of cross-flow
and crushing, reduces likelihood of surges causing impact with hot cooking
equipment, and the possibility of fire. Keeping
child orientated exhibits
within quick reach of toilets makes sense for obvious reasons.

Bars are always a hazard - Some people do not react well to alcohol
and drinking apparatus can be dangerous. Plastic should be preferred on stalls and kiosks. Glasses
at fixed bars at the venue should
be restricted to the bar
area/room. Attendees should not be walking around with glasses or bottles of drink.

Cooking stalls/kiosks should ensure that basic fire safety is maintained - produce a list fire precautions (available
from the local fire brigade).
Have each such exhibitor sign-off on it and put up the sign in their area for their staff. Check this is adhered to.

Out of your control
- Not every hazard
is apparent on viewing. Pipes
burst, toilet doors
fall off, even walls collapse.
These are hazards that cannot be planned for specifically, but keeping a level head and dealing with it quickly is the key. Cordon off at the earliest opportunity, and assess. Always
err on the side of caution. Sometimes
simple things like turn-styles or ticket readers malfunction.

This needs to be dealt with quickly to stop tempers fraying.

7.13 
: Risk Assessment for Larger Events

Check with the venue as to maximum capacity and do not exceed it.

Ensure that other laws are also complied
with, such as alcohol licensing, traffic law, health and safety.
The local authority
will be able to help if the venue cannot.

Before the event:

Check fire exits.

Check barriers
are secure and safe, take into account
weather and crowds
pushing.

The area is clean and removable
hazards are gone.

Lighting is adequate.

Walk the site checking
for anything that could be a hazard - and remove it or cordon it off. Including toilets of both genders.

Check for likely cross-flows.

Check with food and drink vendors that they are complying
with the agreed rules.

Check the silly things like toilet roll availability and hand soap.

Hold a meeting with all staff and contractors. Make sure everyone
knows what their specific duties are, but also empress upon them the importance of bringing anything
that untoward, whatever
it may be, to your attention immediately. Get as many wary eyes as possible.
Run over the contents of this document
with them so they know what to look out for and it is fresh in their minds. Share your mobile number with each member - if no other form of immediate
communication is available.