You may not be rushing to book a risk assessment for a bake sale or a book club, but even small events pose safety challenges. As an event scales up, it becomes harder and harder to guarantee safety for staff and attendees—and more imperative that you undertake a risk assessment to identify all of the risks.
Event risk assessments are a legal requirement under the Health and Safety at Work Act 1974 and the Management of Health and Safety at Work Regulations 1999. But what makes a good risk assessment for an event? It takes cooperation, a keen eye for detail, good knowledge of the event and site—and the willingness to implement the findings to keep people safe.
Common event safety challenges
Regardless of their size or location, every event presents a range of unique safety challenges. For a cake sale or tuck shop, that might be as simple as basic food safety principles. For anything larger though, there are a surprising number of things an event risk assessment will consider—ranging from crowd management to medical provisions.
Crowd management
Large gatherings can lead to congestion, increasing the risk of slips, trips, and falls, as well as potential crowd surges and crushes, a risk we highlighted in our recent blog post on event disasters.
Proper crowd control measures, such as designated entry and exit points, barriers, and stewards, help to smooth the flow of movement throughout an event space, preventing too many people from entering an area too quickly.
Fire safety
Most events involve some form of temporary structures, while catering facilities are also common. For these events—and the few which use pyrotechnics—a full assessment of fire hazards is critical. A fire in a crowded area, even one that’s predominantly outdoors, poses an enormous risk to life, as visitors will likely not be versed in escape routes or fire safety strategies.
Implementing fire safety measures, such as clear evacuation routes, providing the correct types of fire extinguishers in key areas, and clearly outlining emergency procedures, are all an important part of minimising the risk of a fire at your event, and ensuring a quick and orderly response in case of an emergency.
Adverse weather conditions
Outdoor events must prepare for the unpredictable UK weather. High winds, heavy rain, or extreme temperatures can create hazards such as flooding, electrical risks, and structural instability of temporary installations. Implementing weather contingency plans, securing structures, and ensuring proper drainage can help mitigate these risks.
Slips, trips, and falls
Uneven surfaces are common around event spaces, particularly outdoors, while cables can often be found trailing across the ground and running under mats. Along with poor lighting and added furniture, there can be a substantial risk of trips and falls.
It’s important with any event to think about how people will traverse it, and whether clearly marked paths or walkways might be required. Proper lighting and hazard signage are also key, illuminating potential obstacles and providing visitors and staff with clear visual cues.
Electrical and equipment safety
Events often involve electricity-guzzling equipment such as lighting rigs and loudspeakers, which can pose an electrocution or fire risk (or both!) if not properly installed and maintained. There’s also the parallel issue of noise safety, both in terms of how loud the equipment should be, and whether it’s advisable to provide attendees with earplugs.
Electrical safety is always something you should leave to the professionals. Electrical installations at events need to meet strict safety standards, with only qualified personnel handling electrical equipment to cut down the risks, and keep people safe.
Medical emergencies
Any time a large number of people gather together, there’s a chance for medical incidents. From cuts and scrapes to life-threatening emergencies, every event should have adequate first aid provisions, including trained staff and dedicated medical stations.
Communication is also a major part of an effective medical response, which stewards will often play a key part in. Having a well-drilled plan for handling medical emergencies and being able to reach people quickly can make a significant difference in how an incident turns out.
Food and drink safety
Everyone knows that events offering food and drink need to comply with food hygiene regulations, but some people wing it anyway. Foodborne illnesses are easier to cultivate than you might think, and can have life-threatening consequences.
Regular inspections, proper storage practices, and ensuring food vendors follow hygiene protocols are all a necessary part of maintaining safety standards and protecting the public. This means facilities for regular handwashing, the use of gloves, no cross contamination, and keeping food at temperatures that minimise bacteria growth.
What’s in an event risk assessment?
A comprehensive event risk assessment will start with a summary of the event and how big it’s expected to be. By establishing its purpose, location, expected attendance, and key activities, the assessor can start to figure out the specific risks that will apply to the type of event being planned, and begin to systematically evaluate each one. This will include factors like crowd movement, fire hazards, electrical safety, weather-related risks, and emergency situations
To determine the severity of each risk, it’s also important to clearly outline who could be affected by each identified hazard, from staff and contractors to attendees. This will particularly focus on vulnerable individuals such as children or those with disabilities, and how their needs might impact safety preparations. Depending on the likelihood and severity of each identified risk, control measures will then be outlined to reduce or eliminate them.
Next, a detailed plan will be produced outlining emergency procedures should something go wrong. This will include things like evacuation routes, fire assembly points, communication plans, and contact details for emergency services, with contingencies should one solution fail, such as walkie talkies not working properly. It’s also important to outline who is responsible for health and safety at the event, from the event organisers, to health and safety officers, to first aiders and security personnel if relevant.
The risk assessment may be completed at this point, but it isn’t sealed in stone. Far from being a static document, an event risk assessment should be frequently referred back to throughout the planning and execution of the event, and amended where circumstances change. This will ensure that all the measures outlined in the risk assessment are being implemented properly, and that there are no oversights if parts of the event change.
Why event safety risk assessments are important
While we never want to scare people into taking action on health and safety, events pose more risk than most people think, even on a small scale. Adding to this, you can never be quite sure how small an event will be until people turn up, making it better to be safe than sorry, and add a layer of safety redundancy. This doesn’t mean having fleets of ambulances on standby, but it does mean being sensible and pragmatic about the measures you put in place to ensure everyone can enjoy your event safely.
A well-executed event risk assessment will make sure that any hazards at your event are identified at an early stage, and measures are put in place to prevent accidents and injuries, as well as damage to your reputation. What’s often overlooked is that it will also reassure third parties such as the local council and stakeholders as well as attendees, encouraging better attendance and smoothing over the planning process.
Failing to conduct a risk assessment can result in financial penalties, but it’s generally good business sense to carry one out. If it’s a small event, the likelihood is that you won’t have too much to act on, and it won’t be particularly costly to get done. Properly conducted and implemented, an event risk assessment can make your event more efficient, reduce the chance of disruption, and generally give it a better chance of success.
How we can help
At SAMS, we specialise in providing expert event safety risk assessments and event safety management services in Kent and the South East. Our experienced consultants can work with you to develop a tailored risk assessment that meets all regulatory requirements, and ensures a safe and successful event.
We’ve provided risk assessments and event safety management for a range of popular events, from food and folk festivals to music festivals with thousands of attendees. Whether you’re planning a festival, corporate event, concert, or public gathering, our team can assist with everything from hazard identification and mitigation to on-site safety management. Get in touch with SAMS today to find out how we can ensure your event goes off without a hitch.