How to Manage Health and Safety During an Event
Why It’s Important to Manage Health and Safety During an Event
As the event industry returns to life and people gather in groups again, planners must pay particular attention to health and safety. Of course, these topics were important before, but they now take on additional meaning as potential attendees weigh up the pros and cons and assess whether they want to attend live events. So, if you are planning an upcoming event, what do you need to focus on when it comes to event safety?
Understand the Risk
There’s no ambiguity here. When you organise an event, you are responsible for the health and safety of your attendees. In a nutshell, this means that you need to take reasonable steps to prevent any harm from coming to your attendees and plan carefully for any potential emergencies. You must take health management into account to ensure that your attendees are not exposed to certain risks. You also need to think about safety management to help avoid the risk of an accident.
Venue Suitability
Before you begin, you need to assess the suitability of any chosen venue. Such a venue will probably have its own health and safety plan in place, but you need to ensure that your choice is suitable for your specific demographic. For example, could accessibility be an issue for older attendees?
You should also look at certain risks associated with using a venue. For example, could people encounter any hazards based on your event equipment? Could guests trip over something you’ve introduced to help you run your event?
Accessibility
Is the venue large enough to safely accommodate all potential attendees? Can your guests access the site without issue, whether they arrive in vehicles or on foot? What about people with disabilities? Of course, every venue must conform to accessibility requirements, but you need to go further to check that everything meets your needs.
Emergency Plan
Initiate an emergency plan and ensure that all your event staff are familiar with it. For example, how far away are the nearest fire stations or hospitals? How will your emergency plan kick into action based on certain scenarios?
Crowd Management
If you expect a large crowd, take steps to manage them accordingly. For example, could a certain part of your event encourage excitable or aggressive behaviour? If so, ensure that there is no risk of crushing or overcrowding and have a team in place to deal with any drunken or aggressive behaviour.
Weather Preparation
Mother Nature may play its part. While the facility may look perfectly acceptable when dry, what will happen if the surfaces become slippery when wet? Could a windstorm threaten your temporary structures? Plan for the worst-case scenario and discuss the various outcomes with your construction team.
Contamination and Damage
Be familiar with the local environment, especially regarding your potential impact. For example, could any contamination cause spillage and threaten local wildlife or water supplies? Remember, you may not only be liable for actual damages, but your event (and your organisation) could also take a significant reputational hit if you do not prepare properly.
Terrorism
Unfortunately, terrorism is an ever-present threat. Don’t automatically assume that your event will be unaffected and ensure that you pay close attention to security. For example, initiate baggage checks at every entrance and check that only ticketholders can enter the property.
COVID
Finally, remember that COVID is still a threat. You may need to display notices that encourage appropriate behaviour and do whatever you can to avoid overcrowding. Just in case, have an adequate number of handwashing facilities and sanitation stations.
Pay Close Attention to the Details
When you pay close attention to these pre-event details, you may be able to avoid any substantial health and safety risks during your event. Remember, event safety is paramount, and you need to take into account not only health management but safety management as well.
Gather Your Team
Once you have drawn up your event safety plan, check that you have high-quality people in place to make sure everything goes smoothly. When it comes to exhibition staff, agency help will be important, so reach out to an experienced event agency well ahead of time. You will get a team that is ready to do their best and turn your event into an unbridled success.