CONTENTS
Managing safety at events 3
Event Leader 3
Planning and organisation 3
Emergency procedures 4
First aid 4
Fire 4
Livestock at Events 5
Marquees 5
Food hygiene 5
Layout of stalls and attractions 5
Use of temporary structures 6
Car parking 6
Accidents 6
Crowd safety 6
Management of contractors 6
Management of exhibitors and stallholders 7
Cash handling 7
Electrical equipment 7
Hired attractions 7
Other attractions 7
Waste 8
Lost child procedures 8
Co-operation between employers 9
Training of staff and volunteers 9
Staff and volunteer Personal Protective Equipment (PPE) 9
Evaluation 9
Further guidance 9
APPENDIX 1: RBST: Event Planning Form 10
Managing safety at events
This code of practice sets out the main principles for the organisation and management of safety during Trust events. It contains advice on managing the safety of staff and volunteers manning Trust stands at events organised by other organisations – e.g. agricultural shows or.
Events organised by the Trust may vary in scale, type and risk. This code of practice will help organisers identify the points that must be considered before launching any event. It sets out the main principles to follow in order to minimise risks to staff, volunteers and visitors, and helps all organisers ensure compliance with legal requirements.
This code is intended for events where larger numbers of people may be expected to attend, these would be events with an expected attendance of more than 150.
Adverse Weather Conditions
When extreme weather conditions may impact on the safety of an event (usually this is strong winds) the Events Manager will make a decision, in consultation with the relevant staff or Support Group members, as to whether to cancel the event.
Events run by Volunteers
Some of the Trust’s events that are run by volunteers who are not Support Group Officer. If the event leader is not an Officer s/he will become an “Events Volunteer” and will receive appropriate events guidance from the Support Group Officer on how to run an event including the main aspects of the Trust’s Health and Safety Policy, and relevant Codes of Practice (CoP).
Event Leader
For all events it is essential that a named member of staff or volunteer is appointed as Event Leader, responsible for the event and especially for ensuring that safety procedures for all aspects of the event, including preparation and clearance of the site, are co-ordinated, implemented and monitored.
The Event Leader should ensure that all groups involved in an event are competent to do the work and that they have planned for health and safety and completed a risk assessment of their own.
Where RBST staff attend events organised by other groups then it will be the responsibility of RBST’s task leader to ascertain the identity and full contact details of the overall Event Leader and to communicate this to the RBST staff and volunteers attending.
Planning and organisation
Effective health and safety practice involves good communication about risks and precautions. You may find it helpful to appoint a group or an individual to be in charge of the arrangements for an event and its planning who can consider the hazards, risks and precautions as a whole and also the different attractions and activities that may be on offer.
Communications are particularly important. The larger the event, the greater the need to be able to contact key personnel, such as first aiders. Mobile telephones, or 2-way radios (especially at shows where reception is poor).
Organisers must check that our insurance cover is adequate and covers staff, volunteers, other groups working on the site, and the public.
The planning process must start with an assessment of the risks to which staff, volunteers and visitors are likely to be exposed. The risk assessment should be recorded in writing using the Trust’s standard risk assessment form. Procedures for risk assessments are given in Code of Practice No 4. A list of hazards to be aware of is shown in CoP 4 Risk Assessment although this must not be taken to be exhaustive
The first part of the risk assessment process is to identify the hazards associated with the event. As these will vary significantly from event to event it is not possible to produce a generic assessment.
Attention should be given to any significant hazards likely to cause serious injury to an individual, or affect several people during the event. The fire hazard should be considered as part of this process.
Hazards should be eliminated wherever possible. Where a hazard cannot be eliminated, precautions must be devised to minimise the risk.
Communicating the findings of risk assessments to all involved in a task or event is extremely important. It is the responsibility of the Event Leader to brief all the sub-group leaders, staff and volunteers before work begins on the assessment, the risks found and the precautions needed.
Emergency procedures
Every event – other than those on a small-scale – should have a written safety and emergency plan. This is primarily concerned with the safety of visitors and should cover the following:
· provision of first aid
· action in case of fire
· accident reporting
· car parking and general traffic management
· crowd control during the event
· crowd control before and after the event.
First aid
First Aid regulations require employers to provide first aid facilities for their employees (see Code of Practice No 3). There is no requirement to provide such facilities for the public. The types of injuries and illnesses likely to occur can range from heart attacks and heat exhaustion to minor injuries such as cuts and bruises. For larger events it may be advisable to seek the help of either your local ambulance service or a voluntary first aid organisation, such as the St John Ambulance or the Red Cross. There should be qualified first aiders among the staff or volunteers but they may be too involved in the running and maintenance of individual attractions to provide first aid cover for the public.
Fire
Consideration must be given to the procedures to use in the event of fire, both for the initial tackling of any fire and for evacuating members of the public from the site. For all events it would be advisable to include the risk of fire in the risk assessment. You should consider:
· the nature of the hazards – what combustible materials and sources of heat are on site
· the people at risk
· whether the hazard(s) can be removed or reduced
· whether existing fire arrangements are adequate
· storage and use of LPG cylinders brought onto site (see also CoP 12)
· arrangements for first aid
· reporting of accidents
· the Trust’s staff and volunteers right to require an others to:
– withdraw from use equipment that is found to be or that clearly appears to be defective or unsafe
– stop any activity that is considered to create an unacceptable risk to the safety of any person.
Livestock at Events
Please refer to:
CoP04 Risk Assesment Formm for Livestock
CoP22 Working with Farm Animals
Marquees
Marquees should be erected by competent people with all the supporting poles, frames, guys, stakes, anchors, fastenings etc, and checked regularly on site.
Marquees and large tents should be capable of withstanding strong winds and heavy rain. If exit routes from marquees are located over uneven ground, temporary flooring, duckboards, ramps etc, should be used and this should be taken into account to ensure that there are safe entry and exit routes.
Materials and fabrics used in the construction of a marquee should be flame-retardant, and should meet the testing requirements of British Standard BS 5438 or BS 7157. If a marquee is hired for an event, you should ask the supplier to confirm that the equipment has been tested in accordance with this standard.
Consideration should be given to precautions in the event of fire, including the provisions of emergency exits, means of giving warning, and fire fighting equipment.
Food hygiene
Food must be stored and served in accordance with current food hygiene regulations. The following points should be considered:
· Some foods need to be kept refrigerated or stored separately from other food types.
· Serving utensils and appropriate hygiene clothing should also be used – eg plastic gloves, aprons and hats.
· Toilet and washing facilities should be located away from food stalls
Food handlers must comply with CoP20 Food Handling and Preparation.
Layout of stalls and attractions
Careful planning should be made to ensure that incompatible attractions are not located alongside one another. For instance, a food stall should not be located next to portable toilet facilities or an attraction containing live animals.
If an attraction requires the use of physical activity – eg swinging a baseball bat in ‘Splat the Rat’ – make sure sufficient room is allowed and that the public are kept at a safe distance.
Use of temporary structures
The complexity of temporary structures will determine whether they need inspecting by a competent person. For example, a large stage constructed of scaffolding will need inspection before use.
If trestle tables are used for stalls, make sure they are appropriate and stable enough for the purpose. For example, are they suitable for hot tea and coffee stands? They could be standing on uneven ground and easily knocked over by a crush of people.
Ensure that large games, notices and displays are securely fixed in place in case the wind blows them over.
Car parking
Where car parking is provided, you may need to designate staff or volunteers to act as marshals to guide the cars into parking areas. Marshals should wear fluorescent vests so that they can be easily seen. Vehicles arriving and departing should to be routed away from pedestrian routes wherever possible. Full segregation of vehicles and pedestrians should be the aim – avoid pedestrians having to cross roads. If this is unavoidable, designate a crossing point manned by a marshal to control pedestrians and vehicles.
Accidents
If an accident occurs, you may need to report it both to the relevant enforcing authority and internally to the Trust (See Code of Practice 02 Accident Reporting & RIDDOR).
Crowd safety
Careful planning for the management of visitors to an event is essential. The following safety aspects should be considered:
· adequate signing near and at the entrances to the venue, in the interests of road safety
· movement of vehicles at the venue, and the segregation of pedestrians from vehicular routes
· provision of reflective jackets for marshals and other staff and volunteers
· provision of pre-arranged, designated routes for emergency service vehicles
· preparation and communication of emergency procedures to deal with accidents or illness of visitors
· provision and use of communications equipment
· provision of lighting
· provision of safe routes, seating and handrails etc for special needs visitors
· provision of temporary barriers to prevent access to hazardous areas. These might include water hazards, unprotected edges, slopes etc. Such hazards may be easily noticed under normal conditions, but there may be an increased risk at events held early in the morning or late at night.
Management of contractors
For larger events it will often be necessary to use outside contractors to provide such items as marquees, portable toilet facilities, catering etc. Procedures for managing the safety of contractors are contained in Code of Practice No 7.
Management of exhibitors and stallholders
If outside exhibitors, demonstrators and stallholders are invited to participate in an event, it is important to inform them in advance of the Trust’s requirements and any restrictions. These will be similar to the principles set out for the management of contractors. The main points to consider are:
· means and timing of access to the venue
· use of marquees and tents
· food hygiene
· layout and spacing of stalls
· use of temporary structures, trestle tables and storage of goods and equipment
· cash handling
· use of electrical and other services, including use of portable generators
· use of hired attractions
· use of other attractions – eg tractor rides, animal rides etc
· control of waste
Cash handling
Make arrangements for the management of any cash raised by individual stalls. There must be a safe system of keeping cash on each individual stall and attraction and a secure method of collecting surplus cash at regular intervals. All monies should be taken to a secure area away from the public and preferably held in a safe or safe box until it can be sorted and counted before banking.
Electrical equipment
This may include cabling for lighting, powering electrical appliances, PA systems etc.
All cables must be laid in such a way that they cannot form a trip hazard to either visitors or staff. Wherever possible they should be laid away from public thoroughfares. If it is necessary to cross a public thoroughfare, cables must be laid in suitable ducting.
All temporary wiring must be installed correctly and inspected and tested by a competent person before use for the first time. This includes cables from a mains supply or from a generator. Ensure that any outdoor electrical equipment is suitably protected from the weather. Consider the location electrical equipments carefully. All electrical equipment should be positioned safely with respect to other hazards such as sources of water or heat.
Please also refer to CoP 09 Electrical Safety
Hired attractions
You should arrange for competent people to supervise the attraction at all times. You may need to put up signs regarding the age or height restrictions that may apply to some equipment – the suppliers should advise on this.
Other attractions
You will need to consider any specific health and safety requirements if you have special attractions such as a ride on a tractor and trailer or farmyard animals.
Games and attractions for children need special care. You should think small and look for hazards well below the normal height for adults. Check for sharp edges, splinters, brambles, nettles etc. Be careful about siting games as children will often push each other or wield bits of equipment in the faces of others. Expect the unexpected!