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Planning your event

Use this checklist to make sure you don’t forget anything when planning an event. Remember that every event is different and this is not an exhaustive check list: you may also need to refer to other sources of help to make sure you organise a safe and successful event.

Small grants - tomatoesPeople with whom you may need to consult

Health & Safety at the event
As an event organiser, you are accountable for the Health & Safety of everyone taking part in, working at or attending your event. You must ensure you have a named person who is responsible for Health & Safety at your event.

Public Liability Insurance
All event organisers are expected to hold up to date and adequate Public Liability Insurance for their event, usually up to £5 million. Event organisers should also ensure that any equipment hired is also insured against loss or damage. Suppliers who attend your event such as stallholders, street entertainers etc should also hold their own insurance. As the event organiser, it is your responsibility to check these documents.

Groundwork is able to offer members of the BTCV Community Network access to competitive insurance through a scheme underwritten by Zurich.  See the website for more information: http://www2.btcv.org.uk/display/groupinsurance    

Small grants - cooking demonstrationLicensing requirements or… DON’T PANIC!
Under the Licensing Act 2003 event organisers require a license for the following activities:

If your event is for more than 499 people you will need a Premise License. If it is for fewer than 499 people, and does not exceed 96 hrs, you will need a Temporary Events Notice (TEN) to cover any of the above forms of entertainment. Contact your local authority if you’re not sure. A Premise License requires 8 weeks’ notice and a TEN must be applied for at least 10 working days prior to your event not including the day of service or the day of your event.

You may also require a license to carry out other activities such as collecting money for charity, or having stalls selling food or goods, and there may be a cost for the license application. You are strongly advised to make early contact with your local council to discuss possible licensing requirements.

Risk assessments
All event organisers should carry out a full risk assessment of your event well in advance.

The aim of a risk assessment is to identify all hazards to the public, participants and employees attending the event, assess the risks arising from these hazards and then look at appropriate measures to eliminate or control the risks.

A Hazard is anything that could cause harm and the risk is the chance, high or low, that someone could be harmed by the hazard.

Rough Guide to carrying out a risk assessment:

  1. Identify the Hazards
    Look for hazards that could case harm such as: slipping/tripping, moving vehicles, catching fire
  2. Consider both the magnitude and likelihood of the risk i.e. how likely it is that that risk will occur and how serious would the results be, should it happen 
  3. For example: it is unlikely that the marquee will catch fire, but if it did, the results could be very severe
  4. Decide who or what might be harmed and how
  5. Look at groups of people who may be affected, such as audience crush at a concert
  6. Evaluate the risks and for each risk consider whether or not it can be eliminated completely. If the risk cannot be removed decide what must be done to reduce it to an acceptable level
  7. Record your findings and implement them – make sure volunteers, staff and others are briefed fully on avoiding identified risks (See the sample risk assessment table included in appendix 1)
  8. Review your assessment regularly and update if needed

Contractors, suppliers and performers involved in your event should also supply their own risk assessments e.g. stands or stalls, fairgrounds, marquees and other temporary structures, bouncy castles, displays and fireworks. It is important that as event organiser you see a copy of these risk assessments. For more information on risk assessments go to http://www.hse.gov.uk/

Evacuation plan
What would happen if you had to get everyone out of your event in an emergency situation? Think about clearly labelling safe exits and consider people whose quick and safe exit might be more difficult for example, those with impaired hearing or sign or restricted mobility.

Stewarding
An event organiser will be expected to provide stewards for their event. The number of stewards required will depend on the size and nature of the event and factors to consider include:

  1. Is the event indoors or outdoors?
  2. Weather conditions
  3. Type of event and type of audience e.g. families or rock festival 
  4. Is alcohol to be sold at the event?
  5. Timing of the event e.g. daytime or late night event
  6. Site characteristics

Small scale, community type events may use local helpers and volunteers as stewards, but for larger events you may need to employ professional stewards. For any event it is essential that all stewards are well briefed and are easily identifiable. Where applicable the Police may also attend the steward’s briefings.

It is the event organiser’s responsibility to ensure all stewards are trained and briefed and there should be a clear line of communication between the organiser and stewards.

Security
Event organisers must take into account any security measures required at the event. These will depend on circumstances such as the presence of VIPs, large amounts of cash or valuable equipment and the sale alcohol.

In 2001 the Private Security Industry Act was brought in to raise the standards of professionalism within the Security Industry and security personnel should bear an SIA licensed badge.

CRB checks
The Criminal Records Bureau’s (CRB’s) aim is to help organisations in the public, private and voluntary sectors to identify candidates who may be unsuitable to work with children or other vulnerable members of society. All personnel (voluntary or rapid) working alone on behalf of your organisation with young or vulnerable people is likely to need a CRB check.

For more information visit: http://www.crb.gov.uk/.

First aid
Appropriate First Aid facilities must be available on-site during an event. Event organisers are required to provide appropriate equipment and personnel to enable first aid to be given to anyone who becomes ill or is injured during an event.

Guidance can be found in the publication: “The Event Safety Guide – A guide to Health, Safety and Welfare at music and similar events” (also Known as the ‘Purple Guide’). Voluntary Groups such as the Red Cross or the St John Ambulance can provide guidance and first aid at events, and can advise you on how many first aiders and ambulance units you should provide for your event. 

During the event, adequate provision must be made for easy emergency vehicle access and exit from all areas of the site. A 4m access lane is recommended.

Welfare Facilities
Event organisers should provide adequate Welfare facilities such as toilets, food, lighting, lost children point etc. Facilities should be reviewed throughout the event.

Temporary Structures
Events often require the use of Temporary Structures, which can be anything from marquees to stages. Special attention will need to be given to any temporary structures, which may need erecting, and professional companies should always erect these. The company providing the equipment should also supply a risk assessment, current insurance, company health & safety policy document and a certificate of work completion. Your designated Health & Safety officer should also check the structures to make sure he or she is satisfied that they have been erected safely. 

Barriers
Many be needed to keep people in or out of certain areas of your event site, but they must always be used in strict compliance with Health & Safety legislation.

There are many different types and configurations of barriers and it is important to ensure that the barriers chosen are appropriate for their designated use. The most common is the 2.5m crowd barrier.

Fire Safety
It is essential that event organisers provide approved fire fighting equipment at their event. It is also important that all staff and stewards are briefed about using – or not using – this equipment as appropriate.  Fire safety should be considered when you’re writing your risk assessment, and as a basic rule will include the provision of the appropriate fire extinguishers where electrical equipment is operating, and inside all marquees and enclosed spaces. Your local fire service may be able to provide further advice.

Traffic
Major traffic management such as road closures or diversions will need to be arranged with the local police and the local authority highways department. This will have to be organised well in advance of your event and there’s likely to be a cost. Even at smaller events it is probably necessary to control the flow of traffic. For example you may need to:

Communications at the event
It is essential that there is effective communication between stewards / security and organisers for an event to run safely and smoothly. The most common method of communication between teams at events is the use of 2 way radios, which can be hired from a number of local and national companies. Mobile phones are also used, but be cautious as some event sites have bad mobile phone reception.

A word of warning on 2 way radios: make sure everyone using the radio is aware of radio protocol, and it’s not always a good idea to have too many radios in use. Some people like to use them for chatter while the airwaves must always be kept free for emergency and operational situations only.

Effective Communication with the public at an event is also very important. In the event of an evacuation, an effective means of communication such as powerful PA system or loudhailers (kept where they can be easily accessed when required) must be available.

Information at the event
Event organisers should provide sufficient signage and information at the event. This should specifically include lost/found children, first aid, toilets, exits, entrances and car parks. All signage should be clearly visible, easily understood and lit when dark.

Consideration should also be given to access for people with disabilities / special needs.

Catering at the event
Organisers of events should be aware of the current requirements of food safety legislation even though they may not be actually running the food operations themselves. Organisers should ensure that operators of mobile food outlets are registered with the local authority in whose area the unit is normally kept. All food providers must also have a basic food handling certificate.

This legislation does not always apply, e.g. to local stalls selling homemade cakes at one-day events, but organisers should be careful to check these stalls and if they are concerned about hygiene, should ask the stall to stop distributing food.  

While it’s not a legal requirement, event organisers should refer also to www.sustainweb/sustainablefood to find out about how to make sure the food sold at their event is from a sustainable source.

Access for all
Organisers must take into account the needs of disabled people at their events, particularly within an evacuation plan and attention should be given to parking, toilets, viewing platforms etc. Further guidance can be found at http://www.disability.gov.uk/.

Author: Charlie Willsmore, London Food Link
This is based very closely on an event panning guide provided by the Vale of Glamorgan Council which can be viewed at www.valeofglamorgan.gov.uk/events