Scale up for Trade Justice

Health and safety advice for event organisers

Many of the events being held for the 24 hours for Trade Justice will be small-scale local events with MPs in the constituencies.  However there will also be a number of larger city centre, public events, and we would like to ensure that all these events are as safe as possible.  The following is intended as guide only. 

Holding a safe event

It is best to think about health and safety as early as possible in the planning of any sizeable event.

As an event organiser you have responsibilities for health and safety at the event. You will need to think about how you plan to minimise risk, through careful planning and thinking through all eventualities. That means you should carry out a risk assessment in advance. You should ensure that you are reasonably confident that all the obvious potential risks have been covered and you have done your best to minimise the risks.

Think about how many helpers and stewards you may need on the day. Ensure that everyone involved has a thorough briefing in advance of the event, so that they know what to do in different scenarios, and who to report to if there are any problems during the event.  If your event is taking place over large area, remember to provide maps for stewards and the public. It is also worth ensuring that there will be people ready to tidy up and remove any rubbish after the event.

If your event will be in a public space, do inform the police and other authorities as early as possible. In particular, obstructing the pavement may prompt police involvement. By law the public has a right to pass and re-pass on a public highway – as long as they can do that you should be on the right side of the law. Any temporary obstruction will have to be agreed with the police. 

For a large event, it is important to have someone specifically responsible for health and safety on the day, and you may need to get more detailed advice on health and safety arrangements in advance. If you are using an indoors venue, there should already be fire controls in place. Do check the location of fire exits and equipment in advance. Ensure that exits are not blocked and that people know what the exit routes are.

5 steps to a risk assessment

1. Look for the hazards

A hazard means anything that can cause harm, eg wires, speakers, scaffolding etc.

Here are a few questions to get you thinking about possible hazards. You should also consider who would be affected by them (e.g. disabled people, contractors or volunteers, participants, the general public):

• What are the possible impacts on participants from: weather conditions; conflict with moving traffic; the terrain; obstructions or impediments; steps, road crossings, narrow streets, cobbles; electrical equipment; structures (e.g. tents); congestion and crush; a major incident?

• How many people do you expect to take part? Do you have enough stewards?

• If holding a march, ensure your route is thoroughly planned and work out any risky bits e.g. when the route crosses a main junction. How will traffic be managed? If you are in contact with the local police, will they close off routes or will you have to steward all difficult crossings?

• Exit routes: how easy will it be to get out of a difficult situation? If indoors, where are the fire exits?

• Emergency procedures: what are they? How will you communicate with the people at your event in an emergency?

• Safe use of equipment: if you hire equipment and use it yourself, make sure that the hire company is competent and that the equipment has been tested.

•  Is your event something that might attract people with a different agenda? How do you minimise the risk of the event being ‘hi-jacked’ by other causes?

• Do you have contingency plans?  (e.g. for bad weather, power failures, etc)

2. Decide who might be harmed, and how

Think about the organisers, other participants and members of the public.

3. Evaluate the risks arising from the hazards and decide whether existing precautions are adequate or whether more should be done

Even after all precautions have been taken, usually some risks remain. What you have to decide for each significant hazard is whether this remaining risk is high, medium or low. You must do what is reasonably practicable to keep your activities safe.

Your aim is to make all risks small by adding to your precautions if necessary. Ask yourself, can I get rid of the hazard altogether? If not, how can I control the risks so that harm is unlikely?

4.Record your findings

Write down the more significant hazards and record your most important conclusions. These records should illustrate that a proper check was made, you asked who might be affected, you dealt with all the obvious significant hazards, taking into account the number of people who could be involved, and that the precautions are reasonable and the remaining risk is low. If you have a team of organisers, make sure that everyone is informed about your findings.

5. Review your assessment from time to time and revise it if necessary

It is good practice to review your assessment from time to time as the event approaches. If there is a significant change such as new equipment, you should add to the assessment to take account of the new hazard.

Insurance

Please take the following as guide only.

Many individual organisations in the Trade Justice Movement may well have insurance that will cover the public liability for you as one of their supporters organising an event, as well as for loss or damage to any of your equipment – but you should check this in advance.

If you are hiring equipment, you can take out insurance with the hire company (who in any case will probably be insured against loss or damage).

When hiring a venue (particularly if it is a public venue like a civic building or conference centre, restaurant or club) check that it has its own public liability insurance.  It almost certainly will be insured if it is a venue equipped for hire by the public.  If however, the building is not insured, then you and your participants will not be covered in the event of an accident and you should think carefully about whether this is worth the risk.