managing crowds safely

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Page 1 of 63 Health and Safety Executive Managing crowds safely A guide for organisers at events and venues This is a free-to-download, web-friendly version of HSG154 (Second edition, published 2000). This version has been adapted for online use from HSE’s current printed version. You can buy the book at www.hsebooks.co.uk and most good bookshops. ISBN 978 0 7176 1834 7 Price £17.50 This booklet aims to provide practical guidelines on managing crowd safety in a systematic way by setting out an approach which can be utilised by organisers of any event or venue. Guidance is targeted at all owners and operators in all public venues where the HSW Act applies. The venue may be used regularly, (eg shopping centres and sports grounds, or occasionally (eg fireworks displays and agricultural shows). The guide is aimed at organisers, but will also be of interest to venue staff and contractors HSE Books

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Page 1: Managing crowds safely

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Health and Safety Executive

Managing crowds safelyAguidefororganisersateventsandvenues

This is a free-to-download, web-friendly version of HSG154 (Second edition, published 2000). This version has been adapted for online use from HSE’s current printed version.

Youcanbuythebookatwww.hsebooks.co.ukandmostgoodbookshops.

ISBN 978 0 7176 1834 7Price £17.50

Thisbookletaimstoprovidepracticalguidelinesonmanagingcrowdsafetyinasystematicwaybysettingoutanapproachwhichcanbeutilisedbyorganisersofanyeventorvenue.GuidanceistargetedatallownersandoperatorsinallpublicvenueswheretheHSWActapplies.Thevenuemaybeusedregularly,(egshoppingcentresandsportsgrounds,oroccasionally(egfireworksdisplaysandagriculturalshows).Theguideisaimedatorganisers,butwillalsobeofinteresttovenuestaffandcontractors

HSE Books

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Health and Safety Executive

© Crown copyright 2000

Firstpublished1996

ISBN9780717618347

Allrightsreserved.Nopartofthispublicationmaybereproduced,storedinaretrievalsystem,ortransmittedinanyformorbyanymeans(electronic,mechanical,photocopying,recordingorotherwise)withoutthepriorwrittenpermissionofthecopyrightowner.

Applicationsforreproductionshouldbemadeinwritingto:TheOfficeofPublicSectorInformation,InformationPolicyTeam,Kew,Richmond,SurreyTW94DUore-mail:[email protected]

ThisguidanceisissuedbytheHealthandSafetyExecutive.Followingtheguidanceisnotcompulsoryandyouarefreetotakeotheraction.Butifyoudofollowtheguidanceyouwillnormallybedoingenoughtocomplywiththelaw.Healthandsafetyinspectorsseektosecurecompliancewiththelawandmayrefertothisguidanceasillustratinggoodpractice.

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Health and Safety Executive

ContentsIntroduction 4

Planning 7

Assessingrisks 16

Puttingprecautionsinplace 26

Emergencyplanningandprocedures 35

Communication40

Monitoringcrowds 46

Review 49

Appendix:relevantlegislation 52

References 60

Furtherinformation 62

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IntroductionThe guide and its aims

1 Crowdsareunavoidableoccurrencesofeverydaylife;problemsintheirsafemanagementarenot.Thisguideaimstoprovidepracticalguidancetohelpthoseorganisingeventstomanagecrowdsafetyinasystematicway.Itdoesnotspecifyaparticularwayofachievingcrowdsafety,butsetsoutageneralapproach.

2 Althoughprimarilyaimedatorganiserswhohaveoverallresponsibilityfortheevent,theguidewillbeofusetoothersinvolvedintheevent,suchasvenuestaffandcontractors.

3 Thereispotentialforminorormajorinjuryoccurringthroughthedynamicsofcrowdbehaviour,aspasttragedieshavedemonstrated.Measuresshouldbetakenbytheorganisersofeventstoensurethatthereiseffectiveandsafecrowdmanagementsothatovercrowdingdoesnotoccur.

4 Crowdingoccursasaresultofanexcessivelylargenumberofpeoplegatheringinaspecifiedarea.Largenumbersgatherroutinelyinsuchplacesasshoppingmalls,trainstations,busstationsetc.However,theyalsogather,ofteningreaterdensity,whereparticularattractionsoreventsaretakingplace,suchasatsportingevents,concerts,theatres,cinemasandfestivals.Atsucheventstheremaybegreaterriskstotheirsafety.

5 Thisguidanceaddresses:

n events,bothsportingandnon-sporting,atfootballstadiaandothersportsgrounds;

n eventsatsitesnotdesignedforthepurposesuchasparksorindustrialunits,egafaironatowncommonorapublicair-showonanairfield;and

n eventsinstreetsorbuilt-upareas,egstreetfairs,carnivalprocessions,NewYearcelebrations.

6 Forthepurposeofthispublication,the‘organiser’istakentobeanyonewhohasprimeresponsibilityfortheevent.Thearrangementsthemselvesmayinvolveanumberofpeople,dependinguponthecontractualarrangementsunderwhichtheeventistoberun.

7 Inordertosuccessfullyruntheevent,organisersmayemploystafforusevolunteers.Theymayhireself-employedpeople(suchaslightingmanagers)orcontractors(forstewardingdutiesorerectionofatemporarystand).Theymayalsohireoutplotsforcatering,merchandisingorattractions,suchasfairgroundrides.

8 Thepartiesinvolvedallhavedutiesunderhealthandsafetylegislation.ThedutiesareoutlinedinthefollowingparagraphsandfurtherdetailsaregivenintheAppendix.Closeliaisonandstrongcommunicationareessentialinensuringthathealthandsafetyresponsibilitiesfortheeventareidentified,assignedandadheredto.Theseincluderesponsibilityforcrowdsafety.

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9 If,asaneventorganiser,youareinchargeofabusinessororganisation,youwillhavegeneraldutiesundertheHealthandSafetyatWorketcAct1974(HSWAct)1toensurethatriskstopeople’shealthandsafetyarisingfromworkactivities,includingmembersofthepublic,self-employedpersons,volunteersandcontractors,areproperlycontrolled.Youmayallocateelementsoftheorganisationofyoureventtoothers,egeventstewardsprovidedbyacontractor,butyouwillretainoverallresponsibilityforensuringthesafetyofthevisitingcrowds.

10 Contractorsandsubcontractors,asemployers,havedutiesundertheHSWActtoensurethehealthandsafetyofmembersofthepublic,whomaybeaffectedbytheirundertaking.Forexample,acontractorwillneedtoensurethatthebarrierstheyareerectingwillnotfalloverandcauseinjurytothecrowd.Theself-employedhavesimilarduties.

11 TheManagementofHealthandSafetyatWorkRegulations1999(theMHSWRegulations)2generallymakemoreexplicitwhatemployersandtheself-employedarerequiredtodotomanagehealthandsafetylawundertheHSWAct.TheMHSWRegulationssetoutkeystepstoensurethatactivities,includingevents,aremanagedsafely.

12 TheinformationinthisguideexpandsonthechapteroncrowdmanagementinThe event safety guide,3whichcoversmanyotherissuesfororganiserstoconsiderwhenstaginganevent.

Section summary

Thefollowingsectionsprovideadvicethatshouldhelpyourunasafeandsuccessfulevent.Theyshouldalsohelpmeetyourlegalobligationstoprotecttheaudienceandstaff.

PlanningDescribesimportantmilestonesinplanningyourevent.Asafeandtrouble-freeeventrequiresgoodplanningfromanearlystage.Youneedtoensurethatyourprecautionstomanagecrowdsareadequateandappropriatefortheexpectednumberandtypeofvisitor.Planninginvolvesgatheringbackgroundinformationtoenableboththinkingaheadandassessingrisks,andtimetodevelopormodifyplans.

Assessing risks Describeshowtosystematicallyidentifyhazardswhichcouldaffectcrowdsafety,egsurgingandswaying,estimatethesizeoftheproblemsanddecidewhatyouneedtodotoaddresstheproblems.Thisprocessisknownasriskassessment,whichinvolvestheidentificationandassessmentofriskstocrowdsafetywithinavenueandthedevelopmentofstepsrequiredtominimisethem.Dependingupontheoutcomeoftheriskassessment,plansmaybemodified.

Putting precautions in placeGivesexamplesofpracticalprecautionsthatcanbetakentoaddresspotentialhazardsidentifiedthroughyourriskassessment.Describesarrangementsfortheselectionandtrainingofstaff.

Emergency planning and proceduresSetsoutissuestoconsiderwhenplanningforthesafemanagementofcrowdsintheeventofanemergency,egduetofireorbombthreat.Suchplansareveryimportantasanemergencycouldinvolverapid,large-scalemovementofpeoplewithpotentialforovercrowding.

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CommunicationDescribesimportanceofgoodcommunicationandgivespracticalexamples.Effectivecommunicationisparticularlyimportantinthesafemanagementofcrowds.Provisionofclear,unambiguousinformationtovisitorscanhelppreventdangeroussituationsarising.Goodcommunicationbetweenstaffassistsarapidandappropriateresponseifproblemsarise.

Monitoring crowds Coverstheactionsinvolvedinimplementingyourplansandcheckingtomakesuretheyhavebeenimplementedcorrectly.Wherecrowdactivitymaydevelopintohazardousovercrowding,monitoringshouldbeinplacetoidentifypotentialproblemsandquicklysortthemout.Thissectiongivesexamplesofpracticalapproachestocrowdmonitoring.

ReviewSetsoutwaystoformallyreviewthecrowdsafetysystemofyoureventandexplainstheneedtodoso.Reviewscanbeadebriefafteranevent,partofaninvestigationfollowingacrowd-relatedincident,orscheduledroutineexamination.Subsequently,planscanbemodifiedandfutureplansupdatedaccordingtotheoutcomeofyourreview.Reviewingone-offeventsorregularreviewofsafetymeasuresatyourvenueprovidesimportantfeedbackforimprovingcrowdsafetystandardsandcheckingthatyourprecautionscontinuetobeappropriate.

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Planning13 Goodplanningfromanearlystagewillhelpyourunyoureventsafely.Youneedtoallowsufficienttimetogatherinformation,consultandobtainadviceandputinplaceeffectiveprecautionstomanagecrowdsafety.Thesaferunningofyoureventshouldbegivenequalprioritytootherbusinessaims.

14 Itisimportanttoinvolvestaffrepresentingdifferentfacetsoftheevent,egtechnicalstaff,security,merchandise.Whereappropriate,representativesofrelevantoutsidebodies,suchaslocalauthoritiesandemergencyservices,shouldbebroughtintotheplanningprocess.15 Tominimisetheriskofovercrowding,youneedtoconsidertheactivities,movementanddynamicsofthecrowdatvariouspartswithinthevenue,attheentranceandexits,onthepedestrianroutestoandfromthevenueandatthetransportandparkingfacilities.

First steps

16 Asanearlypriority,youneedtoestablishthatyoucanmanagecrowdsafetyforthetypeofeventandatthevenueyouhavechosen.Anacceptablelevelofcrowddensityvariesaccordingtothevenue.Apreliminarywalkaroundyourproposedvenue,carryingoutavisualinspection,isessentialtofindoutboththesuitabilityandtheacceptablelevelofcrowddensityforyourevent.Keyissuestoconsideratthisstageareconsideredbelow.

Expected turnout17 Whenforecastingyourexpectedturnout,youmayfindithelpfultoconsider:

n attendanceonpreviousoccasions;n numbersvisitingsimilarevents;n proposedlevelofpublicity;n advanceticketsales;n theeffectofBankHolidays,schoolholidaysorgood/badweather;n whethersomedaysaregoingtobeparticularlybusy,egfirstorfinaldays;n whetheranyextravisitorswillattendspecialattractionstakingplaceatthe

event;andn allowanceforunexpectedlylargenumbersofpeopleturningup.

Types of visitor 18 Thenatureofthevisitingcrowdwillinfluenceyourplanningandchoiceofvenue.Children,peoplewithspecialneedsandtheelderlyneedspecialconsideration.Peoplefrequentlyattendeventsasafamilyorsmallgroupandwillnotwanttogetseparatedorleaveeachother,particularlyinemergencysituations.

19 Performerscanhaveasignificantinfluenceoncrowdmoodandbehaviour,egbyjumpingintothecrowdorthrowingitemsintoit,orbycalmingthecrowd,ifpushingorsurgingstartstooccur.Severalacts/performancesataneventmayattractdifferentgroupsofpeople,resultinginconsiderablecrowdmovement.Forexample,whereoneparticularperformerhasalargeorenthusiasticfollowing,theaudiencemaysuddenlysurgeforwardandcrushingcouldresult.

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20 Crushing,tramplingandsuffocationareallpotentialhazardsthatcanarisefromthedynamicsofcrowdmovement.Tohelpavoidharmfromcrowdsurgesetc,ensurethatcrowdbehaviourandmovementaremonitoredeffectively,egbyplacingstewards/CCTVatsuitablevantagepoints.Allstaffshouldknowtheirpreciserolesincrowdmonitoringandwhohastheauthoritytotakeimmediateaction(egbystoppingtheevent)ifpeopleareatrisk.

Getting to and from the venue21 Planyourtransportmanagementarrangementswellinadvance,eg:

n Wherearethenearestbusandtrainstationslocatedandwillexistingtimetablesbeadequate?

n Wherearethelocalcarandcoachparks?n Isexistingparkingadequate?n Isthelayoutofroadsandpedestrianroutestothevenueadequatetodeal

withtheexpectedturnout?n Arethereanyothervenuesnearby(especiallythosewhichmayaffectthe

crowdingsituationatyourevent)?n Isanyconstructionworkbeingcarriedoutorproposedinthearea?

Roadworkscoulddelaythearrivalofcrowdsandleadtoalaterush.

Venue suitability22 Ensurethatthemaximumcapacityofthevenueisestablished.Thisistoallow:

n managementofthecrowdandhelpineliminatingovercrowdingintermsofoverallnumberofpeopleinthevenue;

n safeentranceandexit;andn safeexitofpeopleinanemergency.

Ensurestaffarebriefedthoroughly

23 Themaximumcapacityshouldbecalculatedwithreferencetofourfactors:

n thetimeittakestogetintothevenue;n thetimeittakestogetoutofthevenue;n emergencyevacuationtime;andn accommodationcapacity.

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Eachofthesecapacitiesislikelytogiveadifferentfigure.Thesafecapacityisthelowestofthefour.

24 Whencalculatingcapacity,ensurethatallowanceismadeforareastakenupbyfacilitiessuchasfoodandmerchandisingstalls,temporarystructuresetcaspeoplecannotusetheseareas.Areaswherethereisnoeasyaccesstoviewthemainattraction(s)shouldalsobeidentified.Whatevertheresultsofthecalculation,thecapacityshouldneverexceedthelimitcalculatedformeansofescapepurposes.(MoreguidanceonthispointcanbefoundinthefirstchapteroftheStationeryOfficepublicationGuide to safety at sports grounds.)4

25 Considerthedistributionofcrowdsandhowthismightaffectpermissiblecapacity.Arethefollowingadequateforyourproposedevent?

n Capacityofthevenuen Entrancesandexitsn Meansofescapeineventofemergencyn Provisionforpeoplewithspecialneedsn Maintenanceofvenueandequipment(egturnstiles)n Facilitiessuchastoiletsandinformationpointsn Accesstofirst-aidfacilitiesn Suitablemeansofaccess/exitforemergencyservicesn Provisionforadverseweatherconditionsn Arrangementsinplacetoensurecrowdsafetyifmaintenanceorconstruction

workisbeingcarriedoutinthevenue

26 Theamountofspaceavailabletotheaudienceisanimportantfactortoconsider.Forexample,morespacemaybeneededatapopconcertthanasportingeventduetothetimepeoplewillbeinthevenue.Seethechecklistafterparagraph61.

Excess arrivals27 Ifthereisanypossibilitythatthenumberofpeoplearrivingatthevenuewillcomeneartoorexceedtheoverallcapacityofthevenue,youwillneed:

n asystemforrestrictingthenumberofpeoplewhoarriveatthevenueaswellasthosewhoenterit.Thisdemandscloseliaisonwiththepoliceandtransportoperatorsattheplanningstageandduringthelead-inperiodbeforetheevent;and

n arrangementsforcloselymonitoringthenumbersofpeoplearriving.

28 Youcould:

n maketheevent‘all-ticket’,evenifit’sfree;n plantheadvertisingcampaigntoemphasisethatit’sall-ticketonly;n includeintheadvertisingthattheticket-onlyrulewillbestrictlyenforced;n discusswiththepolicehowcrowdscouldberedirectedbeforereaching

thevenue;n discusswiththetransportoperatorsthepossibilityofannouncementsat

stations,advisingthepublicofcrowdproblemsatthevenue;andn uselocalradiotoadviseonthecurrentsituationatthevenue.

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Previous information collected29 Youcouldreferto:

n experienceofsimilarvenuesorevents;n problemsraisedatpreviouseventdebriefings;n reportsofpreviousincidents;n experienceofrunningeventsatasimilarseason/timeofday;andn experienceofpreviousdelays.

30 Seekingadvicefromrelevantandexperiencedpartieswillhelpyouobtaintheinformationyourequire.Itisadvisable,ifpractical,tovisitothervenuesholdingsimilareventstoobtaintherelevantinformation.Insomevenuestherequirementsofthelocalauthorityandthefireauthoritywilldeterminekeyprecautionsyouneedtotake.Relevantpartiesinclude:

n theownerofthevenuewhereyouareproposingtoholdyourevent;n thelocalauthority,forexamplelicensing,environmentalhealthand

emergencyplanningdepartments;n policeandotheremergencyservices;n transportoperatorsormanagementofnearbytransportvenues;n managementofadjoiningoradjacentpublicvenues;n localresidentsortheirrepresentatives,particularlyifyouareorganisingan

eventsuchasacarnivalparadethatgoesthroughtheirresidentialarea;n othersprovidingservicesfortheevent(egstewarding,first-aidandwelfare

organisationsandmerchandising)andanyexpertsgivingadvice,egonthestructuralstabilityofaproposedtemporarystand;and

n othersubcontractors,egastructuresproductionmanager.

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Getting organised

31 Oncethedecisiontoproceedwithyoureventismade,startbyholdingregulareventplanningmeetings,bringingtogetherallthemaininterestedparties.Providerelevantinformation–seethe‘Checklistforstrategicprojectplanning’attheendofthissection.

32 Fromanearlystage,ensurethatclearlydefinedrolesandresponsibilitiesexistinrelationtocrowdsafety,addressingbothnormalandemergencysituations.Whatevermanagementstructureyouchoose,youwillneedtodecidewhoisresponsibleforthevarioussafetyduties,makingsuretherearenogapsandensuringeveryoneunderstandstheirownresponsibilities.Ifanumberofpeopleareinvolved,therewillneedtobecloseliaisonandgoodcommunicationbetweenthem.Considerallotherrelatedstaffordevelopmentsandexternalbodiesororganisationswhocouldatsomepointbeinvolvedincrowdmanagementattheevent.

33 Itisimportantthatmeetings,andwhathasbeenagreedbetweenvariousparties,havebeenclearlydocumentedtoavoidunnecessaryconfusionandmisunderstanding.

34 Aneventcontroller(safetyofficer)shouldbeappointedbytheeventorganisertoco-ordinateallaspectsofsafetyrelativetotheevent.Althoughthispersonmustbeabletoactwithoutreferencetoothers,thatappointmentdoesnotremovetheresponsibilityoftheeventorganiser.Theeventcontrollermusthavefinalcontroloverallsubcontractors,stewardsetc,althoughtheircontrolmaybeviaintermediaries.

35 Asanorganiser,youhaveprimaryresponsibilityforthesafetyofthecrowd.However,youmayneedtoconsiderwhetheritwouldbeappropriatetoappointaseniormemberofstafftotakeoverallresponsibilityforcrowdmanagementwhenthevenueisopentothepublic.Alwaysensurethereissomeonewiththeauthoritytoactintheirplaceifthispersonisunavailable.

36 Ifyouareanemployer,youhavealegaldutyundertheMHSWRegulationstoappointoneormorecompetentpersonstoassistyouwithyourhealthandsafetyduties.Youshouldlooktoappointcompetentperson(s),wheretheyexist,fromamongyouremployeesinpreferencetoexternalsourcesofcompetentadviceandassistance.Ifyouareasoletraderormemberofapartnership,youmayappointyourself(orotherpartners),solongasyou(orthey)arecompetent.Youcanuseexternalsourcesofcompetentadviceandassistanceifnointernalsourceexists.Indeed,inthesecircumstancesyouwouldneedtoappointacompetentpersonfromoutsideyourorganisationinordertocomplywiththelaw.

37 Thepersonappointedcouldprovideassistanceinthefollowingways:

n expertadviceoncrowdmanagementandvenuesuitabilityforinputtotheplanningprocess;

n inspectionofthevenueanddevelopingproceduresformanagingthecrowds;and

n investigationofincidentsrelatingtocrowding.

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38 Thepersonappointedwouldneedtoensurethatthereareenoughstaffwiththerequiredskillstocarryoutcrowdmanagementdutiesduringbothnormalandemergencysituations.Staffneedtobecarefullyselectedandtrainedtoensurethattheycanfulfiltheirdefinedrolesandresponsibilitiesinrelationtocrowdsafety.Trainingisimportantasovercrowdingcandevelopextremelyquicklyandrequiresarapidresponsefromstaff.

39 Wherecrowdmanagementdutiesaresubcontracted(egtoaprivatestewardingcompany)youshouldensurethatthecontractor’sstaffarecompetentandhavereceivedtrainingappropriatetotheirresponsibilities.

Keeping records

40 Ifyouemployfiveormorepeople,youhavealegaldutytoproduceseveralwrittendocumentsorrecords(seetheAppendixforfurtherdetails).Theseincludeyourhealthandsafetypolicyandsignificantfindingsofriskassessments.

41 Itisrecommendedthatrecordsarealsokeptofcontingencyplans,stafftraining/jobdescriptions,andchecks/inspectionsofsitesandstructures.

Crowd behaviour

42 Researchhashighlightedseveralimportantfactorswhichinfluencethewaycrowdsbehave.Thesefactorsmayaffectthetypesofprecautionsyouputinplacetoensurecrowdsafetyandneedtobeconsideredduringyoureventplanning.

The crowd’s goals and objectives43 Thisisveryoftenoneofthemostimportantfactorsaffectinghowpeoplebehave.Itmayaffect,forexample,whenpeoplechoosetoarriveandleave,whichroutestheychoosetotake,wherepeoplewanttogatheretc.

44 Forexample,peoplemay:

n arriveearlytogainvantagepointsfromwheretowatchtheevent.Oncethere,theymaybereluctanttomoveaway,evenifaskedtodoso;

n parkillegally,obstructingaccessforemergencyvehicles,sothattheycanmakeaquickgetaway;

n waitforfriends/familyatornearexitsandobstructtheflowofpeople;n choosetousethemostdirectorquickestrouteratherthanfollowa

designatedone;orn quicklychangedirection,egfansleavingamusicconcertearlymayrush

backiftheyhearafavouritesongduringtheencore.

The crowd’s knowledge and experience45 Peoplewhoareunfamiliarwiththeeventorvenuegenerallyrequiremoreassistanceanddirection.Theytendtofollowthecrowds,usethemainroutesandgatheratthesameaccommodationareas.Thiscanleadtoanunevendistributionofpeople.Theymaynotbeawareofalternativeroutesorentranceswhichtheycouldusetoreducecongestion.Thosewhoarefamiliarwiththevenuemayuseshortcuts,ratherthanfollowthedirectionalsigns.

46 Visitorsmaybeunawareofthelocationsofemergencyexits.Sotheywillchoosetousethoseroutesorexitswithwhichtheyarefamiliarorwhicharethemostobvious,ratherthanthosewhichareclosestorgivethequickestevacuationtime.

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47 Youcanimprovesitefamiliaritywithdetailsonthebackoftickets,plansofthevenuestrategicallyplacedinsideandout,andthroughgooduseofsigns.

48 Itisimportanttonotethatvenuesandoutdoorsitescanlookverydifferentinthelightandthedark.Peoplemaybecomedisorientatediftheyarriveinthelightanddepartinthedark.

The crowd’s expectations49 Priorexpectationsarelikelytohaveasignificantimpactuponpeople’sreactionsundercertaincircumstances:

n Visitorsmightregardsomeroutesandentrypointsasthe‘formal’ormainaccesstotheevent.Perhapssucharouteisthemostdirectbetweentheparkingareaandthepartofthevenuethattheywanttovisit.Itmightbewiderandresemblethemainroutewithadjacentfacilitiessuchastoiletsandstalls.

n Wheresmokeorsimilareffectsarepartofanevent(egafireworksdisplay,dryiceeffectsatapopconcert),peoplearelikelytorespondmoreslowlytothepresenceofsmokegeneratedbyafirehazard.

50 Youneedtoconsiderifcertaingroupsofpeoplewillexhibitundesirablebehaviour.Furtherprecautionsmaybenecessary,forexampletheuseofbarrierstosetupadiversion,ortheuseofstafftodirectflowsofcrowdtraffic.

51 Youmaybeabletousecertainformsofbehaviourtoyouradvantage.Forexample,onceanorderlyqueueissetup,ittendstoattractpeopleandintroducesomeorderintocrowdpatterns.

The crowd’s mental and emotional conditions 52 People’semotions,suchasexcitement,desperation,aggression,hysteriaetc,mayaffecttheirbehaviour.Forexample,peoplewhoareeagertogainentrymaysurgetowardsthedoorswhentheyareopened.Thosenotsatisfiedwiththequalityofaperformanceoroutcomeofasportingfixturemaybecomeaggressive,offensiveandunco-operative.

Collective behaviour 53 Thebehaviourofindividualsinacrowdcanbeinfluencedbythethingstheyseeothersdoing.Theunauthorisedactionsofafewpeoplecanresultinlargernumbersfollowingtheirexample.Individualswithinacrowdmaycarryoutactionswhichtheywouldnotperformiftheywereontheirown.Forexample,thefrustrationofexcessivecrowding,queuingordelaysmayresultinincidentssuchasclimbingofbarrierswhichcouldleadtoovercrowdinginanotherarea.

54 Ifsafetyrulesarenotvisiblyenforced,orcrowdcontrolisnotmaintained,thespreadofnon-compliantbehaviourcanhaveaseriousimpactoncrowdsafety.Forexample,ifafewpeoplegainentrytoaprohibitedareabyclimbingoverorunderabarrier,othersmayfollowsuitiftheresponsefromthosecontrollingthecrowdisslow,weak,ornon-existent.Theresultinguncontrolledcrowdflowmayleadtoovercrowdingandotherrelatedhazards.

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55 Intheearlystagesofanemergencysituation,crowdbehaviourcanbeinfluencedbyindividualswhoappeartobe‘experts’orknowwhattodo.Anindividualorgroupofpeopletakingdecisiveaction(egleavinganearbyexit,outwardlydismissingawarningasafalsealarm)cantriggerawidespreadresponseamongthecrowd.Membersofstaffmightbeallocatedtoevacuateavenueoranotherarea.

Information56 Ingeneral,peoplelookforclear,unambiguousinformationandindicatorsonexpectedrulesofbehaviourtohelpthemdecidehowtoact,egtofindoutifaparticulardoorisanentrance,anexit,orboth,orwhethertheycandrinkorsmokeinthevenue.Ifsuchinformationandinstructionsarenotprovided,peoplewillformtheirownrulesbasedonpastexperienceandtheobservedbehaviourofothers,suchasjoiningaqueue,parkingonaccessroutes,takingshortcutsetc.

Gooduseofsignsandpublicaddresssystemsisthereforeextremelyimportant.

57 Providingvisualandaudibleinformation(egwarnings,advice,directions,instructions)isofvitalimportanceduringanemergencywhenthesituationcanbeconfusingandunfamiliar.Figuresofauthority(egpromoter,steward,firefighter)arelikelytobelistenedtoandobeyedinanemergency.Forthisreason,suchpeopleshouldalwaysweareasilyidentifiableclothes/colours.

Relationships between staff and the public 58 Peoplearemorelikelytobeinarelaxedandcontentedframeofmindiftheyareeffectivelymanagedandthevenueiscomfortableandpleasant,withadequatefacilities,suchastoilets,food,drinkandinformationpoints.Peoplearemorelikelytocomplywithinstructionsifgoodrelationsaremaintainedbetweenvenuestaffandthepublic.Therefore,itisimperativethatinformationiseffectivelycommunicatedtothemthroughthestaff,sothatconfusionorcausesforcomplaintareavoided.

59 The‘attitude’ofthepredictedaudiencemaybedifferenttothatexpected.Forexample,securitysearchesorticketcheckswhichyoumightdecidetodomaybecontrarytotheticketholders’expectations.Thiscouldhavethepotentialforthedevelopmentofillfeeling,whichcouldresultinpublicorderproblems.

The next steps

60 Identifypossiblehazardsthatcouldharmpeopleattendingorinvolvedinyourevent.Variationincrowdbehaviourmeansthereisoftenmorethanonewaytotackleaparticularhazard.Forexample,inordertoensureanearlyandeffectiveresponseinanevacuation,wherepanicmaybeafeature,measuresmightbetakentoimprovethequalityandclarityofinformationthatisbothbroadcastedoverthepublicaddresssystemanddisplayedthroughtheuseofsigns.Suchmeasureswouldenhancetheroleofstaffindirectingorleadingpeopleoutofthevenueandaidthestaffinmaintainingasmuchcalmaspossible.

61 Lookingsystematicallyatthehazardsassociatedwithyoureventwillhelpyouputinplaceeffectiveprecautionstoensurecrowdsafety.Thefollowingsectionssuggestwaysofdoingthis.

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Checklist for venue suitability

n Arepublictransportarrangementstoandfromthesiteadequatetodealwithexpectednumbersofvisitorsandforperiodsofpeakdemand?

n Arearrangementsforvehicleparkingandpedestrianapproachtothevenueadequate?

n Aretheresufficiententrances,spacesandroutes(ieroads,gangways,walkways,stairsetc)insideandoutsidethevenuetocopewiththeexpectednumbersandaretheyadequatetocopeifpeoplearriveinsuddenmassesratherthananevenflow?

n Areprecautionsinplacetodealwithpossiblecrowdpressureattheentrancesandexitstothevenue?

n Willthesoundqualitybesuitablefortheevent,egtoavoidcrowdingatthefrontofthestage?

n Hastheoverallcapacityofthevenuebeenestablishedandprecautionsputinplacetopreventover-capacity?

n Haveyoucheckedthetroublespots?Forexample:

– routeswhichbecomenarroworareasinwhichpeoplecouldcongregate,asthesemaycausecongestion;

– bottleneckssuchasstairs,escalatorsandtunnelsorbridges;– areaswherepeoplequeue,suchaspaydesksandinformationpoints;or– popularstalls,attractionsorexhibitionandrefreshmentareas.

n Isthesafetyofvulnerablegroups(egchildren,peoplewithspecialneedsandtheelderly)addressed?

n Arethemeansofescapeadequateineventofanemergency?n Hasadequateaccessbeenprovidedfortheemergencyservices?n Haveparticularhazardsarisingfromthevenuebeentakenintoaccount,

eghasdrowningbeenconsideredasahazardatwatereventsoreventsadjacenttowater?

n Isthevenueproperlymaintainedinasafecondition,egfloors,stairwaysandlighting?

n Havelitterandcombustiblematerialsbeenremovedtosafestorageordisposedof?

n Isemergencyequipment,egfirefightingequipment,emergencylighting,firealarms,smokealarms,publicaddressandothercommunicationsystems,properlymaintainedandingoodworkingorder?

n Arefireexitsunlocked,andareescaperoutesunobstructedandfreefromhazardousandcombustiblematerials?

n Arealldirectionandinformationsignsinplaceandclearlylegible?

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Checklist for strategic project planning

n Plansanddrawings:

– productionofscaledplansofsiteorvenuewithtemporaryinstallationsplottedontothedrawingtobedistributedtokeypersonnel.

n Meetingscalendar:

– detailsofpre-production,duringperformanceandpost-production(review)meetings.

n Inspectioncalendar:

– detailsofsitesuitabilitysurvey;– inspectionsduringbuild;and– inspectionsduringperformance.

n Legalcalendar:

– detailsoflicences,certificates,concertsandnotificationsrequiredbylegislation.

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Assessing risks62 Lookcarefullyatwhatyouareproposingtodoandidentifyhazards,iethosethingsthatcouldharmthepeopleinvolvedorattending.Youarerequiredbylawtoassesswhatprecautionsyouneedtotaketopreventharm.Thisprocessisreferredtoasriskassessment.Riskisthechance,highorlow,thatsomebodywillbeharmedbythehazard.

63 RiskassessmentisalegalrequirementundertheMHSWRegulations.Regulation3requiresallemployersandtheself-employed(includingthosewhoorganiseevents)toassesstheriskstoworkersandanyoneelse,forexamplemembersofthepublicattendinganevent,whomaybeaffectedbyworkactivitiesbeingundertaken.BoththeHSWActandregulationscoveringparticularhazardsrequirethatappropriatepreventiveandprotectivemeasuresshouldbetakeninthelightoftherisksidentified.

64 Yourriskassessmentneedstoexamineallaspectsofyourevent,includingtransporttoandfromtheevent.Youneedtothinkaboutincidentsthatcouldoccur,eveniftheyseemunlikely,egavisitorcollapsingfromheatexhaustionoralargerscaleemergencysuchasafire,bombthreatorstandcollapse.Youalsoneedtocarefullyevaluateallplaceswheretheremaybepotentialforhighcrowddensityandsubsequentcrushing,egqueuingareasatthevenueentrance.

65 Duringearlyplanning,identifypeoplewhohavetherightcompetenceandknowledgetocontributetotheriskassessmentprocess.Theimportantthingsyouneedtodecidearewhetherahazardissignificant,andwhetheryouhavedealtwithitsatisfactorilythroughtakingtherelevantprecautions,sothattheriskisreducedorminimal.

66 HSEhasdevelopedafivestepapproachtoriskassessment:

STEP1:Lookforthehazards.

STEP2:Decidewhomightbeharmedandhow.

STEP3:Evaluatetherisksanddecidewhethertheexistingprecautionsareadequateorwhethermoreshouldbedone.

STEP4:Recordyourfindings.

STEP5:Reviewyourassessmentandreviseitifnecessary.

Formoreguidanceonthis,seetheHSEpublicationFive steps to risk assessment: A step by step guide to a safer and healthier workplace.5Thefollowingparagraphsgiveadviceonhowyoumightcarryoutariskassessmentwithexamplesrelatingtoeventorganisation.

STEP 1 Look for the hazards

67 Considerallaspectsoftheproposedactivityandlookatwhatcouldreasonablybeexpectedtocauseharm.Ignorethetrivialandconcentrateonsignificanthazardswhichcouldresultinseriousharmoraffectseveralpeople,egfunnellingofvisitorsatthevenueentranceleadingtocongestionandcrushing.

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68 Speaktoyourstaffaboutpossiblehazards–theymayhavenoticedthingsthatarenotimmediatelyobvioustoyou.Itmaybehelpfultorefertopreviousinformation,egpost-eventreports,incidentreportsorvisitors’comments.

69 Considerhazardsassociatedwiththecrowdandthosepresentedbythevenue.Itisimportanttoidentifyhazardsthatarenotimmediatelyapparentsuchasahazardthatarisesduetotheintroductionofanewfeature,egthelateadditionofseveralmarketstallsatavenuemayrestrictaccessroutesandleadtocongestion.

Hazards presented by a crowd

n Crushingbetweenpeoplen Crushingagainstfixedstructures,suchasbarriersn Tramplingunderfootn Surging,swayingorrushingn Aggressivebehaviour,particularlybetweengroupsofrivalsupportersn Dangerousbehaviour,suchasclimbingonequipment,runningdownsteep

slopesorthrowingobjects

Hazards presented by a venue

n Slippingortrippingduetoinadequatelylitareasorpoorlymaintainedfloorsn Movingvehiclessharingthesamerouteaspedestriansn Peoplegettingtrapped,egwheelchairusersinacrowdn Collapseofastructure,suchasafenceorbarrier,whichfallsontothecrowdn Peoplebeingpushedagainstobjects,suchasunguarded,hotcooking

equipmentonafoodstalln Objects,suchasstalls,thatobstructmovementandcausecongestionduring

busyperiodsn Crowdmovementsobstructedbypeoplequeuingn Crossflowsaspeoplecutthroughthecrowdtogettootherareas,suchas

toiletsn Failureofequipment,suchasturnstilesn Sourcesoffire,suchascookingequipment

70 Forthepurposeofthisguidance,aspectsofactivitiesareconsideredunderfivetopics,listedbelow.Youmayfindthetopicshelpfulwhenlookingforhazardsandcompletingtherestofyourriskassessment.

Nature of the event–Whowillbeattendingandwhatistheirexpectedbehaviour?Whatmighttheydothatcouldcauseaproblem?

Venue suitability–Isthevenueadequateforensuringthesafetyofpeoplethroughouttheevent?

Crowd management arrangements–Arearrangementsadequate?Forexample,clearrolesandresponsibilities;commandandcommunicationstructuresinplace;goodco-operationandco-ordinationthroughouttheorganisationoftheevent;sufficientmonitoringofcrowds;provisionofappropriatenumbersofcompetentandtrainedstaff.

Presence of hazardous items and substances–Youractivitymayinvolvetheuseandstorageofitemsorsubstanceswhichcouldposeahazardtothecrowd.Insuchcircumstances,therelevantspecifichealthandsafetyregulationsshouldbeobserved.

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‘When things go wrong’–Thinkabouthowyouractivitycouldbedisruptedandwhatnewhazardscouldariseasaresultofadisruption.Anemergency,suchasaseriousfire,maycallforanevacuation,thusintroducingnewhazards.Evenaminordisruption,suchasatraindelayorcancellation,couldturnintoasignificanthazard.

71 Identifythescenarioswhichcoulddisruptyouractivity,suchas:

n emergencysituations(egfire,bombthreat,structuralcollapse,toxicreleaseetc);

n accident,egtrafficaccident,outsideorwithinthevenue;n closureofpartofthevenue;n closureofanearbyorrelatedvenue(egtheclosureofanadjacenttrain

station);n delayorcancellation,eglatekick-offinafootballmatch;n disruptiontothearrival/departureprofile,egseveretrafficcongestionona

mainapproachroad;n lossofservices,egpowercut;n publicdisorder;n systemorequipmentfailure,egjammeddoororgate,escalatorstops;orn weather,egasuddenchangeofweatherandadverseweatherconditions

suchastoohot/cold,heavyrainfall/snowfall,highwindsetc.

72 Forthescenariosyouhaveidentified,considertheeffectthedisruptioncouldhaveonpeople’sbehaviour,venueoperation,crowdmanagementandontheitemsorsubstancesyouareusing.Thenidentifywhatnewhazardsmayariseasaresult.Forexample,aseveretrafficproblemduetoroadworksononeofthemainapproachroadstothevenuecouldleadtoalastminuterushandcongestionattheentrancetothevenue.

Lookforthehazards

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STEP 2 Decide who might be harmed and how

73 Inthecaseofmajordisruption,suchasemergenciesinvolvingamajorfireorbombthreat,detailedassessmentofsignificanthazardsislikelytobenecessary.Managingsuchdisruptionsisdealtwithinmoredetailinthe‘Emergencyplanningandprocedures’section.

74 TheaimofthisstepistofindoutwhatcausesthehazardsidentifiedinStep1,whatdangerstheycouldposeandwhomightbeaffected.Knowingthecause(s)couldhelpyoutodecidelaterintheassessmentprocesswhatactionsareneededtogetridofthehazards.Thinkingabouttheconsequencesandwhomightbeharmedcouldhelpyoutodecidehowtoprotectpeopleagainsttheharm.

How might people be harmed (what are the causes)?75 YoumayhavealreadyfoundtheimmediatecausesearlieroninStep1.Butdon’tstopthere–therecouldbeothercausesthatareequallyimportant.Itisworthemphasisingagainthatahazardcouldarisefromacombinationoffactors,includingthesuitabilityofthevenue,thecrowdandtheirbehaviour,thecrowdmanagementarrangementsandthepresenceofhazardousitemsorsubstances.

76 Somecausesmaynotbeimmediatelyobvious.Congestion,forexample,couldbetheresultofanobjectobstructingcrowdflows,insufficientcapacityorapinchpoint(ievenuesuitability),peopleassemblingorwaitingforothersinthearea(iebehaviour)andtoomanypeoplebeingdirectedtousethisarea(iecrowdmanagement).Itcouldalsobebecauseofaproblemelsewhereinthevenueorwhathappensnearby,suchascrowdsleavinganearbyfootballmatch.

77 Ifthehazardiscausedbypeople’sbehaviour,youalsoneedtoknowwhypeoplebehaveinsuchaway(seeparagraphs42–59).

Who might be harmed?78 Thinkabouttheconsequencesandwhomightbeharmed.Thiscouldincludeanyoneinthecrowdoranyoneexposedtoovercrowdedconditionsforaprolongedperiodoftime.Youneedtoconsiderthenumberofpeoplewhomaybeaffected.Also,askyourselfifthehazardcouldonlyharmtheindividualsdirectlyinvolvedorifothersinthevicinitycouldbeaffected.Children,youngpeople,peoplewithspecialneedsandtheelderlyareparticularlyvulnerableandneedspecialconsideration.Rememberthatyourownstaffandcontractorscouldalsobeatrisk,particularlythosewhomighthavetodealwithadifficultsituation.

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Examples

Hazard PeoplecouldtriponstairswithinthevenueCauses Peoplepushingtheirwaythroughthecrowd

Inadequatelightinginthearea Poorconstructionofstairs

Who mightbe harmed Peoplebeingpushedcouldfalldownthestairs.They couldbetrampledon

Youngandoldpeopleareparticularlyvulnerable

Hazard PeoplefallingoverasaresultofcrowddynamicsCauses Misjudgementofattraction’spopularity

Unexpectedmassmovementofaudience Non-managementofaggressive/irresponsiblebehaviour

bycrowdWho might be harmed Thosewithinthecrowdandattheedgeof‘wave’

STEP 3 Evaluate the risks and decide whether the existing precautions are adequate or whether more should be done

Evaluate the risks

79 Theaimistodecideforeachsignificanthazardhowmuchriskstillremainsaftertheexistingprecautionshavebeentakenintoaccount.Thefindingswillenableyoutoestablishhowimportantthehazardsareandprioritiseactionsyouneedtotaketocontrolthem.

80 Riskreflectsthelikelihoodthatharmfromaparticularhazardwilloccurandthepotentialseverityofthatharm.Toevaluatetheriskyouneedtoestimatethelikelihoodandtheseverity.

81 Whenestimatinglikelihood,itisimportantthatyouconsiderhowlikelythehazardistooccurandtocauseharm.Thisisbecausenotallhazardscauseharmallthetime.Forexample,crossflowsandobstructionsdonotnormallygiverisetoasignificantproblem,unlesstheytakeplaceinabusyarea.

Checkexistingprecautions

Holdtrainingsessions

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82 Severityisaconsiderationoftheextentofpossibleinjuries,rangingfromlittlerealharmtoanindividualtomultipledeaths.Whenestimatingseverity,youneedtotakeintoaccountthecircumstancesunderwhichthehazardtakesplace.Forexample,theseverityofpotentialharmtopeopleminglingwithmovingvehicleswilldependonwhetherthistakesplaceonabusymainroadwithfastmovingtrafficoronaquietsideroadwherethevehiclesmoveslowly.

83 Byconsideringbothlikelihoodandseverityforeachsignificanthazardyouwillbeabletojudgethesizeoftheremainingrisk.Groupingthehazardsintohigh,mediumandlowrisksgroupsmayhelpyouprioritisefurtheractionsyouneedtotaketoreducerisks.

84 Othertoolssuchasriskclassificationmatriceshavebeendeveloped,andyoumayfindthesehelpfulifyouareorganisingacomplexactivityorhavelargenumbersofsignificanthazardstoconsider.

Are existing precautions adequate?85 Somehazardsmayalreadybecontrolled,whetherbydeliberatemeasures(egyoumayhaverecentlyimprovedthelightingonstairways)orbythecircumstancesinwhichtheyarefound(egstreetlightingoutsidethevenuemayincidentallylightthevenueentrancestairs).Theaimisthereforetoidentifytheprecautionsanddecidewhethertheyareadequateorwhethermoreshouldbedone.86 Thinkabouthoweffectivetheexistingprecautionsare.Lookathowtheyactuallywork,nothowtheyaresupposedtowork.Actualpracticemaydifferfromwhatyouoriginallyplanned.Indeed,thisisoftenwhereriskscreepinunnoticed.

87 Alsoconsiderhowyourprecautionsmayfailorbecomelesseffective.Forexample,featuresatthevenuesuchasturnstilescouldsufferfromvandalism,wearandtear,componentfailureetc.Crowdmanagementarrangementscouldbehinderedbystaffconfusionovertheirrolesandresponsibilitiesorabreakdownincommunicationbetweenpartiesinvolvedintheactivity.

88 Inordertodecidewhethertheexistingprecautionsareenough,youmaywishtomakeafirstroughriskassessment.Considertherisksinthelightofexistingprecautions;trivialriskscanusuallybeignoredascanrisksarisingfromroutineactivitiesassociatedwithlifeingeneral,unlesstheactivitycompoundsthoserisks.Inastreetevent,thepavementkerbcouldposeatrippinghazardbutyoucouldignoreitonthegroundsthattheriskisnomorethanthatarisingfromwalkingalongthehighstreetonanormalSaturdayafternoon.Ifthecrowddensityismuchhigherthanthatonthenormalhighstreet,sowillbetherisk.Onereasonforthisisthatpeoplemaynotseethekerb.Therefore,thepreviousassessmentisnolongervalidandthishazardshouldbeevaluatedfurther.

Deciding what more should be done89 Anumberofimportantfactorsshouldbeconsideredwhendecidingwhatfurtherprecautionsyouneedtotaketoaddressremainingrisks.

90 Haveyoudoneallthethingsthatthelawsaysyouhavetodo?Forexample,theMHSWRegulationsrequireemployers,includingorganisersandcontractors,toprovideemployeeswithadequatehealthandsafetytrainingandrelevantinformation.SafetysignsatthevenuemustconformtotheHealthandSafety(SafetySignsandSignals)Regulations1996.6

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91 Aregenerallyacceptedstandardsinplace?Forexample,haveyoutakenaccountofHSEguidancethatmayrelatetoyourevent?Thisguidanceincludespublicationsonfairgrounds,7fireworksdisplays,8musicevents3andmotorsports.9

92 Thelawalsosaysthatyoumustdowhatisreasonablypracticabletokeepyouractivitysafe.‘Reasonablypracticable’meansthatthetime,trouble,costandphysicaldifficultyoftakingmeasurestoavoidtheriskarenotwhollydisproportionatetoit.Thegreatertherisk,themorelikelyitisthatitisreasonabletogotoverysubstantialexpense,troubleandinventiontoreduceit.Butiftheconsequencesandextentofariskaresmall,insistenceonagreatexpensewouldnotbeconsideredreasonable.Thesizeorfinancialpositionoftheemployerisnottakenintoaccountinthiscalculation.

Example

Theownersofavenuesituatedadjacenttoabusyroadidentifiedthehighriskofinjurytopeople.Therewasahighriskofthembeingstruckbyamovingvehiclewhenqueuingatthevenueentrance.Theownershadpermanentbarriersinstalledandprovidedadditionalstewardingattheentrancetoreducetheriskofinjury.Theyregardedthisasa‘reasonablypracticable’measuretoensuresafety.Althoughthecostofinstallingthebarrierswassignificant,itwasnotdisproportionatetothehighriskofinjury.

Afurtherillustrationofthispointisincludedintheexampleofcompletingariskassessmentattheendofthissection.

93 Theactionsyouidentifyshouldberealisticandgiveprioritytohazardswhichposethehighestrisks.Anessentialpartofyourriskassessmentistoconsiderfirstifitispossibletoeradicatetherisksaltogether.Thiscanusuallybeachievedbyeitherremovingthesourceofhazardortacklingitscauses.Forexample,itmaybepossibletoexcludeallvehiclesfromthesitepriortotheevent,thuseliminatingtheriskofpeoplebeingstruckbyvehiclesduringtheevent.

94 Ifitisnot‘reasonablypracticable’toeradicatetherisk,thenthinkabouthowtocontroltherisk(ietomakeitlesslikelytooccurorcauseharm,toreduceitsseverityand/ortoprotectpeopleagainstharm).Forexample,theorganisersofanopen-airfestivalsetasideanareawheremembersofavintagecarclubcoulddisplaytheirvehicles.Toreducetheriskofvisitorsbeingstruck,thecarshadtoarriveonehourbeforethepublicwereadmittedandleaveonehouraftertheyhadleft.

95 Thesection‘Puttingprecautionsinplace’coversexamplesofstepsyoumighttaketoaddressrisksyouhaveidentified.

STEP 4: Record your findings

96 Ifyouhavefewerthanfiveemployeesyouarenotlegallyrequiredtowriteanythingdown,thoughitisgoodpracticetokeepawrittenrecordofwhatyouhavedone.However,ifyouemployfiveormorepeopleyoumustrecordthesignificantfindingsofyourassessment.Significantfindingsusuallyinclude:

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n thesignificanthazardsidentifiedintheassessment;n theexistingprecautionsinplace;n theremainingrisks,includinganygroupsofvisitorswhoareespeciallyat

risk;andn theconclusionsoftheassessment,includingtheactionsyouhaveidentified

tofurtherreducetherisks.

97 Thelawrequiresyoutotellyourstaff,includinganysafetyrepresentatives,aboutyourfindings.Therecordcouldbedocumentedinwritingbyothermeans(egelectronically),solongasitisavailableforusebymanagementorforexamination(egbyenforcingauthorityinspectors).

98 Somehazardsmayhavealreadybeendealtwithelsewhere.AriskassessmentundertheControlofSubstancesHazardoustoHealthRegulations1999(COSHH)10willhaveaddressedtherisksassociatedwiththeuseofhazardoussubstances.Also,someexistingprecautionsmayhavealreadybeendescribedinotherdocuments(egaproceduresmanual).Thereisnoneedtorepeatthisinformationintherecord–youcansimplyrefertowhereitcanbefound.

STEP 5 Review your assessment and revise it if necessary

99 Youarerequiredbylawtoreviewyourassessmentandreviseitiftherearedevelopmentswhichsuggestthatyourassessmentmaynolongerbevalid.Suchdevelopmentscouldinclude:

n majorchangestothevenue,forexamplebeingunabletousewaterloggedgreenfieldparkingareas;

n significantchangestotheevent,forexamplealast-minuteintroductionoffairgroundattractions;

n previousincidentswhichdidorcouldhaveinjuredmembersofthepublic;orn seriousincidentsatothervenuesfromwhichyoucouldlearnandtake

preventiveaction.Furtherinformationaboutthisissueiscontainedinthe‘Review’section.

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Completing a risk assessment: an example (family fun day)STEP 1: Look for the hazards

Crossflowofpeoplenearthetoiletsintheentranceareawasidentifiedbythevenueownerasasignificanthazard.

STEP 2:Decide who might be harmed and how

Staffatthevenuehadcommentedthatpeoplemaycutthroughotherpeopleenteringthevenuetogettothetoilets.Thiscouldleadtoseverecongestioninthevenue,pushingandevensomeminorcrushing.Alargenumberofpramsandwheelchair-userswereanticipated.

STEP 3:Evaluate the risks and decide whether the existing precautions are adequate or whether more should be done

Afterinvestigatingthecrossflowinthisbusyarea,theownerfeltitpossiblethatharmcouldoccur(likelihood),resultingininjuriestoanumberofpeoplewhowouldrequirefirstaid(severity).Theownerdecidedthattheremainingriskassociatedwiththissignificanthazardwas‘medium’.

Relocationofthetoiletswasconsideredinthefuture,butthecostsofdoingsowereregardedasdisproportionatetotheimprovementsthatcouldbeachievedtoreducetherisksassociatedwiththecrossflow.Managementdecidedthatthisriskreductionmethodwasnot‘reasonablypracticable’.

Theownerdecidedtoreducetheriskbyalowercostoptionofhiringadditionalportabletoiletsfortheeventandlocatingthemelsewhere.Clearsignageandinformationwasprovidedtoreducetheusageoftoiletsintheentrancearea.

STEP 4:Record your findings

Usingariskassessmentform,theownerrecordeddetailsofthehazardandthepeopleatriskfromit.Theownerthenrecordedtheriskas‘medium’andwrotedownthestepstobetakentoaddresstherisk.Theemployeesweretoldaboutthenewarrangements.Whenthetoiletsandsignshadbeenputinplace,theownermadeanoteontheriskassessmentformtoconfirmthattheactionhadbeencompleted.

STEP 5:Review your assessment and revise it if necessary

Aftertheevent,theownerandteamdiscussedhoweffectivethearrangementshadbeen,andreviewedtheriskassessment.Minorchangestosignagewereagreedtofurtherreducerisksatsucheventsandtheactionsrecordedontheamendedassessment.

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Risk assessment – a checklist

Itmaybehelpfultoconsiderthefollowingquestionswhenlookingforhazardsandcompletingyourriskassessment:

n Arethenumbersattendingcontrolledorpredictable?n Arevisitorslikelytobefamiliarwiththevenue?n Istheeventgoingtoattractaparticularagegroup?n Istheeventlikelytogeneratehighemotions?n Isthecrowdlikelytobemostlymale,mostlyfemaleormixed?n Isthecrowdgoingtobemadeupofindividuals,familiesormostlylarge

groups?n Howareyougoingtocaterforparticulargroupswithdisabilities?n Howlongwilltheeventlast?n Howwillperformersattheeventaffectthebehaviourofthecrowd?n Inwhatwayscouldmediaprovisionattheeventaffectcrowdsafety?n Haveyouconsideredpossibleaggressivebehaviour,forexamplebetween

rivalsupportersorbyvisitorstowardsstaff?n Aregatecrasherslikely?n Willalcoholbeavailable?n Isitlikelythatsomeindividualsattendingtheeventhavebeenconsuming

drugs?n Arethereothermajoreventsintheareaatthesametimeasyourevent?

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Putting precautions in place100 Thissectionprovidesfurtherdetailsaboutprecautionstoaddressriskstocrowdsafetythatyouhaveidentifiedduringyourriskassessment.Thetypesofprecautionsdescribedfallbroadlyintotwocategories–thevenueandcrowdmanagement.

101 Theguidanceunderthefollowingheadingsillustratesthetypesofprecautionsyoumayneedtoconsider.Itdoesnotcoverallpossiblecircumstancesthatmayberelevanttoyourevent.Referencestomoredetailedguidanceareprovided.

The venue

102 Thefollowingparagraphscoverpeople’sarrivalthroughtotheirdeparture.Whereverpossible,encouragephasedarrivalsanddeparturestopreventovercrowding,forexampleby:

n makingentrycheaperoff-peak;n offeringentertainmentbeforeandafterthemainevent;n staggeringthestartand/orfinishofseveraleventswithinthevenue;n makingearlyarrivalandlatedeparturepleasurablebyprovidinggoodcatering

andwelfarefacilities.Ifpossible,provideaplaceforpeoplewhowanttoeattheirownfoodorjustwanttositdown.

Transport to and from the venue103 Ensurethatattheplanningstagetransportfacilities(egbusstopsandstations,trainstations,carparks)aresufficienttocopewiththeexpectednumbersofpeople.Scheduleyoureventtofinishatatimewhichallowspeopleplentyoftimetocatchtransport.

104 Considerencouragingpeopletouseexistingorspeciallyprovidedpublictransportsystems.Forsomeeventsyoucouldalsoconsiderissuingcombinationbusorrailtickets.

105 Ifparkingspacenearthevenueislimitedorremotesitesareused,oritissomedistancebetweenthevenueandbus/railstations,considertheuseofashuttlebusservicetotakepeopletoandfromthevenue.

Parking106 Enurethatparkingarrangementsareclearlysignpostedsomedistancefromthevenue,sothattheinformationisconveyedtodriverswellinadvance.

107 Avoidlocatingcoachdrop-offandpick-uppointsandparkingplacesimmediatelyinfrontof,orverycloseto,theentrances/exitstoreducetheriskofcongestion.

108 Cordon-offareaswhereparkingispotentiallydangerous(becauseitwouldcauseanobstruction,forexampletoemergencyaccessroutes,oranundesirablemixofvehiclesandpedestrians)anderectsignpoststhatexplainthepenaltiesforillegalparking.Itmaybenecessarytoseektheadviceofthepoliceaboutcarsthatareillegallyparkedoutsidethevenue.

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Access routes to and from the venue109 Ensure,asfarasispossible,thatpedestrianroutesareseparatedfromvehicleroutes.Additionalprecautionswillberequiredwherevehiclesformanintegralpartoftheevent,forexampleatmotorsportevents.

110 Maintainaclearrouteforemergencyvehiclesandensurethattheemergencyservicesareawareoftheroute.

111 Ensurethatroutesareadequatelylitand,wherenecessary,provideguardrailsorbarrierstopreventtripsorfalls.

112 Wherepossibleprovide:

n directroutes–topreventpeoplefromtryingtotakeunauthorisedshortcuts,suchaswalkingontheroadamongtraffic;

n one-waysystems–topreventflowsofpeopleinmorethanonedirection;n separateflows,forexampleyoucouldsetupdifferentpedestrianaccess

routesforvisitorsarrivingfromtherailwaystationandthosecomingfromcoach/carparks.Separateroutescanalsobeusedtoreduceconflictbetweenrivalsupporters;

n routeswithoutpinchpointsorwidthchanges(slowflowsatthesepointscancausepeopletobecomeseparated).Theymaywaitinotherareastotrytorejointheirgroup,causingfurthercongestion;and

n accessroutesthatarelevelandrampsforpeopleusingwheelchairs.

113 Considerprovidingfacilitiessuchastoiletsandrefreshmentsoutsidethevenueforthosewhoarriveearly.Thesecanalsobeusedtoattractsomeofthepeopleawayfromparticularlybusyroutesorareas.

Combiningbarrierswitheffectivestewarding

Entrances and exit114 Acombinationofbarriersandeffectivestewardingcanbeusedtoencourageorderlyqueuingandmovementthroughentrancesandexits.Becarefulthatqueuesdonotblockaccessorpedestrianflow.Whereverpossible,ensurethatthereisawaybywhichpeoplecangetoutofthequeuewithouthavingtomoveagainstthefloworthosequeuingbehindthem.

115 Avoidlocatingticketsalesandpick-uppoints,temporarystructures,attractions,facilitiesandmaininformationsourcesclosetoentrancesandexits.

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116 Entrancesandexitsforpeoplewithdisabilitiesshouldbeclearlysignposted.Provideaseparateentranceiflargenumbersofpeopleareexpected;thiswillavoiddisruptionsofcrowdflows.

117 Don’tletpeoplequeueonroads,unlessthereisplentyofroomforbothpeopleandtraffic,andthequeueisphysicallyseparatedbyadequatebarriers.Ifthisisdifficulttoachieve,itisbettertoavoidqueuingonroadsifpossible.

118 Trytoavoidlettingpeoplequeueonstairs,especiallyiftheyareusedbyothers,orarepartofthemeansofescape.Ifitisunavoidable,makecertainyouhaveadequatestewardstoensurethequeueandadjacentflowofpeoplearewellcontrolled.

119 Trytodiscouragepeoplefrommovingforwarduntildoorsarefullyopen.Fixdoorsintheopenpositiononceyouhavestartedtoletpeopleinorout.Ifthereareotherentrancesorexitsthatarenottobeused,indicatethesetypesofdoors,forexamplebyputtingup‘noentry’signs.

120 Takemeasuresatentrypointsandatsalespointstoensurethatprohibiteditems,suchasmetalcans,glassbottles,orotherpossiblemissiles,cannotbetakenintothevenue.Youmayfindithelpfultouseafiltersystem.Forlargeoutdoorevents,asystemoffreeflowcanhelpspeedupentrytothevenue.

Inside the venue121 Ensurethatentranceroutesdonotfilterintovantagepointssuchaspopularattractionsorfrontstageareas.Thisistoavoidpeoplestayingattheendoftherouteandblockingflowintothevenue.

122 Crowdsurgesorpushingshouldbeanticipatedwhentheactioninthevenuebecomesparticularlyexciting,leadingtoexcesspressureandovercrowding-standingareasareparticularlyvulnerable.Forexample:

n theaudiencemaymoveforwardasthemainactcomesonstageatamusicconcert;or

n unexpectedmassmovementofaudiencemembersfromoneattractionorperformancetoanother;or

n inresponsetocheersandshrieks,thepeoplegatheredaroundanattractionmayrushforwardtogetabetterview.

Encourageorderlyqueuing

123 Protectareaswherepeoplearevulnerabletocrushingbymeansofbarriersorspecialdesignarrangements.Forexample,relieveandpreventbuild-upofcrowdpressuresbyusingthefrontofstagebarrierusedatmusiceventsorcrushbarriersinterracedareasatsportsgroundswherespectatorsarestanding.

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Viewing areas 124 Designviewingareasinsuchawaythatallpeoplehavegoodsightlinestoanystageareas.Thisreducesthetendencyofpeopletocrushorsurgeinordertoobtainabetterview.Videoorprojectionscreenscanbeusedtoattractpeopleawayfromcrowdedareas.

125 Ensurethatviewingareasaresetasidesothatpeopleusingwheelchairshaveaclearviewoftheattractionandarenotaffectedbycrowdmovement,suchassurging.Becarefulthatwheelchairsdonotblockgangwaysorexits.

Seating areas126 Forseatedareas,ensurethatthedistancebetweenrowsofseatsissufficienttoenablepeopletomoveinandoutfreely.Iftemporaryseatingisprovided,itwillbenecessarytoensurethattheseatingisadequatelysecuredtoavoid‘snaking’.

Fences127 Atoutdoorvenues,theprovisionofafixedboundarywillhelpthesafetymanagementofthecrowdandpreventtrespassersenteringthesite.Forlargeoutdoorevents,asubstantialperimeterfencemaybeneeded.

Barriers128 Youmayneedtokeepcertainareasclearofpeople,forexampleanareaadjacenttoameansofescape.Thiscanbedonebybarriering-offtheareasorobstructingsightlines.Forexample,side-stagesightlinescanbereduced,sothatpeopledonotcongregatebyemergencyexitsinthoseareas.

129 Makesurethatthereareenoughfacilities,egrefreshments,toilets,welfareandinformationservices,meetingpointsorwaitingareasprovidedinthevenuetopreventobstructionandcongestionthroughthebuild-upofqueues.

130 Thelocationoffacilities,attractions,egfairgroundridesandtemporarystructures,egstages,temporarystands,viewingplatformsetccanobstructentrances,exitsoremergencyvehicleaccessandthereforeneedstobechecked.Ensurethatthereissufficientspaceprovidedaroundthemforpeopletomovewithoutobstructingflows.

131 Youshouldensurethatadequateinspectionsandtestsarecarriedouttoestablishthatallstructures,installationsandequipment,whetherpermanentortemporary,aresafeforthepurposesforwhichtheyareintended.Thisislikelytoincludeinspectionsbefore,duringandaftertheevent.Theseareequallyimportantforone-dayeventsasforeventsthatlastforanumberofdays.

132 Youshouldensurethatsuchinspectionsarecarriedoutbysuitablyqualifiedpersonnel,thataprogrammeofinspectionsandtestshavebeendrawnupandadheredto,thatdetailedrecordsofinspectionsandtestsarekeptandthatadequateresourcesareallocatedtocarryoutthetasks.FurtheradviceonthiscanbefoundintheInstituteofStructuralEngineerspublicationTemporary demountable structures: Guidance on procurement, design and use.11

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Crowd management

133 Youshouldprovideanadequatenumberofstafftoensureeffectivecrowdmanagement.Yourstaffingstructurewilldependonthesizeofyourevent.Alargeeventmayrequiretheappointmentofachiefstewardtoberesponsibleforeffectivestewarding,supportedbyaseniorsupervisorandanumberofothersupervisors.

134 Thestaffmayalsoassistthepoliceandotheremergencyservices.Whereaneventrequiresthepresenceofpoliceofficers,agreethedutiesandresponsibilitiesofstaffbetweentheorganisersandthepolice.

135 Staffdutiesinclude:

n knowingthelayoutofthesiteandbeingabletoassistthepublicbygivinginformationabouttheavailablefacilities,rememberingthosewithspecialneeds;

n beingawareofthelocationofentrancesandexitsandfirst-aidpoints;n ensuringthatovercrowdingdoesnotoccurinanypartofthevenueby

managinganddirectingthecrowd,particularlyonenteringorleavingthevenue;

n keepinggangwaysandexitsclearatalltimesandpreventingstandingonseatsandfurniture;

n controllingunrulybehaviourandinvestigatingimmediatelyanydisturbancesorincidents;

n ensuringthatcombustiblelitterdoesnotaccumulate;n communicatingwithsupervisors;n knowingandunderstandingthearrangementsforevacuatingthevenue,

includingcodedmessagesandundertakingspecificdutiesinanemergency;n monitoringofcrowdsatkeypointswhereovercrowdingmayoccur;n controllingvehicleparkingandmarshallingtraffic.

136 Identifythepartsofthevenuewherestaffwillbeneededandthenumbersrequiredtomanagethecrowdunderbothnormalandemergencysituations.Locatestaffatkeypointstomanagethecrowds.Thesewouldincludeentrancesandexits,gangways,barriers,pitareasnearthestageatpopconcertsetc.

137 Co-ordinatethemanagementofstafffromthevenue’scontrolpoint,whichneedstomaintainanefficientmeansofcommunicationwiththestaffand/ortheirsupervisors(seethe‘Communication’section).

138 Providestaffwithdistinctiveclothing,suchasjacketsortabardswhichclearlyindicatethedutythattheyareperforming(egsteward,trafficmarshalsupervisor).Providestaffwithameansofidentification.

139 Trainstafftocarryouttheirdutieseffectively.Thetypeoftrainingwilldependonthefunctionstobeperformed.Keeparecordofthetrainingandinstructionprovided.Staffwithfewerduties(egcontrollingparkingandmarshallingtraffic)maynotneedtocoverallelementsofthetraining.

140 Briefstaffpriortotheevent,particularlyaboutcommunicatingwithsupervisorsandothersintheeventofanemergency.Itisrecommendedthatstaffreceiveawrittenstatementoftheirdutiesandaplanshowingkeyfeaturesofthevenue,sothatthereislesslikelihoodofinformationbeingmisinterpreted.

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141 Trainallsupervisorystaffinthehandlingofemergencies,andagreethelimitsoftheirresponsibilitiesinconjunctionwiththeemergencyservicesattheplanningstage.Informsupervisorsofthecommunicationssystemfortheeventandtheworkingofthecontrolpoint(seethe‘Communication’section).Itisadvisableforsomeofthesupervisorystafftohavereceivedtraininginfirstaid,particularlyincardiacpulmonaryresuscitation.

Providestaffwithdistinctiveclothing

142 Ifyouareusingacontractortosupplystaff,itisrecommendedthatyoucheckthatthey:

n carryadequatepublicandemployerliabilityinsurance;n haveacompanypolicyonhealthandsafety;n employanadequatenumberofpersonnelwhoarecompetentinthe

followingareas:– firesafetyandemergencyevacuation;– basicfirstaid;and– communicationprocedures.

Wherestaffingdutiesaresubcontracted(egtoaprivatestewardingfirm),ensurethatthecontractor’sstaffmeettherequiredstandards.

143 Tocheckthatyourstaffingarrangementsareadequateyoucould,forexample:

n checkstafftrainingrecords;n carryoutmockexercisestoassessstafftraining;orn checkproceduresarebeingfollowed.

Enforcing rules144 Venuerules,egthoseconcerningbringinginalcohol,drugsandoffensiveweaponsneedtobeenforcedfirmlyandclearly.Ifappropriate:

n discussarrangementswiththepoliceandthinkaboutinvitingaspecialpolicepresence;

n considerintroducingsomeformofpenaltyforcertaintypesofdangerousbehaviour.Penaltiescouldincludeexclusionfromthevenueand/orbanningfromfutureevents;

n publicisetheconsequencesofdangerousbehaviourintermsofpossibleoutcome(accidents,injuries,structuralcollapseetc).

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Checking your precautions

145 Checkandinspecttheprecautionsyouhaveputinplacetoensuretheyremaineffective.Arethearrangementsasyouplannedthem?Youneedtocheckthatstands,attractionsetcaresitedasplanned.Carryoutinspectionsregularly,bothbeforeandaftermembersofthepublicareadmittedtotheevent.Ensurethatthepersonsperformingthechecksandinspectionsarecompetent.Remembertoallowenoughtimefortheproblemsthatarediscoveredtobeputright,orforyoutofindanothereffectiveprecaution.

146 Duringtheeventensurethatallroutes,includingemergencyroutes,arekeptclearandwellsignposted.Ensurethatarrangementsareinplacetopreventlitterandwasteaccumulatingorbeingstoredincirculation,exitorescaperoutes.

147 Ensurethatanynecessaryremedialactionistakenbeforethenextevent.Youmayfindithelpfultowritedownareasofconcernandrecordwhentheyhavebeencorrected.

When things go wrong

148 Disruptionscouldhappen,forexamplethrough:

n equipmentfailure,egpublicaddresssystemnotworking;n overcrowding,egthroughlatearrivaloflargenumberofpeople;orn crowdbehaviour,egsurgingandpushing,peopleleavingthevenueearly,

peoplere-enteringthevenue.

149 Aspartofyourriskassessment,identifypotentialdisruptionsandsetupprocedurestodealwiththem(oftenreferredtoas‘contingencyproceduresorplans’).Foreachdisruption,considertheextraresourcesyouwillrequireinstaffandequipment(egloudhailers,additionalbarriersectionsetc).Staffhaveakeyroletoplayindealingwithdisruptionsanditisimportantthattheyhavereceivedadequatetrainingandbriefing.

150 Ensurethatproceduresaremadefamiliartoallrelevantstaff.Staffmeetingsorbriefingscouldbeusedtoremindstaffabouttheprocedurespriortothestagingoftheevent.Mockexercisesareausefulwayoftestingoutyourproceduresfordealingwithdisruptionsandemergencies.151 Atlargeevents,barriered-offareas,oftenreferredtoas‘safetyzones’,canbedesignated.Ifovercrowdingthreatens,peoplecanbefilteredintoandthroughthe‘safetyzone’topreventcrushing.Theuseofsafetyzonesneedscarefulconsideration;theirpossibleuseshouldbediscussedattheplanningstagewithrelevantpartiesincludingthelocalauthorities,thepoliceandemergencyservices.

152 Planningforemergenciesiscoveredinthe‘Emergencyplanningandprocedures’section.

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Crowd safety management – a checklist

Communication

n Istheinformationyouwillprovidetovisitorsadequate?n Istheinformationyouwillprovidetoemployeesandothersinvolvedinthe

event,includingemergencyservices,adequate?n Haveyouestablishedclearlinesofcommunicationwithvisitorsandothers

involvedwiththeevent?n Whoarethevisitorsandwhatdotheyalreadyknowaboutthevenueand

theevent?n Howcouldthelayoutofthevenueaffectsafetyandwhatassistancecould

youprovideforpeopletofindtheirwayabout?n Whatdirections,advicewarningorothergeneralinformationwillpeople

need?n Where,andatwhatstageofthevisit,willpeopleneedtheinformationor

assistance?n Inwhatformshouldtheinformationbepresented?

Putting precautions in place

n Arestaffinglevels,includingthoseforstewards,adequate?n Arestaffcompetentandadequatelytrained?n Arearrangementsinplacetoenforcevenuerules,forexamplethose

regardingprohibitingthebringinginofalcohol,drugsandoffensiveweapons?

Monitoring crowds

n Arearrangementsinplacetomonitortheeventanddetectanddealwithanypotentialproblemsatanearlierstage?

n Aretheresufficientstafftobeabletomonitorreliablyallareaswheretherearepotentialcrowdingproblems?

n Aretheresuitablevantagepointsavailabletoenablestaffonlocationtomonitorallareaseffectively?

n Caninformationcollectedinalocalareaofthevenueberelayedinanaccurateandreliablemannertoacentrallocationorcontrolpointforcontrolandco-ordinationpurposes?

n Howquicklycouldcrowdingdeveloptoadangerouslevelatvariousidentifiedlocations?

n Howmuchtimeisrequiredtorespondtocrowdingproblems?n Ifacrowdingincidentoccurred,howwouldyougettoknowaboutitso

thatyoucoulddealwiththeincidentitselfandpreventitsescalationorreoccurrence?

n Arethereenoughstafftobeabletomonitorreliablyallareaswheretherearepotentialcrowdingproblems?

n Arethereenoughgoodvantagepointsforstafftomonitorallareaseffectively?

n Caninformationcollectedfromdifferentareasofthevenuebecommunicatedquicklytothecontrolpoint?

n Canstaffatthecontrolpointquicklyalertstafftoapotentialproblem?

Presence of hazardous items and substances

n Havestructures,suchastemporarystands,beeninspectedbyacompetentpersontoensureagainstcollapse?

n Hasthepositionofstructuresbeencheckedpriortotheactivitytoensurethattheydonotrestrictaccessroutes?

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n Areanyfireworkstobeusedstoredsafelyandareadequateproceduresinplacefortheirsafeuse?

n Areadequateprecautionsinplacetopreventvisitorsfrombeingstruckbyvehiclesinandaroundtheareaoftheevent?

n Hastheeffectoncrowdsafetyofanyspecialeffects,eglasers,dryiceetcbeenadequatelyaddressed?

n Hasequipmentinstalledtoensureeffectivecrowdmovement,egescalators,turnstiles,ticketmachinesetcbeenadequatelymaintained?

n Aretherisksassociatedwithsubstanceshazardoustohealth,egfumesformgeneratorsadequatelycontrolled?

n Arepotentiallyhazardousareas,suchasplantrooms,switchgearandchemicalstorageareas,inaccessibletounauthorisedpersons?

n Havesourcesoffirebeenadequatelydealtwith,forexamplehotfoodstalls,LPGcylindersonstallsandincaravans,petrolgenerators,smoking,lightingoffiresbyvisitorsetc?

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Emergency planning and proceduresWhat is good crowd safety emergency?

153 Theterm‘emergency’istakentomeanasituationwheretheemergencyservicesbecomeactivelyinvolvedoranurgentevacuationisrequired.Broadly,theywillbesituationswiththepotentialforseriousinjuriesrequiringimmediateandspecialistactionbeyondthecapabilitiesofvenuestaff.

154 Emergenciesmayincludefireorexplosions,bombthreats,collapseofastructure,egseating,staging,fairgroundattraction,releaseofhazardoussubstances,eggasleak,orunanticipated,hostileweatherconditions,egflooding,highwinds.

155 Thesignificanceofcrowdmanagementforemergencyplanningisthatcrowddisorderandovercrowdingcanbefactorsinthecreationofemergencies,egoverloadingofbarriers,stagingetc,behaviouralproblemssuchasviolenceorpanicandarealsofactorswhichmakedealingwithemergenciesmoredifficultiftheydooccur.

Measures to manage emergency situations

156 Thetypesofmeasuresyouputinplacewilldependonthefindingsofyourriskassessment.Theywillalsobeinfluencedbyyourconsultationswithotherrelevantpartiesincluding:

n authoritieswhoenforcetherelevantlegislation,eglocalauthority,fireauthorityandanyrelevantgovernmentdepartments;

n emergencyservices,includingthepolice,nearbyhospitalsandon-sitefirst-aidproviders;

n allthoseinvolvedintheoperation,suchasthevenueowner,securityfirmsandvendorsoperatingatthevenue;

n nearbysitesandtransportoperators,whichcouldbeaffectedbytheemergencyorsubsequentevacuation.

Anydiscussionsneedtoincludetheconsiderationofthesafetyoftheemergencyservices,aswellasthatofthepublic,yourownstaffandotherson-site.

157 Thissectionsetsoutkeyissuesthatshouldbecoveredinemergencyprocedurestominimiserisksduetocrowdingduringemergencysituations.Itdoesnotattempttoprovideguidanceonthegeneralsubjectofdealingwithemergencies;furtherinformationisavailableonthisfromothersources.

158 Itisimportanttokeepwrittenemergencyprocedurestogetherasanemergencyplan.Ensurethatcopiesofemergencyproceduresorplansareeasilyaccessibletomanagers,supervisors,stewards,otherrelevantstaffandpersonnelfromoutsidebodies(eglocalauthoritycontractors,vendors,emergencyservices).Covertheproceduresintrainingandreinforceduringeventbriefings;thiswillhelpstafftoactconfidentlyandefficientlyduringanemergency.Basicproceduresandotherrelevantinformationcouldbeputonasmallcardorsheetprovidedtoall

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staff.Considercarryingoutmockexercisestoensurethatyourprocedureswillbeeffectiveintheeventofanemergency.Emergencyproceduresshouldcovertheareasdealtwithinthefollowingparagraphs.

Informing the emergency services159 Decidewhowillcontacttheemergencyservicesintheeventofanemergencyandwhowilldeputiseintheirabsence.Theyshouldbeclearontheirresponsibilities.

160 Onceanemergencyisidentified(inthecaseofbombthreat,whenasuspiciouspackageisdiscoveredorawarningtelephonecallreceived),thepoliceandotherrelevantemergencyservices,includingthoseresponsiblefor‘accidentinvestigation’,needtobetoldassoonaspossible.Itmaybehelpfulifchecklistsofinformationobtainedarepassedtorelevantstaff,oratkeylocationssuchasthecontrolpoint.Theobtainedinformationcouldinclude:

n theexactofficialaddressofthevenue;n thenatureoftheemergency,accidentorincidentanditsextent,ifknown;n theaccessrouteandmeetingpoint.Thepreviouslyagreedaccessmayno

longerbesuitableduetothecircumstancesoftheemergency;n anyrelevantinformationabouthazards,egstorageofchemicals;n makesurethatthereisasystemforpassingoninformationtoallvenuestaff

andanyrelevantoutsidebodies.Clearlyspecifywhoshouldbeinformedandinwhatorder.

161 FurtherguidanceformanagersandsecurityofficersonbombincidentsandthreatsiscontainedintheHomeOfficehandbookBombs: Protecting people and property.12

Communicating with staff 162 Differentlevelsofurgentresponsemaybenecessary,frominjuryorsicknessofonepersontoamajorincidentthatrequiresurgentevacuation.Itisthereforeimportantthatacompetentperson(s)withauthoritytostoptheeventisdesignatedattheplanningstage.Sinceeachlinkinacommunicationchainisapotentialsourceofmisunderstanding,breakdownordelay,alertingchainsshouldbeasshortaspossible.

Arecommunicationsystemsadequate?

163 Makesurethatthereisasystemforpassingoninformationtoallvenuestaffandanyrelevantoutsidebodies.Clearlyspecifywhoshouldbeinformedandinwhatorder.Staffneedtobekeptinformedaboutanyemergencieswithinthevenueinawaythatdoesnotalertthecrowdbeforestaffarereadyandinapositiontohandlethesuddenflows.Youcoulddothisbytwo-wayradio,orbycodedpublicaddressmessages.Thelattercanalsobeusedtosignaltostafftolistentoradiomessagesortocontactthecontrolpointthroughtheinternaltelephonesystem.

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164 Youneedtodecidewhattotellstaff.Informationcouldinclude:thenatureoftheemergency,thelocationandtheaffectedareas,theprocedurestofollow,andanyspecialinformationaboutwhichescaperoutesorexitsshouldnotbeused.

Communicating with the public within the vicinity of the event 165 Youwillneedtoconsiderwhattotellthepublicabouttheemergency,andwhen.Whetherthewholevenueistoldatoncewilldependonthenatureoftheemergency.

166 Peoplemaybeconfusedandunsureofwhatactiontotakeinanunfamiliarsituation.Somemaybemoreconcernedaboutmakingalternativearrangements,suchaslookingforseparatedfriends/familyortelephoninghomeaboutadelay.Thewayyouprovideinstructionscanaddresstheseconcernsandinfluencethespeedofthepublicresponse.

167 Itwillhelptogiveshort,clearinstructions,repeatimportantinformationandphraseinstructionspositively(eg‘Usethegreendoor’,not‘Donotusethereddoor’).Bepolite,firmandcalm.Itisimportanttoensurethattheinformationispresentedinawaythatisnotalarming.

168 Peoplecanbeinformedaboutevacuationbycombinationsofthefollowingmeans:

n recordedorlivePAmessages;n wordofmouthbystaff(includingtheuseofloudhailers);n audiblealarms;n informationboards(includingscoreboards,starscreenetc).

169 Informationtobegiventothepublicmightinclude:

n whichexitstouseandhowtogetthere;n wheretoassemble,ifappropriate;n thereasonfortheinstructions(eg‘toavoidovercrowdinginAreaA,please

use...’);n anassurancetopeoplethatarrangementswillbemadetocompensatethem

ortorefund/re-scheduletheevent;n tellingpeoplewherethemeetingpoint(s)areforfriends/relativeswhohave

gotseparated;n availabilityoftoiletsandtelephonesoutsidethevenue;andn providinginformationonanytransportarrangementsthatareavailable.

Evacuation170 Peopletendtoevacuateviatheroutesandexitswithwhichtheyaremostfamiliar.Unlesscleardirectionsaregiven,thiscouldresultinoverloadingofcertainroutesandexits.Youwillneedtoensurearrangementsaremadetomakeuseofallavailableexits,andpeoplearedirectedtothemostappropriateescaperouteandexit.Itmaybenecessarytoredeploystafftohelpinthemostcrowdedareas.

171 Ensuresuitablearrangementsaremadetoprovideassistancetopeoplewithspecialneeds,adultswithyoungchildrenandpushchairsetcduringtheevacuation.Suchassistancewillhelpthesepeopleandalsoreducethelikelihoodofbothcrushingandovercrowding.Youmayalsoneedtosetupbarriersandsignsandhelpstaffandpoliceturnawaythosearrivingatthevenueasquicklyaspossible.

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172 Ifthelayoutofthevenueiscomplex,orthesizeoftheareatobeevacuatedisparticularlylargeordistantfromtheexits,itmaybemorepracticaltoaskpeopletogatheratvarioussafepointsinthevenueandthenescortthemingroupstotheexits.

173 Staffneedclearguidanceonwhattodoifsomeonerefusestoco-operate,forexamplegoinginthewrongdirectionorbeingreluctanttoleave.Staffshouldtrytofindoutwhattheproblemisiftimepermits.Theperson(s)mayhaveaproblemthatcaneasilybesolved,orknowofaproblemwhichyoudon’t,suchasablockedexit.Iftheirrefusaltofollowinstructionsislikelytoendangerthesafetyofothers,staffshouldseekhelpfromasupervisororeventpromoterormanager.Ifdangerisinvolved,don’twastetimeonit-turntomoreurgenttasks.

174 Maintainaclearrouteforemergencyvehiclesandensurethattheemergencyservicesareawareoftheroute.Thisistoavoidemergencyvehicleshavingtocompetewithdepartingorothertrafficortheevacuatingcrowdsinordertogettothevenue.

Considerphasingdeparture

Assembly areas175 Safeassemblyareasarevitalforsuccessfulevacuation.Ensurethereareenoughassemblyareasandthattheyarebigenoughtoaccommodatethecrowd.Situatetheseareasawayfromvulnerableareassuchasflammableorchemicalstoresorcarparksinbombthreatsituations.Ensurethatsignsareprominentandthatthelocationofassemblyareasonvenuemapsorprogrammesisclearlymarked.Thiswillmakeiteasiertodirectthecrowdtothemwhenanevacuationisnecessary.

176 Providepeopleinassemblyareaswith:

n relevantinformation,egclosureofcarparks,availabilityoffacilitiessuchastoilets,telephonesandmeetingpointsetc;and

n updatedinformationonwhatishappeningatregularintervals,egwhetherandwhenthevenueislikelytobereopened,oriftheeventislikelytocontinueetc.

177 Theinformationcouldbeprovidedviayourpublicaddresssystemorbystaffusingloudhailers.Thisassistsotherstafftocarryouttheirtaskswithoutfrequentinterruptionfrommembersofthepublicseekinginformation.

178 Ifdepartureenmasseasaresultofanemergencyorotherwiseislikelytoleadtocongestionofdepartureroutesorhamperemergencyservices,ensuretherearesufficientstewardstocontrolaphaseddeparture.

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Reopening the venue179 Youwillneedtoconsidertheimplicationsofreopeningthevenueonceitissafetodoso–issuesinclude:

n whetheryoucanreadmitthepeoplesafelyinashorttime;n anticipatedcrowdreactiontoclosureorreopening;n whethertherewillbetransporttotakepeoplehomeaftertheplannedclosing

time;andn refundarrangements.

180 Setupprocedurestomanagethereopeningofthevenue.Theseprocedureswouldensureanorderlyreoccupationandavoidovercrowdingduetotheheavyandsuddenflowscreatedbypeoplewhomaybeinahurrytogetbackintothevenue.Ensurestaffareinpositionbeforeallowingpeopletore-enterthevenue.Positionstaffatthelikely‘pinchpoints’inordertoformorderlyflowsorqueues.

Things that can go wrong checklist

Haveallforeseeablescenariosthatcoulddisrupttheeventbeenconsidered?Forexample:

n Haveyouconsultedrelevantparties,eglocalauthority,police,fireauthority,emergencyservices,transportoperators,aboutplanningforpossibleemergencies?

n Haveyouconsideredpossibledisruptionsandemergenciesinyourriskassessment?

n Doyouhaveproceduresinplacetodealwithpossibledisruptionsandemergencies?

n Doemployeesandotherstaffunderstandtheprocedures?n Aretheprocedurescoveredintrainingandreinforcedduringeventbriefings?n Haveyoucarriedoutmockexercise(s)tocheckthatyourprocedureswork?

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Communication181 Goodcommunicationisanessentialfeatureofmanagingcrowdsafety.Organisers,theirstaffandotherpersonnelallhaveakeyroletoplay.

Communication with the public

182 Ifyoufailtoprovidetherightinformationatanearlyenoughstage,visitorsmayquicklybecomeconfused.Forexample,theymaystoporslowdowntosearchforinformation,orsuddenlychangedirection,beingunsureaboutwheretogo.Thiscouldleadtoovercrowdingorobstructionofflows.

183 Peopleexperiencingdifficultiesinobtaininginformationmayfeelunsatisfied,discontentedorevenbecomeaggressive.Theymaybelesslikelytocomplywithinstructions.

184 Therearemanywaysofcommunicatingeffectivelywiththepublic;examplesareshowninTable1onpage62.Whatevermethodsyoudecidetouse,ensurethatyourcommunicationsystemprovidesaccurate,up-to-dateandrelevantinformation,forexamplewhencertainticketsaresoldoutoranattractionistemporarilyclosed.ConsiderrelayinginformationinlanguagesotherthanEnglishifnecessary,forexampleifthereislikelytobeaproportionatelylargenumberofpeoplefromanethnicgroup.

185 Communicationsplayanessentialroleinmanagingtheflowofpeople,forexamplebyencouragingpeopletousealternativeorunder-usedroutes,entrancesandexits.Selectiveinformationcanbegiventopeoplecomingfromdifferentdirectionstodirectthemtocertainroutesandentrancesandexits.

186 Whereverpossible,ensurethatinformationisgiventothepublicinadvancetohelpthemplan.Forexample:

n transportdetails,meetingpoints,venuerulesandprohibitionscouldbeprintedontheticketorpromotionalleaflet;

n displayboardsatthevenue’sentrance(s)/exit(s)couldbeusedtoinformpeopleaboutitemssuchasticketsthattheyneedtohavereadyorprohibiteditemsthatcannotbebroughtintotheevent.Thismayreducecongestionatticketcheckpoints;or

n aformalpressrelease,letterdrop,oradvertisementscouldbeusedtoprovideinformationtothelocalcommunity.

Example: Event in park

Peoplefamiliarwithaparkarelikelytofollowparkpathsratherthanthosesetoutfortheevent,evenifthismeanscuttingthroughcrowds.Routeswouldthereforeneedtobeconsideredinplanning.Goodsignageandeffectivestewardingwouldbeessential.

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Provideclearannouncements

187 Informpeoplepromptlywhenaneventispostponedortransportisdelayed;thiscouldbedoneviadisplayboards,publicaddresssystemorloudhailers.Informpeopleofthemeasuresthatareinplacetodealwiththechanges.Rememberthatforeveningeventspeoplemayarriveinthelightandleaveindarkness-theycouldbedisorientated.

188 Ensurethatallsigns,andparticularlythoserelatingtofiresafetyandemergencyevacuation,arepresentedandsitedsothat,asfarasispossible,theycanbeeasilyseenbypeoplewithimpairedvisionorcolourperception.Clear,audiblepublicaddressannouncementsarevitalforsafetyofpeoplewithimpairedvision.Peoplewithimpairedhearingrelyonthepresentationofclear,informativevisualinformation.

Communication between staff

189 Crowdingincidentscandevelopveryquickly;goodcommunicationsenableyoutomakearapidandorganisedresponse.

Control point190 Youneedtoensuretheflowofessentialinformationbetweenallstaffconcernedwithcrowdmanagement,duringnormaloperationsandinemergencies.Theuseofacentrallocationorcontrolpointtoco-ordinatetheflowofinformationcanassistyouto:

n gainanoverallpictureatthevenue,egsizeofcrowd,build-upofqueues,seriousincidents;

n co-ordinatetheresponseofallstaffresponsibleforcrowdmanagement;andn co-ordinateactionswithotherdepartments,emergencyservicesorother

externalbodies.

191 Forsmallvenues,thecontrolpointcanbeintheformofamanager’sofficewithbasiccommunicationequipment(egtelephoneandatwo-wayradio)andnecessaryplansandprocedures.Atanoutsideevent,itcouldbeatentorcabin.Forastreetevent,youmayneedtochoosea‘primarysite’(egbeginningorendofcarnivalroutetobasethecontrolpoint).

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Table 1 Waystocommunicatewiththepublic

Method of communication Comments

Tickets,leaflets,postersand Canprovideinformationabouttransportand promotionalmaterial venueentrydetailsandlayout,houserules andprohibitions.Leafletsforresidentsinparade areas-parking,recommendingcarryingIDetc.

Signs Needtobesufficientlylarge,clear,legibleand suitablypositioned.Theyincludesafetysigns,eg ‘nosmoking’,‘emergencyescape’etcand informationsigns,egdirectionalsigns,venue plans,venuerules.

Noticeboardsandelectronic Candisplayessentialinformationsuchas informationdisplayboards prohibitiononcansandbottlesbeingtaken intothevenueorno-smoking.Informationon changessuchastransportdelays,openingof alternativeentrancesoremergencyinformation caneasilybedisplayed.

Publicaddresssystems Thesystemshouldbeaudible,clearand intelligible.Itcanbeusedtoinform,adviseand directpeople.Thesystemcanhelptofreestaff fromansweringquestionsregardingdelaysor changes,sothattheycancarryonwiththeir duties.Theindividualmakingtheannouncements shouldhaveacalmingvoice.

Communicationto Ahelpfulwayofgivingspecificadvice,directionsindividualsbystaff andinstructionstoindividualsorsmallgroups duringnormalandemergencysituations.The informationshouldbeclearlygivenandaccurate.

Informationdesks Canprovidespecificadvice,directionsand answerspecificenquiries.

Nationalorlocalradio Canprovidedetailsoftransport(egroutesto andpress take),anychangestotheeventorvenueorlate informationsuchasforecastofbadweather thatwillaffectanoutdoorevent.

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192 Amajorvenue,ontheotherhand,mayrequireapurpose-builtcentralcontrolroomequippedwithclosedcircuitTVmonitorsetc.Controlroomsareparticularlyusefulinemergencysituations,wheretheactionsofvenuestaffandemergencyservicesneedtobecloselyco-ordinated.

193 Ifyouneedfrequentcommunicationswithoutsidebodiesorothers,suchasastewardingcompanyassistingwithyourevent,thinkaboutsharingacentralcontrolpointwiththem,positioningyourcentralcontrolpointneartotheirs,orsettingupapermanentcommunicationslinkbetweenthecontrolpoints.

194 Bearinmindthefollowingpointswhenconsideringwheretolocatecontrolpointsandhowtoequipthem.

n Trytoavoidlocatingnearanypotentialhazardsorhigh-riskareas.n Accessshouldbecontrolled,andentrancerestrictedtoauthorisedpersonnel

only.n Ifseveralitemsofelectricalequipmentareinstalled,anappropriatefire

extinguishershouldbeprovided.n TrytoreducetheglareonclosedcircuitTVsorvisualdisplayunitscreens

fromnaturalandartificiallighting.n Generalnoiselevelsshouldbekepttoaminimum,sothatstaffcan

communicatewithoutdifficulty.n Trytokeepallappropriateequipmentwithineasyreachofeveryonewho

needstouseit.n Considerinstallingemergencyback-uppowersupplies,emergencylighting

andback-upmonitoringandcommunicationsystems.n Consideridentifyingasecondarycontrolpointincaseanemergencyshould

requireone.

Ways of communicating195 Manywaysofcommunicatingareavailableforuseinpublicvenues,rangingfromsimpleverbalmessagestoradioandtelephonesystems.ExamplesareshowninTable2attheendofthissection.Choosesystemsappropriateforyourvenuethatareeffective,clear,andreliable.Organiseroutinechecksandtestsofyourcommunicationsystems.

196 Duringaneventmonitorthesystems,includingsimpleverbalones,toensurethattheyareworkingeffectively.Forexample,thevenuemanagercouldbeprovidedwithaportableradiowhichisleftswitchedonwhiletheyareonduty.

197 Thefailureofelectricalcommunicationssystemsneedstobeconsidered.Provisioncouldinclude:

n sparemobilephonesorradios;n back-uploudhailersintheeventoffailureofthepublicaddresssystem;andn atlargervenues,back-uppowersupplyforthepublicaddresssystem.

198 FurtherinformationoncommunicationsystemsiscontainedintheGuide to safety at sports grounds.

Communication procedures199 Establishclearproceduresthatdefinewhatneedstobecommunicatedtowhom,bywhomandwhen.Thinkaboutdevelopingstandardproceduresforcommunicationsbetweenstaff.Forexample,aradiocommunicationmightconsistofthefollowing:

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n whoiscalling;n wheretheyarecallingfrom;n themessageitself;andn confirmationofthemessage.

200 Ensurethatnoconfusioncanariseaboutareasofthevenuebeingdiscussedincommunications.Areasofthevenuecouldbegivenagreednamesornumbersetcthatareclearlyunderstoodbyallstaff.Agridmapisoftenusedforlargeoutdooreventstoassiststafftoidentifyalocationatthevenue.Toensurethatcommunicationtasksareproperlycarriedout,considerprovidingchecklistsforthestaffconcerned.Achecklistforanemergencymightindicatewhoshouldbecontactedandinwhichorder.

201 Thinkaboutkeepingsomeformsofcommunicationforhigh-priorityuseonly,suchasaradiochannelsolelyfortheuseofthemedicalorhealthandsafetyteams.

202 Ataneventwheremanypeopleareinvolved,suchasastreetparade,considerrequestingthatstandardmessagesareusedbetweenstewardsandtothepublicsoastoavoidinconsistentinformationandapproach.

Communication with outside bodies

203 Decidewhoisresponsibleforkeyco-ordinationtasksinemergencyorothercontingencysituations,Inparticular,decidewhospeakstoemergencyservices,otherlocalvenues,transportorganisationsandotheroutsidebodies.Ifyouneedtohavespecialtransportarrangements,maintaincommunicationschannelswithtransportauthorities,thepoliceandmotoringorganisationsthroughouttheplanningperiodandduringtheeventitself,makingcontingencyplanstodealwiththeresultsoftrafficconditions.

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Table 2 Communicatinginpublicvenues

Way of communicating How it is used

Briefings/debriefings–Reviews Toprovideinformationaboutcrowdsafety issuesandemergencyprocedurespriortothe openingofthevenue. Forcollectingobservationsandfeedback commentsaftertheeventorfollowingan evacuation.

Verbalcommands/handsignals Wherestaffareworkinginvisualcontactorin closeproximitytoanoisyarea.Publicaddresssystem Apartfromitsuseincommunicatingwiththe public,italsoallowsstafftorespondto broadcastpublicinformationmessages,orto codedmessagesalertingthemtorespondtoa problem.Telephone Wherestaffarebasedatfixedlocations,eg turnstilesorforemergencycommunications fromkeylocations,egnexttoemergencyexits andwherestaffreportinatintervals.Radiosystem/portablephones Wherestaffoperateoverawidearea,thereisa needforcloseco-ordinationand/orafast communicationwithothercolleaguesor supervisorystaff.

204 Trafficconditionsmayaffectthetimingofpeople’sarrivalordepartureplans.Keepinclosecontactwiththepoliceormotoringorganisationsforupdatedtrafficreports.

205 Ensurethatgoodcommunicationlinks,egdirectphonelinesaremaintainedwithbus,tubeandrailstationsclosetothevenue.If,forexample,atrainisdelayed,thisinformationcanberelayedtovisitors.Ifyoureventislikelytoaffecttraffictoandfromnearbyeventsorvenues,ensuretheorganisersareinformed.

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Monitoring crowds206 Themonitoringofcrowdbehaviourisakeycomponentofcrowdmanagement,enablingyoutodetectcrowdingproblemsatanearlystage.Youcanalsoassesshoweffectiveyourcrowdsafetyprecautionsare.

207 Effectivemonitoringcanhelpavoidovercrowdingproblemsandaidlong-termactiontocorrectproblemsinvenuedesignoreventmanagement.Threekeyareastoconsiderare:

n overallnumberofpeople(toensurethattheoverallvenuecapacityisnotlikelytobeexceeded);

n distributionofpeople(tohelppreventlocalovercrowding);andn identifyingpotentialcrowdproblems(topreventproblemssuchaspublic

disorderfromescalatingandleadingtoovercrowding).

Where to monitor

208 Aspartofyourriskassessment,identifypotentialproblemareaswhichwillneedtobecloselymonitored.Suchareasmayinclude:

n entrancesandexits;n standingareaswithapotentialforcrowdsurgesorpushing;n popularstalls,attractions,exhibitsandrefreshments;n bottlenecks(egstairs,escalatorsetc);n areaswherepeoplequeue;andn enclosedorconfinedareas.

CCTVcanbeahelpfuladdition

How to monitor

Counting systems209 Countingsystemscanhelpyouestimatethenumberofpeoplewithinyourvenueorareaofthevenue.Designthesesystemstoprovideinformationtostaffatthecontrolpointastohowquicklypeopleareenteringandwhenandifanareaisexpectedtobecomefull.

210 Examplesofcountingsystemsinclude:

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n handcounters.Thesecanbeusedatentrancestoavoiddoublecounting;n providingwristbandstoallowpeopletoenterparticularareassuchasa

standingareaatamusicevent.Overcrowdingcanbepreventedbyonlyissuinganagreedsetnumberofwristbands;

n turnstileslinkedtoautomaticcountingsystems;andn computerisedsystemslinkedtosensorsatentrypoints.

211 Thefollowingwaysofcountingmaybemoreappropriatetovenueswheretherearefewdefinedboundaries,suchasstreeteventsorstationsandshoppingmallswherepeoplearecontinuouslyarrivingandleavingthroughouttheday:

n samplingflowratesatentrancestoestimatenumbersenteringorleavingthevenue;

n monitoringofcarsandcoachesenteringthevenueandcheckinghowfulltheparkingareasare;

n usingclosedcircuittelevision(CCTV)orstaffatvantagepointstoviewthecrowdandestimatenumbers;and

n estimatingthenumberofpeoplebasedonadvancedbookings,transportationschedulesorpreviousexperience.

Staff within the crowd212 Thisenablesstafftoexperiencecrowdingconditionsatfirsthand.Italsoenablesthemtoobservepeople’sfaces,identifysignsofdistressandsenseatmospheresortension.Staffonhandcanhelptoassistpeopleortodiffuseanydangerousbehavioursuchasjumpingontoseatsor‘surfing’thecrowd.Staffmaydiscouragedangerousbehaviourbytheirpresenceinthecrowd.

213 Wheremonitoringisdonebystaffstationedatparticularposts,ensurethattheyoccupyvantagepointswheretheycanscanasufficientlylargeareaandtheirlinesofsightarenotobstructed.

214 Monitoringcanalsobecarriedoutbystaffpatrollingthevenue.Thisisappropriatewherecrowdingproblemsarelikelytodevelopslowlyatparticularpointswithinthevenue.Staffmaybegivenspecificareastocheckatregularintervals.

Patrollingthevenue

215 Ifmonitoringisdonebystaffatthesametimeasotherduties,suchasticketchecking,ensuretheyhavesufficientopportunitiestomonitorthecrowd.Otherwise,considerhavingadditionalstafftoreducetheirworkloadortomonitorandcontrolcrowdsduringbusyperiods.

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Closed circuit television (CCTV)216 CCTVsystemscanvaryfromafewfixedcamerasatkeylocationsthroughtoextensivecoverageusingalargenumberofremoteoperationcameraswithzoomlens.CCTVallowsanoverviewofsectionssuchasentrances,departureroutesandproblemareasrelayeddirectlytothecontrolpoint.

217 Thesystemscanprovideinformationondistributioninanumberofareasandareusefulfordirectingandmonitoringcrowdmanagementoperations.CCTVisparticularlyusefultomonitorareaswhichwouldotherwiserequireagreatdealofstaffing.ACCTVsystemshouldneverbeconsideredasasubstituteforgoodstewardingorotherformsofsafetymanagement.Itshouldbeviewedasahelpfuladdition.

218 EnsurethattheCCTVsystemisadequatelymaintainedandinspected.Developacontingencyplantocoverpowersupplyorsystemfailure.Forlargeevents,anauxiliarypowersupplymaybeappropriate.FurtherguidanceonCCTVsystemscanbefoundintheGuide to safety at sports grounds.

219 Youmayfinditappropriatetouseaselectionofthesystemsdescribedtoeffectivelymonitoryourevent.Forexample,youcoulduseCCTVatfixedlocations,supportedbystaffwatchingthecrowdfromvantagepoints,whileotherspatrolthevenue.

Estimating the crowd

220 Whenmonitoringthesizeofthecrowd,thefollowingareusefulindicators:

n spacebetweenpeople;n roughcountofpeopleinasmallidentifiablearea,egbetweenfourcolumns

whichcanbescaledup;andn rateofflowintooroutofanarea

(iethenumberofpeopleorsizeofcrowdpassingamarkedobject).

221 Whenmonitoringchangesinthebehaviourofthecrowd,thefollowingareusefulindicators:

n signsofdistress;n pushingandsurging;andn shoutingorsimilarindicationsofbadtemperorexcitement.

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Review222 Reviewyouractivityandconsiderallaspectsofthearrangementsyouhaveputinplacetomanagecrowdsafety.Thereviewcanbeinthelightofarecentevent,egfootballmatch,streetfestivaloraperiodofoperationofavenue,egconferencecentre,shoppingmall,railwaystation.

223 Reviewsarevitallyimportanttoensurethatyourcrowdsafetyarrangementsarerelevanttoandappropriateforyournexteventortothechangingneedsofyourvenueanditsvisitors.Yourreviewwillhelptoidentifyareaswherechangesareneededand/orintroducesuggestedimprovements.Itmaybehelpfultousethesectionheadingsinthispublicationasaguidetoensurethatyoucoverallthekeyissuesduringyourreview.

Aims

224 Youshouldaimto:

n involvestaffinthereviewandencouragethemtodiscussconcerns;n identifyandcaterforanychangestothevenue,egstaffingstructure,typeof

peopleattendingthevenue,temporarychangesduetobuildingwork;n identifythecausesofanyparticularproblemsoraccidentsthatoccurredat

theeventorduringvenueoperation.Includeincidentsthatpossiblycouldhaveledtoinjuryordamage(‘nearmisses’);

n identifywaysofimprovingthemanagementofcrowdsafety;andn collectfeedbackfromthoseinvolvedintheeventoroperationofthevenue.

225 Theconclusionsorkeypoints,successesandfailuresfromthereviewprocessneedtobefedbacktoallthoseinvolvedintheevent.Thisisausefulwaytomotivatestafftoimproveperformance.

Timing

226 Reviewyoureventassoonaspossibleafterithasfinished,inordertoensurethatanyproblemsarestillrelativelyfreshinpeople’smemories.

227 Ifmanyofthestaffarelikelytodisperse,youmaywishtocarryoutarapiddebriefingassoonaspracticableandusethereportofthisinthefullreview.Someeventmanagerscarryoutadebriefingimmediatelyaftertheevent.Theythenlookattheissuesraisedbeforetheirnexteventandmodifyplansandproceduresinthelightofthoseissues.

228 Whateverapproachyouadopt,agreethenatureandtimingofthereviewbeforetheeventstarts.Arrangementsforaddressingissuesraisedinthereviewcanalsobeagreedatthisstage.Forvenuesusedonaroutinebasis,egshoppingmalls,reviewscouldbecarriedoutregularly(iemonthly,annually)andcertainlyafteranymajorproblemsorincidentsorwhenanychangesinvenuedesignorproceduresareconsidered.

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Revieweventsafetyassoonaspossible

Involvestaffinthereview

Who to involve

229 Ingeneral,representativesofallpartiesinvolvedintheeventshouldtakepartinthereview.Wherepossible,selectrepresentativeswhocangiveyouthefullestpictureofallaspectsoftheevent.

230 Specifictrainingforyourownstaffinvolvedinthereviewprocesscanhelptoimproveitseffectiveness.Iftherearealargenumberofpeopleinvolved,youmayfinditmoremanageabletohaveanumberofseparatereviewsexaminingparticularissues,whichcanthenbecombined.

What information to collect

231 Theprocessofreviewisbasedoninformationgatheredduringaneventortherunningofavenue.Youcangatherthisinformationinanumberofways,somearesuggestedbelow.Thewayyoucollectinformationshouldalsobeperiodicallyreviewedandupdated.

Sources of information

232 Youcouldconsiderthefollowingsourcesofinformation:n debriefingmeetingafterevents–foreventsrunoverseveraldays,collect

commentsmadeatstaffmeetingsandupdatesduringtheevent;n thinkaboutsettingupareportingsystemtorecordtheconcernsofindividual

membersofstaffandmembersofthepublic;n usingareportingsystemwhichdocumentsincidents,nearmisses,goodand

badfeaturesofoperationsetc;andn healthandsafetyinspectionsbyyourownstafforenforcingauthority

inspectors.

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Types of information

233 Itisimportanttoconsider:

n theeffectivenessofyourplans,riskassessmentsandprocedures,forexamplehowwellanewprocedureworkedforimprovingsupervisors’responsestoinformationfromstewardsorwhetherthenewtypeofbarrierwaseffective;and

n indicationsofproblems,forexampleareasofcrowdbuild-up,suddencrowdmovements,complaintsbymembersofthepublic.Ineachinstance,itisveryimportanttotrytoidentifyboththeobviousandunderlyingcausesoftheproblem.

After your review

234 Basedontheinformationyouhavecollected,yourreviewwillhelpyoutodecideifyourarrangementsformanagingcrowdsafetyareadequate.Itmaybenecessarytotakeremedialactiontoimproveaspectsofyourarrangements.Riskassessmentsmayneedtobemodified.Itisimportanttodecidewhoisresponsiblefortakingtheactionandthetimeforitscompletion.

235 Toassistinfutureplanning,youshouldkeeparecordofthefindingsofthereview.Therecordisparticularlyimportantwheretherearechangesinthepersonnelresponsibleforcrowdsafety.

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Appendix:Relevant legislationThe Health and Safety at Work etc Act 1974

1 TheHealthandSafetyatWorketcAct1974(HSWAct)appliestoallemployers,employeesandself-employedpeople.TheActprotectsnotonlypeopleatworkbutalsomembersofthepublicandvolunteerswhomaybeaffectedbyaworkactivity.Arrangingandrunninganeventcountsasworkactivity.

Duties of employers to employees2 AllemployershaveageneraldutyundertheActtomakesurethat,sofarasreasonablypracticable,thehealth,safetyandwelfareoftheiremployeesareprotectedwhentheyareatwork.Inpracticalterms,employersmustmakesurethat:

n theworkplaceissafeandwithoutrisks;n safeworkingproceduresaresetandfollowed;n machineryandequipmentisproperlymaintainedandsafetouse;n equipmentandharmfulsubstancesareusedproperlyandstoredsafely;n employeesareprovidedwiththeinformation,instruction,trainingand

supervisionnecessaryforthemtoworksafely;andn employeeshavehealthyworkingconditions,includingadequatelighting,

heating,ventilationandtoiletfacilities.

3 Employerswithfiveormoreemployeesmustprepareawrittenhealthandsafetypolicy.Thesafetypolicymustsetouttheemployer’saimsandobjectivesforimprovinghealthandsafetyfortheiremployees.Itmustalsosetouttheorganisationandarrangementsinplaceforachievingthoseobjectives.‘Organisation’canbetakentomeanpeopleandtheirresponsibilities,and‘arrangements’tomeansystemsandprocedures.

4 Employersarerequiredtobringthehealthandsafetypolicytothenoticeofalltheiremployeesandtokeeptheirpolicyuptodate.Revisionswillbenecessaryif,forexample,proceduresincludedinthepolicyarechangedorifthepolicynamesparticularindividualsasbeingresponsibleforaspectsofhealthandsafetyandtherearesubsequentchangesinpersonnel.

5 Recognisedtradeunionshavetherighttoappointsafetyrepresentativesonbehalfoftheemployeesinconsultationswiththeiremployerabouthealthandsafetymatters.

6 Anyemployeesnotingroupscoveredbytradeunionsafetyrepresentativesmustbeconsultedbytheiremployers.Theemployercanchoosetoconsultthemdirectlyorthroughelectedrepresentatives.

Duties of employers to people not employed by them7 Employersandself-employedpeoplehavearesponsibilityforthehealthandsafetyofmembersofthepublic,otherself-employedpeopleorcontractors’employeeswhomaybeaffectedbytheirundertaking.

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8 Thepeoplewhoshouldbeconsideredincludethefollowing:

n peopleattendingtheevent;n stewardsorvolunteers;andn foodandmerchandisevendorsorcontractorserectingtemporarystands.

9 Contractorsandpeoplesuchasvendorsalsohavetheirowndutiestocomplywithhealthandsafetylegislation.However,theymayneedtobegiveninformationaboutasitesothattheyarenotputatrisk.Thosehiringcontractorsmayneedtoexchangeinformationaboutthewayinwhichajobistobecarriedout,sothattheirownemployeesormembersofthepublicarenotputindanger.

Duties of employees10 UndertheHSWAct,employeeshavealegaldutytotakereasonablecareofthemselvesandotherpeopleandco-operatewiththeiremployerwheresafetyisconcerned.

Duties of self-employed people11 Self-employedpeoplehavedutiesundertheHSWActsimilartothoseforemployersandshouldnotcreateriskstothemselvesorotherpeople.TheymayalsobesubjecttotherequirementsoftheRegulationsmadeundertheHSWAct.Althoughonlythecourtscangiveanauthoritativeinterpretationoflaw,inconsideringtheapplicationoftheseRegulationsandguidancetopeopleworkingunderanother’sdirection,thefollowingshouldbeconsidered:Ifpeopleworkingunderthecontrolanddirectionofothersaretreatedasself-employedfortaxandnationalinsurancepurposestheyareneverthelesstreatedastheiremployeesforhealthandsafetypurposes.Itmaythereforebenecessarytotakeappropriateactiontoprotectthem.Ifanydoubtexistsaboutwhoisresponsibleforthehealthandsafetyofaworkerthiscouldbeclarifiedandincludedinthetermsofacontract.However,remember,alegaldutyundersection3oftheHSWActcannotbepassedonbymeansofacontractandtherewillstillbedutiestowardsothersundersection3oftheHSWAct.Ifsuchworkersareemployedonthebasisthattheyareresponsiblefortheirownhealthandsafety,legaladviceshouldbesoughtbeforedoingso.

Duties of people in control of premises12 TheHSWActplacesdutiesonanyonewhohascontroltoanyextentofnon-domesticpremises,egpublicvenuesusedbypeoplewhoarenottheiremployeesegmembersofpublicattendinganevent.Thesedutiesoverlaptosomeextentwiththedutiesofemployersandtheself-employedtopeoplewhoarenotemployees.

13 Thedutiesapplytopremiseswheremachineryorequipmentorsubstancesareprovidedforuseofothers.Thedutiesalsoapplywhenpeopleentertoworkthere,forexamplecontractorswhogointopremisestoinstallorrepairmachinery.

14 Everypersonincontrolofnon-domesticpremiseshasadutytotakesuchstepsasarereasonableintheirpositiontoensure,sofarasisreasonablypracticable,thattherearenoriskstohealthandsafety.Thedutyextendstothenon-domesticpremisesthemselves,anyconnectednon-domesticpremisessuchascorridors,staircasesorstoragespaces,thewaysintoandoutofnon-domesticpremises,andanymachineryormaterialsinthenon-domesticpremises.

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15 Thedutyappliestopersonssuchasownersandoccupiersofnon-domesticpremises,orpersonswhobyvirtueofacontractortenancyagreementhavespecificobligationsinrespectoftherepairormaintenanceofpremisesortoensurethatmachineryorsubstancesaresafeandwithoutriskstohealth.

The Management of Health and Safety at Work Regulations 1999

16 TheManagementofHealthandSafetyatWorkRegulations1999(theMHSWRegulations)requireemployersandtheself-employedtoassesstheriskstoemployeesandnon-employees,egmembersofthepublicarisingfromworkactivities.Thisisinordertoidentifythecontrolmeasureswhichneedtobetakentocomplywithrelevanthealthandsafetylegislation,eliminatingriskswherepossibleandreducingriskfromthoseactivitieswhichremain.

17 Wheretherearefiveormoreemployees,thesignificantfindingsoftheassessmentmustberecorded.Theseshouldinclude:

n arecordofthepreventiveandprotectivemeasuresinplacetocontroltherisks;

n whatfurtheraction,ifany,needstobetakentoreducerisksufficiently;andn demonstrableproofthatasuitableandsufficientassessmenthasbeenmade.

Anassessmentshouldbereviewediftherearedevelopmentsthatsuggestthatitmaynolongerbevalid(orthatitcanbeimproved).Theassessmentshould,ifnecessary,bemodified.

18 Employersarerequiredtohavearrangementsforeffectiveplanning,organisation,control,monitoringandreviewofpreventiveandprotectivemeasures(iehealthandsafetyprecautions).TheMHSWRegulationscoverkeyaspectsofhealthandsafetyarrangementsforensuringthesafetyofcrowds.FurthergeneralguidancecanbefoundintheHSEpublicationManaging health and safety: Five steps to success.13

19 TheRegulationsrequireemployerstoappointacompetentpersontoassistthemwiththeirhealthandsafetyduties.Theemployershouldlooktoappointcompetentperson(s),wheretheyexist,fromamongyouremployeesinpreferencetoexternalsourcesofcompetentadviceandassistance.Externalsourcesofcompetentadviceandassistanceshouldbesoughtifnointernalsourceexistsoritisinsufficienttoprovidetheemployerwiththehelptheyneed.

20 Employersarerequiredtoprovideemployeeswithadequatehealthandsafetytrainingandcomprehensibleandrelevantinformation.

21 TheRegulationsalsorequirethattemporaryworkers(iethosewhoareemployedunderafixed-termcontractofemployment)mustbegivencertaininformationabouthealthandsafetyinformationbeforetheirdutiesbegin.

22 Whereemployerssharetheirworkplacewithanotheremployerorself-employedperson,orhaveanotheremployer’sstaffworkingintheirpremises,theyhaveadutytoco-operatewitheachother,takeallreasonablestepstoco-ordinatemeasurestakenbythemtocomplywiththeFirePrecautions(Workplace)Regulations1997,14andexchangeinformationonhealthandsafety.Everyemployerandself-employedpersonmustensurethatemployeesofanyotheremployerworkingintheirworkplaceareprovidedwithcomprehensibleinformationonriskstotheirhealthandsafetyarisingfromtheworkactivityandcontrolmeasuresintroducedtocomplywiththelaw.

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23 TheRegulationsalsorequireemployerstoarrangenecessarycontactswiththeemergencyserviceswithregardtofirstaid,emergencymedicalcareandrescuework,aswellasrequiringthemtohaveproceduresinplacetodealwithseriousandimminentdanger.Thismightincludeevacuationoftheworkplace.Theemployermustnominateasufficientnumberofpeopletoimplementtheprocedures.Theyshouldbetrainedandcompetenttocarryouttheirroleinanemergencysituation.

The Health and Safety (First-Aid) Regulations 1981

24 UndertheRegulations,arrangementsforfirstaidshouldbemadeatplaceswherepeoplework.Theleveloffirstaidneededdependsonanumberoffactors,includingthenumberofemployeesandthetypeofworktheyaredoing.TheRegulationswillapplytoeventswherethereisaworkactivity.

25 TheHSEpublicationFirst aid at work. Health and Safety (First-Aid) Regulations 1981. Approved Code of Practice and Guidance15givesadviceonhowtocomplywiththeRegulations.

26 TherequirementsoftheRegulationsareseparatetothefirst-aidarrangementswhichmaybeneededforvisitors.

The Provision and Use of Work Equipment Regulations 1999

27 TheProvisionandUseofWorkEquipmentRegulations1999(PUWER)16placedutiesonemployersandtheself-employedtoensuretheprovisionofsafeandsuitableworkequipment,andtoensureitssafeuse.

The Control of Substances Hazardous to Health Regulations 1999

28 TheControlofSubstancesHazardoustoHealthRegulations1999(COSHH)requireemployersandself-employedtopreventorcontroltheexposureofemployeesandothers(iemembersofthepublic)tohazardoussubstances.COSHHsetsoutbasicmeasuresthatemployersmusttaketoassesstherisksassociatedwithhazardoussubstances,implementanymeasuresneededtopreventorcontrolexposureandestablishgoodworkingpractices.FurtherinformationiscontainedintheHSEpublicationsCOSHH: A brief guide to the Regulations17 and A step by step guide to COSHH assessment.18

The Reporting of Injuries, Diseases and Dangerous Occurrences Regulations 1995

29 TheReportingofInjuries,DiseasesandDangerousOccurrencesRegulations1995(RIDDOR)19makerequirementsforfatalities,certaintypesofinjuryandotherincidentstobereportedtotheenforcingauthority(eitherthelocalauthorityorHSE).Thepersonwhoisresponsibleformakingthereportiseithertheemployeroftheindividualinvolved,thepersonwhohascontrolofthepremisesor,insomecases,aself-employedperson.FurtherinformationiscontainedintheHSEpublicationsRIDDOR explained20andEveryone’s guide to RIDDOR 95.21

When you must report30 TheRegulationsrequireareporttobemadeunderthefollowingcircumstances:

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Death or major injuryIfthereisanaccidentconnectedwithworkand:

n youremployee,oraself-employedpersonworkingonyourpremises,iskilledorsuffersamajorinjury(includingasaresultofnonconsensualphysicalviolence);or

n amemberofthepubliciskilledortakentohospitalfortreatment;

youmustnotifytheappropriateenforcingauthoritywithoutdelay,forexamplebytelephone.Withintendaysyoumustfollowthisupwithacompletedaccidentreportform(F2508).

MajorinjuriesarelistedinRIDDORandinclude,fracture,amputation,lossofsight,injuryleadingtoheat-inducedillnessorunconsciousness.

Over-three-day injuryIfthereisanaccidentconnectedwithwork(includinganactofnonconsensualphysicalviolence)andyouremployee(oraself-employedpersonworkingonyourpremises)suffersanover-three-dayinjury,youmustsendacompletedaccidentreportform(F2508)totheenforcingauthoritywithintendays.Anover-three-dayinjuryisonewhichisnotmajorbutresultsintheinjuredpersonbeingawayfromworkorunabletodotheirnormalworkformorethanthreedays(includinganydaystheywouldn’tnormallybeexpectedtowork,suchasweekends,restdaysorholidays),notcountingthedayoftheinjuryitself.

Dangerous occurrenceIfsomethinghappenswhichdoesnotresultinareportableinjury,butwhichclearlycouldhavedone,thenitmaybeadangerousoccurrencewhichmustbereportedimmediately(egbytelephone).AfulllistofdangerousoccurrencesisgiveninRIDDOR.Thedangerousoccurrencesmostrelevanttoeventsare:

n thecollapseorpartialcollapseofscaffoldingwhichismorethan5metreshigh;

n failureofanyloadbearingfairgroundequipment;andn explosionorfirecausingsuspensionofnormalworkforover24hours.

Youmustfollowthisupwithintendayswithacompletedaccidentreportform(F2508).

CertaintypesofdiseasethataffectpeopleasaresultoftheirworkmustalsobereportedundertheRegulations.AfulllistofreportablediseasesisgiveninRIDDOR.

Record keeping 31 Youmustkeeparecordofanyreportableinjury,diseaseordangerousoccurrenceforthreeyearsafterthedateonwhichithappened.Thismustincludethedateandmethodofreporting;thedate,timeandplaceoftheevent,personaldetailsofthoseinvolvedandabriefdescriptionofthenatureoftheeventordisease.Youcankeeptherecordinanyformyouwish,forexampleby

n keepingcopiesofreportformsinafile;n recordingthedetailsonacomputer;orn maintainingawrittenlog.

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Fire safety legislation

32 TheFirePrecautions(Workplace)Regulations1997,asamended,cameintoeffecton1December1999.Theyremovedvirtuallyallexceptionsfromtheregulations,particularlypremiseswithfirecertificates.Yourresponsibilityextendsbeyondcompliancewiththerequirementsoftheregulationsinrelationtomatterswithintheemployer’scontrol.Youmust:

n carryoutafireriskassessmentofthesiteoftheevent.Allemployeesandthosewhoattendwhomaybeaffectedbyafire,includingthosewithspecialneeds,mustbetakenintoaccount–recordthefindingsofyourriskassessmentifyouemploymorethanfivepeople;

n provideandmaintainadequatefireprecautionsandsafeguardoccupantsofthesitebysuchmeansasproperlymaintainedfire-fightingequipmentandfiredetectors,emergencyroutesandexits;and

n provideinformationandinstructiontoyouremployeesaboutwhattodoinanemergency.

33 Youhavesixfurtherlegalduties:

n youmustnominateemployees,possiblyyourself,toundertakespecialrolesidentifiedinyouremergencyplan;

n youmustconsultyouremployees,ortheirrepresentatives,aboutthesenominationsandaboutproposalstoimprovefireprecautions;

n youmustinformotheremployerswhosharethelocationofpotentiallymajorrisksthatmightaffectthesafetyoftheiremployees–youmustalsoco-operatewiththemregardingmeasuresproposedtoreduceorcontrolthoserisks;

n ifyouarenotanemployer,butcontrolalocationthataccommodatesseveralevents,youmustensurecompliancewiththefireregulationsinthoseareasthatyoucontrol;

n youremployeesmustco-operatetoensurethesiteissafefromfireandavoidplacingthemselvesorotherpeopleatrisk;and

n youmustestablishasuitablemeansofcontactingtheemergencyservices,andensurethattheycanbecalledeasily.

34 TheFirePrecautionsAct197122worksprimarilythroughfirecertificationprocedures.Ifyouareinanydoubtaboutwhetheryouneedtoobtainafirecertificateforyoureventoratyourvenue,youshouldseekadvicefromyourlocalfireauthority.Specificationsformeansofescapeinnew,extendedoralteredpremisesarecontainedintherelevantBuildingRegulations.

35 MusicaleventsaresubjecttotherequirementsoftheFirePrecautions(Workplace)Regulations1997,asamended,andtheFirePrecautionsAct1971.Theregulationsalsoapplytoanytentormoveablestructure.FurtherguidanceincludestheGuide to fire precautions in existing places of entertainment and like premises.23

36 TheMHSWRegulationsrequireyoutoassesstheriskstoemployeesandthosewhoattendanevent,sothatyoucandecidewhatmeasuresarenecessarytocomplywithhealthandsafetylaw.Thisincludesprotectionfromfire,anassessmentofitslikelihoodandconsequences,andtheneedformeasurestoreduceoreliminatesuchrisks.

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37 Fire safety: An employer’s guide24containsguidelinesonhowtodrawupanemergencyplananddealswithgeneralfireprecautions.

38 Ifyouareindoubtaboutanyaspectoffiresafety,youshouldconsultyourlocalfireauthority.

Sports grounds

39 Fireprecautionsinsportsgroundswithalocalauthoritysafetycertificate,issuedundertheSafetyofSportsGroundsAct197525ortheFireSafetyandSafetyofPlacesofSportAct1987,26formasingleelementofintegratedrequirementsforspectators’safety.Differentauthoritiesshouldenforceconflictingrequirements.Thefireauthorityshouldconsultthelocalauthorityissuingthesafetycertificate.

40 Localauthoritiesissue,monitororenforcesafetycertificatesforsportsgrounds.Theycansetorreducecapacitiesorissueprohibitionnoticesundersportsgroundslegislation.However,withfireprecautionsbasedonyourriskassessmentundertheFireRegulations,asafetycertificatethatcontravenestheFireRegulationsmayberevoked.Localauthoritieshavelegalpowertoamendsafetycertificates.

Entertainment which requires a licence

41 Severalformsofentertainmentrequirealicencefromthelocalauthorityorlicensingmagistrate.Theselicencescanimposeadditionalfiresafetyrequirementsandstandardsofsafetyandhygiene,whichmaygobeyondtheminimumlevelsneededbytheFireRegulations.Themostcommoneventswhicharesubjecttolicensingcontrolinvolve:

n thesaleofalcohol;n musicanddancing;n theatricalperformances;n theshowingoffilms;n gambling;n sportingactivities;andn otherformsofpublicentertainment.

42 Permanentvenuesusuallyhaveanannualentertainmentlicencegrantedwithspecificconditionsattachedfordifferenttypesofevents.Ifyouareorganisinganeventinpremiseswithanexistingentertainmentlicence,youwillneedtofamiliariseyourselfwithitsspecificrequirements.

43 PublicentertainmentlicencesdonotreplacetheneedforyoutocomplywiththeprovisionsoftheHSWAct.TheHSWActshouldnotbeconfusedwithentertainmentlicensing,whichisdealtwithunderseparatelegislation,suchastheLocalGovernment(MiscellaneousProvisions)Act1982.27

44 Ifyoureventis,ormaybe,subjecttolicensingcontrol,itisadvisabletodiscussthefindingsofyourriskassessmentwiththelocalfireauthoritybeforeputtingyourproposedfiresafetymeasuresintoplace.Thiscanhelpyouavoidunnecessaryexpenditure.

45 Ifyoualreadyhavealicence,youshoulddiscussyourproposalsforchangestothefireprecautionswiththelocalfireauthoritybeforeapproachingtheauthoritywhoissuedyourlicence.

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People with special needs46 Legislationdealingwithpeoplewithspecialneedsmakesnospecificrequirementsregardingmeansofescape.However,theDisabilityDiscriminationAct199528requiresyoutomake‘reasonableadjustments’toensurethatnopersonpresentisatadisadvantage.Thisincludesensuringthatpeoplewithspecialneedscanleavetheeventsafelyinanemergency.

47 Youshouldthereforeensurethatyouremergencyplantakesaccountofpeoplewithspecialneeds.Youshouldidentifythespecialneedsofanydisabledemployeeswhenplanningyouremergencyarrangementsandevacuationprocedures.Youmustalsoconsiderotherlessable-bodiedpeoplewhomayhaveaccesstotheevent.

48 Youhavetobearinmindthedifficultiesexperiencedinenteringandleavingtheevent,particularlyinanemergency,bypeoplewithvariousphysicaland/ormentaldisabilities.

49 Ifanyofyouremployeeshavedisabilities,youshouldconsultthemaboutyouremergencyplan,takingtheirdisabilitiesintoaccount.

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References1 Health and Safety at Work etc Act 1974Ch37TheStationeryOffice1974ISBN0105437743

2 Management of health and safety at work. Management of Health and Safetyat Work Regulations 1999: Approved Code of PracticeL21(Secondedition)HSEBooks2000ISBN0717624889

3 The event safety guide: A guide to health, safety and welfare at music andsimilar eventsHSG195HSEBooks1999ISBN0717624536

4 Guide to safety at sports grounds(‘Thegreenguide’)TheStationeryOfficeISBN0113000952

5 Five steps to risk assessment: A step by step guide to a safer and healthier workplaceINDG163HSEBooks1998Singlecopiesfree,multiplecopiesin pricedpacksISBN0717609049

6 Safety signs and signals. Health and Safety (Safety Signs and Signals)Regulations 1996. Guidance on RegulationsL64HSEBooks1997ISBN0717608700

7 Fairgrounds and amusement parks: Guidance on safe practiceHSG175HSEBooks1998ISBN0717611744

8 Working together on firework displays: A guide to safety for firework displayorganisers and operatorsHSG123HSEBooks1999ISBN0717624781

9 Health and safety at motor sport events: A guide for employers and organisersHSG112HSEBooks1999ISBN0717607054

10 General COSHH ACOP (Control of substances hazardous to health) andCarcinogens ACOP (Control of carcinogenic substances) and Biological agentsACOP (Control of biological agents). Control of Substances Hazardous to HealthRegulations 1999. Approved Codes of PracticeL5HSEBooks1999ISBN0717616703

11 Temporary demountable structures: Guidance on procurement, design anduseInstituteofStructuralEngineers1995(Availablefrom11UpperBelgraveStreet,LondonSW1X8BH)

12 Bombs: Protecting people and propertyHomeOffice1999(Onlyavailableon website:www.homeoffice.gov.uk)

13 Managing health and safety: Five steps to successINDG275HSEBooks1998(Freeleaflet)

14 Fire Precautions (Workplace) Regulations 1997SI1997/1840TheStationeryOffice1997ISBN0110647386

15 First aid at work. The Health and Safety (First-Aid) Regulations 1981.Approved Code of Practice and GuidanceL74HSEBooks1997ISBN0717610500

16 Safe use of work equipment. Provision and Use of Work EquipmentRegulations 1998. Approved Code of Practice and GuidanceL22(Secondedition)HSEBooks1998ISBN0717616266

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17 COSHH: A brief guide to the RegulationsINDG136(rev1)HSEBooks1999Singlecopiesfree,multiplecopiesinpricedpacksISBN071762444718 A step by step guide to COSHH assessmentHSG97HSEBooks1992ISBN0717614468

19 A guide to the Reporting of Injuries, Diseases and Dangerous OccurrencesRegulations 1995L73(Secondedition)HSEBooks1999ISBN0717624315

20 RIDDOR explained: The Reporting of Injuries, Diseases and DangerousOccurrences Regulations 1995HSE31(rev1)HSEBooks1999Singlecopiesfree,multiplecopiesinpricedpacksISBN071762441221 Everyone’s guide to RIDDOR 95: Reporting of Injuries, Diseases andDangerous Occurrences Regulations 1995HSEBooks1996Singlecopiesfree,multiplecopiesinpricedpacksISBN071761077222 Fire Precautions Act1971Ch40TheStationeryOffice1971ISBN010544071X

23 Guide to fire precautions in existing places of entertainment and like premisesTheStationeryOffice1994ISBN0113410794

24 Fire safety: An employer’s guideHSEBooks1999ISBN0113412290

25 Safety of Sports Grounds Act1975Ch52TheStationeryOffice1975ISBN0105452750

26 Fire Safety and Safety of Places of Sport Act 1987Ch27TheStationeryOffice1987ISBN010542787X

27 Local Government (Miscellaneous Provisions) Act 1982Ch30TheStationeryOffice1982ISBN010543082X

28 Disability Discrimination Act 1995Ch50TheStationeryOffice1995ISBN0105450952

Whileeveryefforthasbeenmadetoensuretheaccuracyofthereferenceslistedinthispublication,theirfutureavailabilitycannotbeguaranteed

Stationery Office publicationsCopiesoftheacts,regulationsandotherStationeryOffice(formerlyHMSO)publicationsmentionedinthisguideareavailablefrom:

ThePublicationsCentre,POBox276,LondonSW85DTTel:08706005522Fax:08706005533

HSE publicationsSeeinsidebackcoverfordetails

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Further informationForinformationabouthealthandsafetyringHSE’sInfolineTel:08453450055Fax:08454089566Textphone:08454089577e-mail:[email protected],CaerphillyBusinessPark,CaerphillyCF833GG.

HSEpricedandfreepublicationscanbeviewedonlineororderedfromwww.hse.gov.ukorcontactHSEBooks,POBox1999,Sudbury,SuffolkCO102WATel:01787881165Fax:01787313995.HSEpricedpublicationsarealsoavailablefrombookshops.

BritishStandardscanbeobtainedinPDForhardcopyformatsfromtheBSIonlineshop:www.bsigroup.com/ShoporbycontactingBSICustomerServicesforhardcopiesonlyTel:02089969001e-mail:[email protected].

TheStationeryOfficepublicationsareavailablefromTheStationeryOffice,POBox29,NorwichNR31GNTel:08706005522Fax:08706005533e-mail:[email protected]:www.tso.co.uk(Theyarealsoavailablefrombookshops.)StatutoryInstrumentscanbeviewedfreeofchargeatwww.opsi.gov.uk.

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Health and Safety Executive