The event safety guide A guide to health, safety and welfare at music and similar events Health & Safety Executive The event safety guide A guide to health, safety and welfare at music and similar events HSG195 HSE BOOKS Copyright © Crown copyright 1999 Applications for reproduction should be made in writing to: Copyright Unit, Her Majesty’s Stationery Office, St Clements House, 2-6 Colegate, Norwich NR3 1BQ First published as Guide to health, safety and welfare at pop concerts and similar events 1993 ISBN 0 11 341072 7 Second edition published 1999 ISBN 0 7176 2453 6 All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted in any form or by any means (electric, mechanical, photocopying, recording, or otherwise) without the prior written permission of the copyright owner. This guidance is issued by the Health and Safety Executive. Following the guidance is not compulsory and you are free to take other action. But if you do follow the guidance you will normally be doing enough to comply with the law. Health and safety inspectors seek to secure compliance with the law and may refer to this guidance as illustrating good practice. HSE would like to acknowledge the following people and organisations who gave their permission for photographs to be reproduced throughout this document. Steve Anderson, Geoff Galilee, Steve Heap, Penny Mellor, Lorraine Miller-Patel, Philip Winsor, Birmingham NEC, Glastonbury Festival, Mean Fiddler Organisation, Performing Arts Management, Towersey Village Festival, VPS Health and Safety Laboratories, Sheffield and Wembley National Stadium Ltd. Contents Foreword v Introduction 1 1 Planning and management 3 2 Venue and site design 12 3 Fire safety 21 4 Major incident planning (emergency planning) 32 5 Communication 37 6 Crowd management 46 7 Transport management 54 8 Structures 59 9 Barriers 67 10 Electrical installations and lighting 71 11 Food, drink and water 76 12 Merchandising and special licensing 81 13 Amusements, attractions and promotional displays 84 14 Sanitary facilities 88 15 Waste management 93 16 Sound: noise and vibration 98 17 Special effects, fireworks and pyrotechnics 103 18 Camping 123 19 Facilities for people with special needs 119 20 Medical, ambulance and first-aid management 122 21 Information and welfare 135 22 Children 140 23 Performers 145 24 TV and media 147 25 Stadium music events 151 26 Arena events 159 27 Large events 163 28 Small events 167 29 Classical music events 170 30 Unfenced or unticketed events, including radio roadshows 173 31 All-night music events 177 32 Unlicensed events 182 33 Health and safety responsibilities 184 Useful addresses 192 Acknowledgements 195 References 200 Further reading 207 Index 209 Foreword In 1993, HSE, in conjunction with the Home Office and the Scottish Office, published The guide to health, safety and welfare at pop concerts and other similar events. The publication was well received and was adopted as the standard for planning and managing health and safety at these events. In the light of changes to health and safety law, and the continuing development of best practice by the event industry, the guide has been reviewed and revised. The advice in this publication has been tried and tested and lays down a firm foundation on which to organise health and safety at music events. Many of the chapters can be applied to other types of event which, although not necessarily having a musical theme, share some of the common characteristics of music events. This publication will enable event organisers, local authorities, the emergency services and HSE to work together to improve event safety. Their commitment to the production of this guide will ensure that health and safety remains a priority and that all involved will be able to continue to enjoy these events in safety. This guide has been written in consultation with an event industry working group and with the co- operation of a great many people. All contributors, including the members of the working group, are listed at the back of the publication in the Acknowledgements section. I am grateful to them for the time, knowledge and expertise which was given freely and without which, this guide would not be possible. I would like to give particular thanks to Lorraine Miller-Patel, Senior Environmental Health Officer, London Borough of Haringey, who had the unenviable task of co-ordinating the work of this project. Jenny Bacon Director General, 2 999 Introduction About this guide and its aims 1 The guide aims to help those who organise music events so that the events run safely. The event organiser, whether an individual, collective or local authority, has prime responsibility for protecting the health, safety and welfare of everyone working at, or attending, the event. 2 The guide brings together information needed by event organisers, their contractors and employees to help them satisfy the requirements of the Health and Safety at Work etc Act 1974 (HSW Act) and associated regulations. It will also enable organisers to understand the needs of others concerned with events, such as the local authority and emergency services, with whom they will need to co- operate. 3 The guide makes clear what is required and why it is necessary or sensible to do this. The guide does not replace the need for event organisers to seek advice from other sources and particularly for consultation with local authorities and emergency services. 4 As well as event organisers, others will find the guide useful, eg local authorities, health and safety enforcement officers, emergency services, contractors and subcontractors working at the event. The guide provides basic standards and safety measures through which it is hoped to encourage a consistency of approach while leaving scope for flexibility, taking into account the nature and size of the event. How this guide differs from the previous edition 5 The guide is based on the previous edition, but has been updated to reflect changes in legislation, technology and working methods. Following consultation, it has been broadened to cover a wider range of topics and types of events. Some of the new topics include merchandising, camping and amusements. 6 This guide focuses on the application of the HSW Act and associated regulations and not the application of public entertainment legislation. Entertainment licensing authorities may, however, refer to this guide when considering appropriate entertainment licence conditions. Applying the guide to event types 7 The guide is based on the principles of health and safety management and risk assessment. These acknowledge that each event will be different and will require a particular configuration of elements, management, services and provisions. 8 The guidance offers useful suggestions for many types of music event that take place at a variety of venues such as purpose-built arenas, sites not designed for public entertainment, open-air stadia, parks and greenfield sites. It is not, however, primarily intended to be applied to nightclubs and discotheques. 9 The type of music event may vary enormously, including rock, classical, traditional, contemporary and world music. Events vary in size and complexity from a concert of 500 local residents, to a major festival lasting several days and attracting in excess of 100 000 international visitors. All are covered by legal requirements, but the arrangements that may be needed will vary according to the event. Introduction How the guide is arranged 10 Good planning and management are fundamental to the success of any music event. The first chapter of the guide gives event organisers essential points to consider in these areas as well as general advice on legal duties. 11 Subsequent chapters provide advice on specific arrangements for the health and safety of those involved in events, including the provision of services and facilities. There are also chapters which give some specific guidance for different types of event. These chapters should not, however, be read in isolation of all other chapters. The final chapter outlines issues relating to employees and other workers and provides a summary of the law relating to events. 12 Where other guidance is available, event organisers are recommended to refer to this. Technical details contained in the Home Office's Guide to fire precautions in existing places of entertainment and like premises and the Institution of Structural Engineers document, Temporary demountable structures: Guidance on design, procurement and use are not repeated in this guide. 13 All event organisers are recommended to use the chapter headings as a checklist for planning the requirements for their event. By applying a risk assessment approach to the type and size of event, it should be straightforward to decide which elements from each chapter are relevant and to assess the level and type of provisions needed at a particular event. Chapter 1 Planning and Management 14 In order to protect the health, safety and welfare of people attending a music event, as well as the employees, contractors and subcontractors working at the event, health and safety has to be managed. It is of fundamental importance to appreciate that planning for effective health and safety management should start at the same time as the planning for all other aspects of the proposed event. 15 The event organiser for the purposes of this publication is the individual or organisation who promotes and manages an event. More detailed information concerning the responsibilities of event organisers can be found in the chapterHealth and safety responsibilities. 16 The aim of this chapter is to help event organisers plan for and manage their event safely. It explains the principles that underpin good health and safety management and sets out a basic approach that event organisers may wish to adopt to manage safety at events.