Event Safety Checklist

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Before you start

Have you settled on the type, size, location and duration of the event?
Is there a clear understanding within the event team of who will be responsible for safety matters?
Have you prepared a safety plan? (See below)
Did you liaise with other relevant parties if applicable (e.g. venue, stall holders, partner organisations, exhibitors, performers, contractors etc.)?
If using contractors, are you confident they are competent and safety aware?

Your Safety Plan

Have you decided who will help you with your duties and what their roles will be? You might refer to these as your event stewards.
Have you consulted the venue, contractors, exhibitors, performers etc. for details of the safety control measures they have in place arising from their own activities?
Have you agreed on how you will maintain communications with other parties during the event?
Have you sketched out an event site plan?
Have you assessed all the foreseeable risks?
Did you involve your team during the planning of your event?
Have you provided the right facilities, including first aid and toilets?
Have you planned for incidents and emergencies?
Do you need any additional insurance (check your current policy)?
Do you know how to have a crowd/people management plan (see below)?
Do you have a traffic management plan (see below)?
Have you planned for bad weather?

Risk Assessment

Have you identified the hazards relating to your event, with regard to:
- setting up?
- running the event?
- taking down and clearing up?
Have you decided who might be harmed by these hazards; and how?
Have you evaluated the risks of these hazards?
Have you agreed on suitable safety measures to avoid or control risk from these hazards?
Have you informed people of the safety measures to be followed (e.g. in briefings, signage, posters etc)?
Have you shared your risk assessments with the venue controller, contractors etc?
Have you a procedure to monitor the effectiveness of your safety control measures?

Managing the event

Before doors open, have you:

Made sure your team/stewards and others involved understand their safety responsibilities and know who is coordinating safety matters?
Included safety matters as part of a general site induction and briefings about individual work activities and tasks?
Checked safety control measures (arising from risk assessment) are working?
Put up signs and posters to help enforce onsite safety rules?
Made sure contractors and others involved know what to do in the event of an accident?

Managing the Public

Have you considered how you will manage people’s safety:

Upon arrival and entry to the venue or site (eg. access routes, queuing space and entrances)?
When onsite and circulating (eg. concourses, areas around facilities)?
When leaving the venue/site and dispersal (eg. exit routes and exit gate widths)?
If they have access or other mobility needs because of a disability?
If the numbers attending are higher than expected?

Managing traffic

Is parking required and available?
Can you stop people from parking where they may cause a hazard?

Emergency procedures

As part of the safety plan, you should nominate members of your team/stewards to be responsible. Procedures for staff and volunteers to follow in an emergency should include: