Health & Safety Briefing

NUEPN - 19th

February 2015

Occupational Health& Safety Service

H&S at Events Occupational Health& Safety Service

Is it really necessary?• There are moral, legal and economic benefits to managing

Health & Safety• The law says we must carry out risk assessments

Does it add any value?• It can help identify additional control measures• It assists in action tracking and allocation of responsibilities

Is it just a paperwork exercise?• YES - If you fill in a risk assessment and file it away• The most important part of the assessment is communication

What does the HSE say…. Occupational Health& Safety Service

The HSE have a dedicated section of their website to running events safely: HSE - Event Safety

Within that, Event Organisers have duties:

You will have prime responsibility for the health and safety of:

• your workers• members of the public (your audience / the crowd)• contractors working for you at the event

Risk Assessment Occupational Health& Safety Service

Key features of a risk assessment

• careful examination of what could go wrong• it will identify hazards, risk and control measures• in event planning, the risk assessment will be part of a dynamic

process as the project progresses• actions can be allocated to individuals and recorded in the risk

assessment template• one assessment may not be adequate e.g. a visit day:

• An overarching risk assessment will cover overall arrangements• individual assessments to cover particular activities

• it should be proportionate to the risk

Risk Assessment Occupational Health& Safety Service

Typical hazards to be considered

• Access and egress• Fire and evacuation• First aid arrangements• Slips, trips and falls• Supervision and Safeguarding• Electrical hazards• Temporary structures• Welfare arrangements

When it goes wrong Occupational Health& Safety Service

When it goes wrong Occupational Health& Safety Service

Dreamspace, Riverside Park, 2006:• the structure lifted following a gust of wind• 30 people were inside at the time• Sadly, two fatalities and many injured

High Court Ruling:• Justice Foskett said neither the council nor Brouhaha had

recognised the inadequacy of a risk assessment carried out• both organisations had failed to ensure Dreamspace was

adequately anchored to the ground• both were fined and ordered to pay costs

When it goes right Occupational Health& Safety Service

Further Information Occupational Health& Safety Service

HSE website

Occupational Health & Safety Service• www.ncl.ac.uk/ohss

• PSS Lead Adviser – Katherine Wilson• SAgE Lead – Rachael Davidson• FMS Lead – Chris Walton• HaSS – Andrew McKenna

• Each School & Service has a dedicated Safety Officer

Any Questions?