Introducing Key Risk Management Tools for Running Safe Events

Mark BreenPGDip, SIIRSM RSP, Tech IOSH, MMII Grad

DirectorCuckoo Events | Safe Events

Me

• Security & lifeguarding• UL – training lifeguards & Ents Crew• Festivals & concerts

• Dual careers• Olympics 2012• The right time

Us

• Crowd & Event Safety specialists.• Qualified, experienced, dedicated &

insured.

• ’Traditional’ H&S plus event-specific.

• Construction regs application eg. Wild

Lights @ Dublin Zoo, Irish Maritime Festival, Bloom etc.

Current projects

• Flavours of Fingal• Fleadh Cheoil na hEireann• Wild Lights @ Dublin Zoo• Dublin Pride• Irish Maritime Festival• Cricket Ireland test matches• Fever Pitch (Galway Airport)• Dublin Marathon

What we do

• Capacity calculations• Event Management Plans• Licence Applications• Transport Management Plans• Emergency Procedures• Safety consultancy

• Event Controllers & Safety Officers

The tools

• We utilise a range of event-safety-specific tools, which augment the traditional risk assessment matrix application.

• Developed by Prof. Keith Still SFIIRSM.

• We select the appropriate tools.

DIM-ICE Meta-Model

• We define events in influences, phases and modes.

• Influences = Design, Information & Management

• Phases = Ingress, Egress & Circulation

• Modes = Normal & Emergency

Risk Mapping

• Risk changes over time during an event, which is something the traditional Risk Assessment matrix doesn’t allow us to fully address.

• Mapping risks is a powerful planning tool & more powerful communication tool.

Risk Mapping Table

Time Ingress Circulation Egress

09:00 – 10:00

10:00 – 10:30

10:30 – 10:45

10:45 – 11:00

11:00 – 11:15

11:15 – 12:00

12:00 – 12:30

12:30 – 13:00

13:00 – 13:30

RAMP Analysis

• We consider attendees approach to & departure from the event site in terms of Routes, Area, Movement & Profile (People).

• This helps us plan resource and staffing deployments in particular.

Queuing theory

• We use a basic queuing formula to model queues to identify when a system will fail.

• This failure will generally result in crushing / crowd density beyond that which we consider safe.

Decision-Support Matrices

• We take relevant info and display it in matrix form to aid in speedy decision-making during events.

• Gives us a base-line that tells us what we EXPECTED to see, against which to gauge what we ARE seeing.

Simulations

• Generally speaking, pen and paper can tell us what an expensive simulation will.

• Some clients / orgs insist on simulations eg. UEFA.

• Garbage in, garbage out.

The end results

• 190,000+ people across 47 sold out ‘Wild Lights’ events in Dublin Zoo.

• 60,000+ people at an Arts Festival in Saudi Arabia.

• Approx. 400,000 people at Fleadh Cheoil na hEireann across 7 days.

• 20,000 runners & tens of thousands of spectators at Dublin Marathon.

The bottom line

• We relish the challenge of planning and executing safe events.

• We take it very seriously – as we should – but we enjoy doing what we do.

A final thought

• I don’t see our role as being to eliminate risk. The only event devoid of risk is the one that doesn’t happen.

• Our role is to facilitate the creative & challenging visions of our clients and realise amazing, safe events.

Thanks

• Thank you for listening to me

• Thank you to Suzan, Siobhan and all at IIRSM for allowing me to be a part of this 1st meeting

• Cheers

Mark Breen | mark@safeevents.ie