As the events industry strives to bounce back from COVID-19, we look at how it is tackling a world of new challenges.
The stakes couldn’t be higher for event safety, as underlined by the devastating tragedy at the O2 Academy Brixton in December, where two people – one a member of the security team working at the venue for the first time – lost their lives as the result of a crowd crush.
Managing health and safety for events calls for a unique skill-set to respond to the needs of a complex and time-sensitive industry – where a band and their crew will be in situ for less than 24 hours, temporary demountable structures are common and one-off shows at the same venue will have completely different risk profiles.
‘To perform health and safety well in this industry, you need to really understand how events work – experience is everything,’ says Chris Hannam CMIOSH, senior event health and safety manager at Stagesafe.
One size doesn’t fit all
‘Every event has its own set of risk factors and considerations,’ says Eddy Grant CMIOSH, director of safety at Symphotech. ‘You’re creating a standalone experience and, for that to be successful, it needs its own well-researched, properly formulated and effective safety plan.’
Unfortunately, not everybody operates to the same high standard. ‘Too many people rely on generic risk assessments and blanket health and safety policies, rather than ones specific to the actual event,’ adds Roger Sutton, the Musicians’ Union’s health and safety consultant.
Image problem
‘Man with a clipboard’ is an image the profession is still trying to shake off. ‘We’re not here to strip the fun and excitement from live events,’ says Eddy. ‘In fact, if you bring us on board from the first day of planning and make us part of the creative process, we can help you come up with imaginative solutions that not only meet health and safety requirements but which reflect a performer’s artistic vision.’
‘If we’re brought in early, we can also save clients time and money through our extensive contact list built up over decades – we know the suppliers to avoid and the ones that won’t let you down,’ explains Richard Bate, director of safety and sustainability at the FIM EBK World Cup and vice-president of IOSH.
‘It goes beyond who you’re legally responsible for at an event,’ agrees Eddy. ‘It’s about looking after everybody involved in making it a success.’
Securing buy-in
But in an industry where margins can be tight, cost often prevails over establishing a safety culture.
‘Sadly, “How much for health and safety?” is something I hear all too often,’ says Chris. ‘There’s no brief or detail on the event – they simply want a price so they can find the cheapest consultant.’
Roger adds that ‘there are employers, producers and venues that set higher standards, but everywhere else there’s a constant battle between financial concerns and health and safety needs’.
A lack of accountability and the ‘here today, gone tomorrow’ nature of events doesn’t help. ‘There’s generally poor enforcement, and that leads into a much wider discussion regarding financial support for enforcement authorities,’ says Roger.
In the face of such challenges, building relationships is key. ‘Stakeholder engagement and buy-in are fundamental to the process,’ says Eddy. ‘It’s about changing people’s attitudes and behaviours, and helping them to see that a well-run, safe event will make more money.’
‘It’s an ongoing education process,’ adds Richard. ‘I don’t think events are knowingly putting people at risk. I think it’s a case of a lack of knowledge and understanding.’
External challenges
The industry has found itself buffeted in recent years by the combined effects of Brexit, COVID-19 and now the challenges of the current economic climate.
‘Since the pandemic, a lot of people have left the industry,’ says Chris. ‘There’s a real shortage of crew, technicians, security and stewards now.’
Eddy adds: ‘The one positive from this is that employers are having to pay real money for real skills. We’re also seeing great new people coming on board who have requalified and reskilled.’
The one positive from [post-pandemic staff shortages] is that employers are having to pay real money for real skills
‘It wasn’t just staff that festivals were short of last year either,’ confirms Chris. ‘People were desperate to get back out there after two years of upheaval, so there was a huge surge in the number of events. This contributed to a significant shortage of equipment, especially portable toilets, fencing and temporary roadway – all critical basic infrastructure. We’re hoping this year will see a return to normal service.’
Of course, COVID-19 hasn’t gone away and still has implications in terms of planning. ‘Pre-pandemic, no event had a viral healthcare policy,’ says Eddy. ‘Now it’s just another aspect of the risk assessment and management process. It’s not a key priority – there are other, much greater hazards when it comes to events – but it does need to be both acknowledged and addressed.’
‘Worryingly, I’ve seen hygiene standards slipping back to pre-COVID-19 levels of compliance,’ says Richard. ‘The pandemic was costly – socially and financially – and some organisers are cutting back in this area to save money. Interestingly, I’m advising on a project in China where operators are now ignoring the regulations at a time when infection rates there are rising exponentially.’
Weather warning
2022 saw the world experience violent extremes of weather due to climate change. Widespread heatwaves and the resulting forest fires, high winds (causing a stage to collapse at the Medusa Festival in Spain, killing one man and injuring many others) and flooding led to festivals being cancelled across Europe, Australia and the US.
‘Weather events have always played a huge role in my planning process, but it’s imperative now for all organisers to have procedures in place for extreme weather, as the issue is only going to grow,’ says Richard. ‘It’s vital these include region-specific risk registers and a detailed review of the required regulation in those countries – in particular, there’s often very specific safety guidance around temporary structures.’
Event emissions
Going green
As events look to reduce their emissions, green transport is firmly in the spotlight. Whether it’s an electric car, e-scooter or e-cargo bike, the new technology presents fresh challenges, as well as environmental benefits.
‘While it’s a very small risk, plans have to be put in place for the electric vehicle equivalent of a fire in an internal combustion engine – a thermal runaway,’ says Richard (pictured). ‘Crucially, these reactions are incredibly energetic, generating a huge amount of heat – enough to damage concrete – and don’t respond to traditional firefighting techniques.’
For organisers, this means planning for a potentially serious fire risk in a crowded environment. ‘It’s not like a normal fire – you can’t put a thermal runaway out,’ says Richard. ‘The only solution is to take the vehicle to a remote area where the fire service can apply water to cool the battery cell pack until the temperature returns to ambient local temperature – this could take up to six hours.’
Organisers aren’t just focusing on transport on site. The carbon emissions generated by the events industry in terms of global travel are also a major focus. This year will see the launch of the FIM EBK World Cup, where 10 teams will compete across the world. Its carbon footprint will be minimised by ensuring only essential travel by the organising team, with most event operations and services fulfilled by local businesses.
Richard explains: ‘While this is just one aspect of the competition’s sustainability strategy, it’s a critical one in terms of OSH, given that different countries have very different approaches to health and safety. As a result, outlining the overall approach we expect local teams to take, setting minimum standards and employing key performance indicators is vital.’
People first
‘Our workforce are well educated on their rights and event staff want to know that they’ll be looked after,’ says Richard. ‘It’s therefore crucial they’re actively engaged with health and safety and the steps being taken to protect them.’
Eddy agrees: ‘It’s as much about briefing and educating staff properly as putting the correct welfare measures in place.’
This is especially important for volunteers, who may be working for free in return for their ticket and have no events experience. Support and close supervision are also key.
One issue that can’t be escaped is the time pressure associated with live events. ‘If fireworks are planned for midnight, they have to go off on the dot,’ says Eddy. ‘Teams are under enormous pressure to deliver, often over consecutive days, and that does lead to stress.’
‘It’s a difficult issue to address in a transient industry, especially when the vast majority of workers are temporary,’ adds Richard. ‘Pointing staff in the direction of apps and YouTube videos for stress is a sticking plaster, not a solution.’
Fatigue is another serious issue, especially for multi-day events. ‘When you have people walking around not knowing what day of the week it is as they’ve had so little sleep, it’s a recipe for disaster,’ says Chris.
‘We’re all guilty of being hypocrites and telling people they can’t work 18-hour days, seven days a week, but the fact is that the show must go on,’ says Richard. ‘Our role is to understand the effects of fatigue and then introduce reasonable mitigations. One of the most positive benefits of integrating true sustainability into event management will be that this will capture, and hopefully resolve, a lot of these complex welfare issues.’
‘People are the key to a successful event,’ confirms Eddy. ‘A fantastic customer experience starts and ends with well-looked-after, happy staff and it’s our job to ensure that happens.’
