General Health and Safety

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Health and safety are important considerations throughout the event planning process. Managing risk and ensuring the wellbeing of event staff, contractors and attendees should be your top priority.

As an event organiser, you have a primary duty of care to ensure the safety of all parties involved with your event, including any members of the public that may be affected by your event’s activities.

Developing a comprehensive event health and safety plan is essential to comply with relevant legislation and to ensure the health and safety of all involved. This should be based on an event-specific risk assessment, with corresponding risk management strategies implemented to minimise, isolate or eliminate risks. Your event health and safety plan should cover all stages and aspects of your event and take into consideration all event participants, spectators, event staff, volunteers, activity providers, contractors, venue staff and anyone else who may be affected. 

TIPS

Primary duty of care 

The Health and Safety at Work Act 2015 places the primary responsibility for the health and safety of workers and others influenced by the work on the PCBU (person conducting a business or undertaking). Event organisers, as PCBUs, can be held liable for any incidents or activities that cause injury or ill health to anyone involved with their business or undertaking. Visit WorkSafe New Zealand for more information about New Zealand’s health and safety law. As a starting point ensure you understand:  

Risk assessment and management 
  • It is virtually impossible to eliminate all risks in an event environment with so many factors at play. However, a comprehensive and event-specific risk assessment and management strategy can minimise and mitigate risks to an acceptable level, as part of a wider event health and safety plan. 
  • The creation and implementation of an event health and safety plan and associated risk assessment and management strategy help to demonstrate you have given the required attention to your primary duty of care.  
  • Learn more about Risk Management including how to craft a risk assessment and management strategy tailored to your event. 
  • WorkSafe New Zealand provides useful information about managing risks at events, including advice about identifying and managing health and safety risks. 
Event health and safety plan 

A comprehensive event health and safety plan is not a static, ‘set and forget’ document – it needs to be updated as and when new hazards and risks are identified to be effective throughout the course of your event planning and execution. Key elements to include in your event health and safety plan are: 

  • Event details 
    • Event name 
    • Venue/location 
    • Event timeline (including pack in/out timing) 
    • Contact details for key event staff, contractors and emergency services 
    • Event description 
    • Expected attendance numbers 
    • Types of activities and participants involved 
    • Communication tools, including the radio channels or other communication mediums, that staff, security, emergency services, contractors and others will use to communicate through. 
  • Health and safety policy statement – this statement lays out your commitment as a PCBU to the safety and security of everyone involved with your event and accepts responsibility for the mitigation or elimination of associated risks. This should be personally signed by the most senior member of your team. 
  • Contributory factors – identify the types and numbers of event participants and spectators, activities involved, generic event hazards, and any other factors that contribute to the risk of adverse outcomes from your event. 
  • Site map – make sure to show all entries and exits, emergency evacuation routes, hazardous activity areas, public exclusion areas, toilets, drinking water, first aid and emergency service placements, food and beverage services, security staff posts, fire extinguishers, defibrillator equipment etc. 
  • Risk assessment and management strategy  
    • Hazard identification – create a risk register (sometimes called a hazard register) to document all potential hazards associated with the running and execution of your event.  
    • Risk assessment – estimate the likelihood and severity of the harm each hazard may cause and assig a risk rating to each so you can prioritise and establish appropriate controls for each hazard in a targeted and effective way. 
    • Risk control or management – propose and implement appropriate controls to eliminate or mitigate the risks associated with each hazard, following the hierarchy of controls shown in the Risk Management section.
  • Flow of care – this should lay out the various tiers of responsibility and processes for responding to and evaluating different types of incidents. Examples include: 
    • Prevention - measures to prevent incidents such as volunteers handing out free water to help avoid dehydration and heat stroke and to provide ‘eyes’ on the ground to monitor attendees’ wellbeing. 
    • First aid - measures such as establishment of a dedicated first aid station staffed by trained people whose role it is to assist with any immediately treatable injuries or illnesses (e.g. cuts and scrapes, sunburn etc). 
    • Serious injuries - measures such as having an on-site St John ambulance, staffed by personnel with the training required to deal with more serious injuries or illness (e.g. broken bones, heavy bleeding, dangerous intoxication etc).

 

  • First aid provision – ensure that an appropriate number of certified first aid personnel are rostered on for all stages of the event, from pack in to pack out. Consider engaging a recognised first aid service provider if you do not have the capabilities within your team. 
  • Incident reporting system and policy – you are required to: 
    • Demonstrate your internal incident reporting system (how issues are reported and to whom, including near-misses) as well as management responsibilities and expectations.  
    • List your procedures for reporting notifiable events to WorkSafe New Zealand as well as incident investigation procedures. 
  • Emergency management plan – it is important to be prepared for any emergencies that could reasonably occur at or around your event. Learn more on Emergency Management including an emergency management plan. This plan should include: 
    • a list of the types of emergencies that could reasonably occur 
    • how each emergency is being prepared for (e.g. information, training) 
    • communication methods and decision-making protocol in an emergency 
    • emergency evacuation plan and who can authorise this action 
    • nearest accident and emergency facility address and contact details 
    • role of event staff in the case of an emergency and a process to account for all event staff, volunteers and contractors at the site post-emergency 
    • process to ensure the wellbeing of lost children and other vulnerable people in the event’s care 
    • reference to the site map for all important emergency response factors 
    • emergency service personnel briefing and plan for access if needed. 
Structuring your event feasibility report

Most feasibility studies are structured in a similar way. The following template outlines the sections to consider when completing an event feasibility report.  This is a guideline only as there may be other items required depending on the type and nature of your event.

  • Download an event feasibility report template here.
Toolbox meetings 

‘Toolbox meetings’ should be implemented and held regularly (usually at the start of each day) throughout the set-up, duration, and pack down of your event. 

  • These meetings are for key event staff, contractors, venue, security, emergency personnel etc., to discuss the specific activities happening that day and any hazards and risk-mitigation actions required.  
  • The outcomes should be relayed through the line of command for each organisation to ensure everyone involved has the required information to stay safe on the job. 

USEFUL LINKS

HAVE YOU CONSIDERED?

  • What health and safety training is available for your events team? This can be a great way to upskill your staff and encourage a strong health and safety culture. 
  • If you are in doubt, contact WorkSafe New Zealand for further information and guidance.