Scrutiny on Health and Safety sector

This report was followed not long afterwards by Employment Minister Chris Grayling’s own document, Good Health and Safety, Good For Everyone. And now Professor Ragnar Lofstedt is conducting an independent review of the country’s H&S legislation.

With so much going on, health and safety professionals working within the event industry should expect to see some changes.

“To have an impact at grass roots level you cannot go in all guns blazing.”

Tim Roberts, Event Safety Shop

As part of Lord Young’s review, local authorities were warned that decisions to ban events on health and safety grounds would be subject to closer inspection. But while this will make them more accountable to the public, it doesn’t mean that the industry should diminish its efforts to keep people safe and well at events, whatever their nature.

“The Institution of Occupational Safety and Health (IOSH) has been calling for a common sense approach to health and safety for years,” John Holden, chair of its new sports grounds and events group, says. “We welcomed the reviews, and their scrutiny of what David Cameron describes as the ‘damaging compensation culture’ that has overshadowed genuine health and safety issues over the last few years. But we urge the government not to opt for overly simplistic solutions that compromise standards and leave hard working people vulnerable. In terms of events, we have called on local whether or not to ban a public event.”

“The fact that the Health and Safety at Work Act includes the words ‘reasonably practicable’ provides likeminded professionals with a means to practise sensible policies that balance real risks,” Tim Roberts, director of The Event Safety Shop, who also looks after the likes of Glastonbury Festival, says. “It provides a degree of flexibility for all. It appears that the government has no great appetite for the wholesale rewriting of health and safety legislation. Hopefully it will simply streamline what already exists.”

No Win No Fee

Lord Young’s review also addressed the UK’s burgeoning compensation culture. One of the most common issues faced by a large number of event companies and venues is the fear of being sued.

“Last year, there were no reported health and safety incidents at Glastonbury, which is fantastic considering the festival is the size of a small city,” Roberts continues. “Over the years, there have been a few cases where people have tripped and tried to sue. But, because health and safety is so high on everyone’s agenda there, and sensibly managed, these claims have been unsuccessful.”

“At a festival like Glastonbury people are bound to fall over. An uneven field surface combined with alcohol is a condition nobody can alleviate.”

John Holden, Institution of Occupational Safety and Health

Noise At Work

The Control of Noise at Work Regulations were introduced into the UK in 1989 and reviewed in 2005. They have had a huge impact on the event industry, and were welcomed with open arms by organisations such as IOSH, but wholesale implementation hasn’t been easy.

“In my experience, explaining the permanent effects of loud noise exposure and combining that with a positive message of awareness and self protection means people are more likely to take note and be willing to wear their hearing protection.” Tim Roberts comments,

“The culture of turning up the volume until your ears bleed used to be commonplace and made it very difficult to even begin a discussion on moderating personal noise exposure,” he adds. “Thankfully, that approach is on the way out and enlightened promoters, suppliers and crew can see the benefits to themselves, the artists and the punters of managing noise sources more effectively.”

The introduction and promotion of the Noise Regulations has pushed the issue further up the agenda for a large number of organisations, prompting them to take a fresh look at the policies they have in place. Certainly for those working on the health and safety side of events, these regulations were a positive move.

“Latest figures show 21,000 people a year experience work-related hearing problems, while 10 per cent of the nation’s adults currently suffer from tinnitus,” Holden states. “Employers and employees need to take responsibility for their hearing and can do so using simple, low cost techniques, taking regular breaks and providing ear plugs.”

The Purple Guide

The Health and Safety Executive (HSE) is working with the event industry to complete the first review and update of HSG 195, AKA the Purple Guide, in 10 years.

“HSG 195 sets out an approach to event safety based on systematic assessment of the risks; effective organisation, planning and management; and implementation of proportionate risk control measures,” Adrian Tinson, HSE inspector for leisure and entertainment, in charge of producing the new guide, explains. “It identifies the principal duties of organisers and other key players involved in events, and provides guidance on effective health and safety planning. It also provides advice on specific topics, including emergency arrangements, medical provision, structures, barriers, transport safety, electricity and fire, crowd management, amusements, special effects and noise. Each topic-based chapter provides details of what an organiser might do to comply with health and safety law.”

The updated version will “focus more on the principles of organisation, planning, risk assessment and management, and should be applicable to all events”, he adds. The edited draft will be out this autumn for consultation, allowing everyone with an interest to comment.

Synopsis

“The biggest barriers for health and safety professionals within the event industry are cultural,” Roberts says in conclusion. “I lose track of the number of people who turn to me and say, ‘But, we’ve always done it like that’. Culture combined with a lack of written contracts and transient working arrangements can make health and safety extremely difficult. Production managers and promoters need to ensure there are clear systems in place to manage what can be ferociously complex and rapidly changing operations.”

 

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Contact the editor: olivia.vanstraten@oceanmedia.co.uk