Guidance Notes for Organisers Planning an Event on Council Premises

5.   Duty of care

a)     The Site

It is the duty of the organiser to check the site prior to setting up for any event.  Although regular inspections are made on all Council open spaces, it is not done on a day to day basis and hazards may exist.  Should you spot any hazardous area please notify either the Parks Department or the Events Team as soon as possible so it can be rectified prior to the event. 

Part of your responsibility as the organiser is to ensure that the entire area hired, including surrounding areas has not been littered with rubbish from event.

Your insurance should cover any damage to the Council’s Ground Maintenance Equipment as a result of items left on or in the ground following the event.

Care should be taken to avoid spillage of hazardous liquids resulting in damage to either grass or shrubs etc.

Try to keep vehicles using the site to a minimum particularly, in the event of unsuitable weather conditions when it is likely they will cause severe damage to the site.

Any holes, which are made in the surface, are to be refilled when the event finishes with suitable soil.

You must be aware that should the area of land that you have hired become damaged as a result of your event the repair costs will be recharged to the event organiser.

If the numbers of people a site can contain is limited there must be means of monitoring and controlling people entering the site.  Advice must be sought from the Fire Brigade and Police

b)     Stewards and Marshalls

To ensure the publics’ safety an adequate number of competent stewards who are well versed in your safety and emergency procedures should be on site throughout the event. The recommendations are one marshal per 100  public  under 15 years of age and one marshal per 150 public for all other age groups.  All marshals must be provided with high visibility clothing   which makes them clearly identifiable.

c)     Communications

Communication on site can be vital, particularly in the case of an emergency but also to ensure that marshals can ask for support if it is needed. By providing a personal radio link to at least the key stewards you can greatly improve the safety and efficiency of your event

According to the size and type of your event, consideration should be given to providing a public address system.  Public announcements improve event safety and deal with issues from, lost children and people separated from carers to site evacuation

d)     First Aid

It is essential that qualified first aid services are present at your event with, depending on the size of your event, ambulance cover. The St. Johns Ambulance, Red Cross or Margate Ambulance Corp will provide this service and will advise on the level of cover you require based on estimated numbers attending. Be aware that a charge is likely to be made for their services.

Make sure that the basic services required for First Aid are available, eg water and light and that the designated area is clearly marked.

All first aiders must have the necessary and current first aid certificates.

e)     Risk Assessment

In order for you to comply with current health and safety legislation and Thanet District Council’s own guidance on events held on Council land, you must complete a Risk Assessment as part of your landhire application.  This assessment is a   careful examination of what, in your event, could cause harm to people attending or working on the event.  The aim is to make sure that no-one is hurt or becomes ill as a result of your activities.

The Risk Assessment lists all potential hazards then assesses the level of risk before and after remedial measures are put in place e.g.,

Every component of your event needs to be subject to this level of examination. If, a risk remains high even after the remedy is put in place it is advisable not to include this as an element of your event.  If it is an essential component then you immediately have a safety issue that requires stringent controls throughout the event.

We hope that you have found this guide useful. If you have any comments or suggestions perhaps on other topics that should be covered please feel free to contact us. Meantime, we look forward to working with you on your event.

Next: Useful Contacts

Back: Special Attractions and Activities

• Guide to Safety
• Introduction
• Planning the Event
• Infrastructure and Site Facilities
• Specific Attractions and Activities
• Duty of Care
• Useful Contacts

Sarah Phippin

Community Development Officer

E-mail:

events@thanet.gov.uk

Tel: 01843 577092