Produce a site risk assessment and event safety plan that meets local licensing requirements.
Occupational Health & Safety
Event Health and Safety Planning for Venues, Festivals and Temporary Structures
Prepares event safety officers to plan licensing, structural checks, crowd management and emergency response for festivals, venues and temporary builds, from risk assessment to post-event debrief.
🗓️Duration5 training days
📚Content4 modules · 8 sessions
🎓On completionAccredited attendance certificate
About the programme
Course Overview
A festival site or temporary venue exists for a matter of days, yet it must meet the same safety standards as a permanent building while coordinating dozens of contractors who have never worked together before. This course teaches event safety officers, production managers and local authority licensing teams how to plan an event from the first site risk assessment to the post-event debrief. Participants learn to prepare the documentation an event safety certificate requires, commission wind-loading and structural checks on stages, marquees and grandstands, and coordinate temporary power, lighting and rigging so contractors do not create hazards for each other. The course covers crowd modelling and density monitoring at pinch points, ingress and egress design, and the multi-agency planning that brings police, ambulance and fire services into a shared event safety plan. Sessions also address weather contingency triggers for high-wind structure closures, incident command during the show, and the handover between build, live show and de-rig phases when responsibility for site safety changes hands. By the end, participants can produce an event safety plan that a licensing authority will accept and that a site team can actually follow under pressure.
Expected Learning Outcomes
Commission and check wind-loading and structural sign-off for stages, marquees and temporary grandstands.
Coordinate temporary power, lighting and rigging installations across multiple contractors safely.
Model crowd density and design ingress, egress and pinch-point controls for peak attendance.
Build a multi-agency emergency plan that aligns police, ambulance, fire and event stewarding.
Set weather contingency triggers for structure closure, evacuation or event suspension.
Manage the handover of site responsibility across build, live show and de-rig phases.
Who Should Attend
Event safety officers and production managers planning festivals, concerts or temporary venues.
Local authority licensing officers assessing event safety certificate applications.
Venue managers hosting temporary structures, marquees or outdoor stages on their site.
Contractors supplying rigging, temporary power or structural elements for live events.
Emergency services liaison officers involved in multi-agency event planning.
Health and safety consultants advising festival or exhibition organisers.
Course Modules
Select any module to see its sessions and points.
01Scoping Event Risk and Licensing Requirements
2 sessions · 8 points
Session 1Building the Site Risk Assessment and Event Profile
- Profile an event by audience size, programme content and site layout to scope the risk assessment.
- Identify hazards specific to the site, including access roads, watercourses and neighbouring land uses.
- Set assumptions for weather, crowd behaviour and duration that the risk assessment must cover.
- Involve stewarding, medical and security leads early so the risk assessment reflects real operations.
Session 2Event Safety Certification and the Safety Plan
- Prepare the documentation a licensing authority expects to see in an event safety certificate application.
- Translate licensing conditions into actions owned by named roles within the event safety plan.
- Coordinate safety advisory group meetings with local authority, police and fire representatives.
- Update the event safety plan as site changes and contractor confirmations arrive before build.
02Temporary Structures and Site Infrastructure
2 sessions · 8 points
Session 1Structural Checks for Stages, Marquees and Grandstands
- Commission a competent engineer to check wind-loading and structural design for temporary builds.
- Verify ground-bearing conditions and anchoring methods before structures are erected on site.
- Inspect completed structures against the design drawings before handover to production teams.
- Set maximum wind speed thresholds that trigger inspection, evacuation or structure closure.
Session 2Temporary Power, Lighting and Rigging Safety
- Plan temporary power distribution so generator loads, cabling routes and RCD protection meet demand safely.
- Coordinate rigging plans between different contractors sharing the same truss or structure.
- Inspect temporary lighting and cabling for trip hazards and water ingress in outdoor conditions.
- Verify working-at-height controls for riggers installing and striking overhead equipment.
03Crowd Management and Emergency Response
2 sessions · 8 points
Session 1Crowd Modelling and Ingress and Egress Design
- Calculate crowd density at entrances, bars and viewing areas against capacity limits.
- Design ingress and egress routes that avoid bottlenecks at peak arrival and departure times.
- Position stewards and barriers at pinch points identified through crowd flow modelling.
- Monitor crowd density in real time and set trigger points for opening additional exits.
Session 2Multi-Agency Planning and Emergency Response
- Build a shared emergency plan with police, ambulance and fire service commanders before the event.
- Define incident command roles and communication channels for use during a live incident.
- Plan medical provision and casualty clearing points appropriate to the audience profile.
- Rehearse evacuation and invacuation procedures with stewards before doors open.
04Live Event Operations and Site Handover
2 sessions · 8 points
Session 1Managing Build, Show and De-Rig Phases
- Assign clear site safety responsibility for each phase from build through show to de-rig.
- Coordinate contractor inductions and permits to work during the build phase.
- Track outstanding actions from the safety advisory group through to close-out before opening.
- Manage de-rig traffic movements and fatigue risk for crews working through the night.
Session 2Weather Contingency, Command and Debrief
- Set weather monitoring arrangements and communication routes for contingency decisions.
- Run the incident command structure through a live-event scenario before opening to the public.
- Record incidents, near misses and stewarding actions throughout the event for later review.
- Conduct a post-event debrief that feeds lessons into the next event safety plan.
What the participant receives
4 course modules
A structured syllabus
8 training sessions
across 5 days
32 detailed points
Applied, detailed content
Accredited attendance certificate
On completing the programme
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