EMA's Event Safety Tips
Quick tips for safer events or gatherings
WHO IS THIS FOR?
Small/medium sized gatherings/events/festivals.
We believe these simple conceptual tips should be employed to help make your event safer.
For larger events, EMA is proud to be working on a project with Event Safety Technical Association (ESTA) and Event Safety Alliance (ESA).
Before you start
EMA Recommends you appoint or hire a health and safety "lead"
Although event organizers can be the "health and safety lead", EMA recommends there is one more competent person responsible for event safety at the event. The "health and safety lead" should be in charge of health and safety of the entire event. This person should be the lead in a chain of command if health and safety responsibilities are delegated to other event team members. The "lead" should either be in charge of or at least part of a larger event safety management plan team (ESMP team) and understand and be able to effectively execute ESMP protocol. This protocol should include but is not limited to:
1) Crisis-Intervention
Team Liaison
Team member to interface with EMTs, Police Department, Fire Department, Event Security & Harm reduction staff. Should be experienced and competent manager, able to be a point of contact with all different risk management & event staff teams.
This person should be identified in the ESMP and be appointed or hired by the "Health and Safety Lead" (if not the lead) for the event.
2) Planning/Disaster/Legal
All gatherings should have a plan. We call this an "Event Safety Management Plan" or ESMP.
(ESMP) that includes considerations for the health and safety of attendees at their events. The ESMP should include a risk assessment and should also identify the "health and safety "lead".
We recommend frequent planning meetings even for small gatherings. For larger events disaster (rain, wind, fire, natural disaster) plans should be considered and drawn up, reviewed, and discussed with pertinent teams before build out or gathering.
These plans should take into account local law enforcement & emergency service regulations, in addition to the history of the grounds the event is occurring on. Additionally, confirmation of "command chain" in emergency situations is critical. All team members associated with this should be assumed to be "on-Comm" for the duration of the event and should be vetted accordingly.
For the health and safety lead, consideration should be taken for preventative health and safety measures that may include consideration of damaging high decibel sound to attendees and wildlife, a positioning of speakers and monitors, and hearing protection provided to workers and event attendees upon request. For more health and safety considerations, please refer to our guide.
For a more thorough planning guide:
For tips on fire safety, please visit:
3) Water + Electrolyte Availability
A water/electrolyte plan should be in place before any building of the event occurs. This includes water stations, staff training/shift plans, and access to rehydration resources in the event of heat-stroke or heat exhaustion away from the Crisis Intervention team. All client-facing staff should be trained in customer service & general event information. Electrolytes: For multi-day events, electrolyte loss becomes a key factor in the sustainability of the event and the well-being of attendees. This should include electrolyte gel or tablets, multivitamins, Coconut Water/Gatorade/Powerade/etc (preference to drinks without high fructose corn syrup or crystalline sugar), and (organic) salty snacks. 3rd party vendors should handle the sale, but general/free distribution should be performed by event staff.
Cool down areas can be helpful to encourage attendees not to over-exert themselves or to provide needed space for relaxation. Events that experience high temperatures or a lot of sun exposure should consider misters in the cool down area.
4) Harm Reduction Services/Staff
Internal harm reduction awareness & messaging team - Rotating shifts of volunteers/staff that are able to dispense information about the venue, line-up, water, earplugs, feminine products, condoms and can connect with Crisis Intervention Team to escalate issues they hear about. This shift system should have both a fixed point of contact (vendor table/tent/dome/etc) but also involve roving staff/volunteers to identify situations before they escalate to need Crisis Intervention. Harm Reduction staff should also be in charge of helping to identify pathing hazards (sharp objects, wet floors, loose wires). They should be trained to communicate with individuals or staff in charge of janitorial duties, security, and medical. There should be a separate area for individuals who need various types of sanctuary or additional assistance, as space allows.
5) Rest/ Relaxation
Activities should be set up encouraging festival goers to engage in low energy manner, including a comfortable, and aesthetically pleasing relaxation area. These areas should be supervised by the harm reduction staff.
These are places to help encourage or provide a place for dance-hot event goers to cool down. Misters (away from electricity) should be looked into for events that are known to be hot or are expecting hot temperatures.
6) Pathing
This is part of risk assessment. All roads/walkways/paths for foot traffic should be reviewed with full population in mind to evaluate for bottlenecks, crowding and blocking emergency vehicles. All large areas should have emergency vehicle access in addition to fire exits/paths clearly marked. Signage for fire exits and bathrooms should be made if not already available. Battery powered exit signs can be bought (make sure batteries are working). The signs should be big, bold/ easy to read, perhaps with a reflective paint or tape being utilized if the signs do not light up. Be mindful of anything you hang up. Fire Department standards should be complied with fully. Upon closing, security should always walk all boundaries the party were in and could have gone to, ensuring no one gets left behind. Please read the Event Safety Alliance guidebook for more specific recommendations.
7) Ventilation
All enclosed spaces need to have dedicated temperature control, especially when indoors. When outside, adequate shade needs to be provided to ensure the sun doesn't significantly affect the dance floor and crowded areas. Again, for outdoor areas during high temperatures, misters should be considered in certain "cool down" spaces.
8) Talent Management
All talent should have plans for arrival/accommodation confirmed before arrival. Headliners should have individual handlers, with talent of every level confirmed to have an internal contact that they/their management can connect with before they arrive/once they're on site. Consistency & executive assistance skills here are key.
9) Transportation
Crisis Intervention should have a plan for medical transports to-and-from various places inside the festival, including all stages & living quarters. Additionally, cab & van companies should be consulted/enlisted to ensure sober driving of festival attendees to various transport locations/parking lots. Additionally, local law enforcement should be worked with to ensure the volume of traffic associated with the end of a medium sized festival/concert doesn't disrupt traffic patterns & local roadways.
10) Maintenance/Janitorial plan
Clean up crews, MOOP (matter out of place) patrol & sustainability plans should be in place before build out of event. Plans for consistent trash removal, vomit clean up, & general janitorial duties need to be on paper with either 3rd party vendors or a dedicated team lead to manage this. Wet floors can be a hazard and spilled drinks are common. Janitorial individual or staff should be trained to make regular rounds of the event space to identify hazards related to clean-up maintenance. Note: this is a separate module than break-down or strike crew. "Leave No Trace" should be the standard met without question.
A Safety Note from a Fire Official
"Open space with no sprinkler system,
poor exits, and no security is a red flag"
Remember, these suggestions have been made with citizen safety in mind.
Poor exits and no sprinklers means the building has probably not been inspected and approved by the fire department. The fire department would like to to remind that if these red flags are observed,
"you should think twice before going inside."
About Electronic Music Alliance (EMA)
Protecting people, planet, parties
Event Safety Alliance (ESA) Guidebook
This was a very brief summary of some of the top tips we have for organizers when planning an event. These should not be looked at as standards. We highly recommend that all event organizers take the time to buy, read, and disseminate to production staff the Event Safety Alliance Guidebook. This guidebook delves further into deeper planning especially for larger events. Please visit the ESA website to acquire your book.
EMA is currently working with ESA and ESTA on actual industry standards for the music industry. This process will take possibly several years but is in process.
For a more in-depth best practices suggestion guide for DIY venues, please email us directly.
Social Media and Messaging Guide for Organizers + Attendee Ambassadors
Earlier this year we released a Social Media guide to help Amplify health and safety messages.
Fire Safety
Specific fire safety tips were just released by Party Fire Safety in both text and a video. We encourage you to watch their PSA.
Attendee Safety
Read the great article Joseph Pred wrote from the perspective of an attendee. What you should watch out for, and what you should do.
ELECTRONIC MUSIC ALLIANCE (EMA)
Please check out our main website for more health and safety information at www.ema-global.org
We are a non-profit and global membership alliance of dance music fans, artists, and industry idealists.
We encourage our community to be the "Sound of Change."
We organize around issues important to the community like health, safety, greening, and giving back to our local communities through charitable works. We work to educate our community about these issues and create programs that offer fun & effective solutions.
Party Fire Safety PSA
Good tips for organizers and attendees
Watch this video to keep your parties and friends safe
For more information please visit their website
Contact Us
Have questions? Email us.
Originally created in 2014, the main contributors to this tip guide were Janine Jordan and Terry Gotham.
Janine Jordan
Janine, recently held office for two years as a Neighborhood Council member for Mid-town North Hollywood.
She has been part of the dance music scene since 1999.
Extensively toured dance music clubs and festivals worldwide in the company of a global dance act since 2007.
She is the current Executive Director and has run the
Electronic Music Alliance since 2010.
Terry Gotham
As the former PR chair of New York's chapter of DanceSafe, Terry Gotham has tested drugs, provided harm reduction services, coordinated crisis intervention teams at large-scale warehouse & club parties, and lectured on these topics in the USA, Canada & the Netherlands for the last several years.
Twitter & Instagram using @terrygotham for more harm reduction insights and editorials at www.terrygotham.com
© 2016