WHO IS THIS FOR?
Small to medium-sized gatherings, events, festivals.
We believe these simple conceptual tips could be employed to help make an event safer.
EMA is proud to be working on a project with the Event Services & Technology Association (ESTA) and Event Safety Alliance (ESA) that will supersede these recommendations when complete.
2) Planning/Disaster/Legal
All gatherings should have a plan. We call this an "Event Safety Management Plan" or "ESMP".
ESMP 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 coordinator".
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 the beginning of the event.
These plans should take into account local law enforcement & emergency service regulations, in addition to the history of the location.
Confirmation of the "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 coordinator, consideration should be taken for preventative health and safety measures that may include consideration of damaging high decibel sound to attendees and wildlife which might then include a recommendation on the positioning of speakers and monitors. There should be plans to provide hearing protection to workers and event attendees upon request. For more health and safety considerations, please refer these guides.
For a more thorough planning guide:
For tips on fire safety, please visit:
3) Water + Electrolyte Availability
A water and electrolyte plan should be in place before any building for 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. 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/ Electrolyte replacement drinks (preference to drinks without high fructose corn syrup or crystalline sugar), and (organic) salty snacks. 3rd party vendors should handle the sale, but general or free distribution should be performed by event staff.
Cool-down areas can be helpful to encourage attendees not to over-exert themselves and provide sometimes 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 and Staff
For small events, the Health and Safety coordinator might be sufficient. Medium events should have an internal harm reduction service or staff who are in charge of specific harm reduction awareness issues & messaging. This team of harm reduction staff would be responsible for rotating shifts of roaming the event and dispensing information about the venue, line-up, water, earplugs, feminine products, condoms, consent, safe-space issues. They should know how to escalate issues they hear about to the Health and Safety coordinator, Medical, or Security if need be.
This system should have both a fixed point of contact (vendor table/tent/dome/etc) and also involve roving staff or volunteers to identify situations before they might be escalated.
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 a sanctuary or additional assistance, as space allows.
5) Rest/ Relaxation
There should be some activities or areas set up to encourage event attendees to occasionally rest and cool down. This should include a comfortable and aesthetically pleasing relaxation area. These areas should be supervised by the harm reduction staff.
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, and paths for foot traffic should be reviewed with full capacity in mind to evaluate for bottlenecks, crowding and blocking emergency vehicles. All large areas should have emergency vehicle access and fire exits and 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 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 of the boundaries of the party to ensure 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.
For outdoor areas during high temperatures, misters should be considered for cool-down areas (with risk assessment of electrical equipment and outlets).
8) Talent Management
Before arrival, all talent should have travel and accommodations. All talent and their management teams, should be provided an appropriate event staff contact for requests and emergencies.
Headliners should be assigned a dedicated staff member. Consistency is recommended. Executive assistance skills 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.
Cab & van companies should be consulted or enlisted in advance to ensure sober driving of festival attendees to various transport locations or parking lots.
Additionally, (and if applicable) 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
"Leave No Trace"
We saved the best for last!
Clean up crews, MOOP (matter out of place) patrol & sustainability plans should be in place before build-out of the 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.
Spilled drinks are common, wet floors and crushed bottles on a dancefloor can be hazards. A janitorial individual or staff, or roving volunteers should be trained to make regular rounds of the event space to identify hazards related to clean-up maintenance.
Note: This is during the event and therefore in addition to a post-event 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."
