Event Safety Advisory Group
Huntingdonshire District Council considers the safety of the public at organised events to be a priority topic and as such plays an active role in providing organisers with a one stop shop where they can obtain advice and guidance in the planning and execution of their event.
The forum for this is the Event Safety Advisory Group (SAG). The SAG comprises Senior Officers from all of the Emergency Services, Huntingdonshire District Council, Cambridgeshire County Council and other representatives from other relevant organisations.
Event organisers are invited to complete a pre meeting questionnaire and forward it to the group. A form can be downloaded via the linked documents on the right of this page. Members of the group will consider the information provided and if necessary, representatives of the organisers will be invited to attend a SAG meeting to discuss their proposals.
The group is chaired by the Licensing Manager, Legal and Democratic Services and meets regularly throughout the year. Meetings are held at the Council’s offices in Huntingdon. Event organisers are allocated their own time slot, usually about forty-five minutes, and the service is provided without any charge.
The group provides advice in the following areas:
- Health and Safety, Risk Assessment and Event Control
- Crowd Management
- Food Safety
- Noise and Light pollution
- Traffic Management and Highways issues
- Trading Standards issues
- Policing and Security matters
- Fire Safety
- First Aid and specialist health care requirements
- Welfare facilities WC’s hand washing, showers etc
- Any other issues that it has knowledge and expertise in that is relevant to an event such as waste and recycling
Typical examples of events would be:
- Street Carnivals and Processions
- Firework Displays
- Sporting Events
- Music Festivals i.e. Folk Festivals, Rock Concerts and Open Air entertainment etc
- Religious Events
- Trade Shows
- Fetes and Fairs
- Large scale company events
- Raft Races and other water borne events
- Christmas Lights switch on
Planning and organising an event in Huntingdonshire
If you are organising an event you will have a number of responsibilities. As the organiser, you will be legally responsible for the safety and well being of those people attending and also working at the event. The key to a successful event is to start your planning process as early as possible. Don’t leave everything to the last moment. The most successful events normally start planning a year in advance.
To help you plan here are some of the key tasks:
- Make early contact with the Council
- Produce a strict timetable including any key dates
- Don’t try to do everything yourself. Surround yourself with a team of people to help you plan, organise and run the event. Appoint a site manager and a safety officer.
- Be realistic about what you can achieve within your budget.
- Produce a Management Control Document together with Risk Assessments for the various activities.
- Ensure you have the correct insurances in place.
- Consider what disruption your event may cause. (Noise, litter, traffic etc)
There are a number of publications available to assist you in the process. You can download them from the Health and Safety Executive website by accessing the external link on the right of this page.
The Event Safety Guide (The Purple Guide) HSG 195 ISBN 0717624536
and
Managing Crowds Safely HSG 154 ISBN0717618344
Contact the SAG on 01480 387075 or by e-mail to the Licensing Team using the link on the right of this page.