Health and Safety

New London Architecture (NLA) organiser of the LFA is not responsible for the Health & Safety of any third-party events rather each Event Organiser is directly responsible for the safe planning and running of their own events which are promoted through the LFA festival programme.

However, to support event organisers we have prepared the following guidance which outlines the main factors to be taken into consideration when running an event as part of this year’s festival.

This content is broken down into:

General guidance
Event type specific Information
Events for children or young people
Further help

1. General guidance

Insurance

Please check your organisation’s Public Liability and Employers Liability insurances have been extended to cover the public events and activities you have planned as part of the festival. NLA’s insurance policies do NOT cover your event/s or activities.

Risk Assessment

We strongly recommend that you conduct a thorough risk assessment during the planning stage of your event to determine what controls or precautions need to be put into place to manage the event safely. Here is a link to our own risk assessment template which may help you structure your thoughts.
Before any event, it’s always a good idea to gather your team together and run through potential risks with them as well as considering what you would do in certain situations. Making sure that your team knows where the emergency exits are, where the nearest first aiders are, etc.
Please review and update your risk assessment if you think it might no longer be valid (e.g, following an accident in the workplace or if there are any significant changes to hazards, such as a change to the planned event, venue, new equipment or activities)

Download the Risk Assessment Template here

Photography and Videography

It’s important to recognise that some people may not want their photo, or a photo of their children taken at events. For all your events you should make clear to participants whether photography or filming will take place, and where the images may be used. Ideally this would be before the day as well as on the day.
Prominently displayed photography disclaimers are also advised when a photographer/videographer is on site. We have found the following wording for a disclaimer works well:

‘There is a professional photographer booked to take photographs of visitors in these areas today. We reserve the right to take photographs for publicity purposes including in print, film and on the website. If you do not wish your child to be photographed please inform our staff.’

Timings

It is important to think about the timings of events. For example, evenings in June tend to be fairly light, but if your venue is down an alleyway that becomes very dark in the evening, this may add a further risk to your team and visitors and you may wish to make adjustments to mitigate any risk.

Venue

If you are running an event in your studio or workshop, it’s worth making sure that you put away any tools or materials.
It’s also worth making sure desks are cleared and any confidential information is locked away – particularly personal or business-sensitive information. Are there any passwords or confidential information, for example on whiteboards or notice boards that you should cover up or remove?
Check the maximum capacity of your venue and think about what you will do if more people arrive than you have capacity for. Using a ticketing system may help resolve this issue.
As with all venues it’s worth making sure that there are no obvious trip or slip hazards.

Alcohol

Are you serving alcoholic drinks at your event? If so it’s important to be aware of licensing restrictions – particularly if you’re thinking about selling tickets where the tickets include a drink, or you are considering charging for drinks.
It’s also sensible to consider who is doing the serving, how you will prevent underage people from drinking and what measures you will implement to stop people drinking to excess.
Please also consider whether any risks identified in your risk assessment might be increased through the consumption of alcohol.

2. Event type specific Information

Static Events (such as talks, workshops, performances)

If you are running an event with an audience it is important they are made aware of the emergency procedures for the venue. Most organisers do this as part of a friendly welcome to the venue – letting people know where the fire exits are and what they should do in the event of an emergency, as well where the toilets are and so forth

Walks and Tours

If you are running a walking tour on public land it would be sensible at the beginning to remind people that they are in a public space and that whilst concentrating on the tour leader, they should remain aware of their surroundings. Whilst people are looking up at buildings or concentrating on one thing, they can find themselves less aware of their surroundings.
One of the biggest risks can be traffic – both from bikes and cars. As a group leader you should take care not to lead the group across busy roads or ask them to stop in potentially dangerous or exposed areas. Similarly, if a large group is blocking the pavement, this can cause risks to others. Remember risks can come from other people too.
Please think about the size of the group that you are able to manage and cap your tickets accordingly. If it’s a large group, you may wish to have an additional person at the back of the group.
It is helpful to have walked the route in advance at a similar time of day as you assess any risks that might be present. There are often easy ways to minimise the risk, for example by taking a different route to avoid busy or fast-moving roads.
Cycling or running groups can present extra challenges. For example, will you be enforcing a bike helmet rule?

Installations

If you are building something specifically for the festival or showcasing an existing piece, it is important to think about how people will interact with the installation, whether the installation is safe to be left alone or requires invigilation and whether it is robust enough to last for the duration of time that you plan it to be installed.
It is also important to think about if it breaks, how it will be repaired. Does your organisation have or require professional indemnity or public liability insurance to cover an additional risk if the installation is in the public domain?

Digital Events

This year the LFA programme once again includes a digital aspect to the programme, allowing us to incorporate digital exhibitions, talks, workshops etc. There are less physical risks with digital events, however they are not exempt from risks. It is important you consider risks such as Zoom bombing, safety of children, and how you will mitigate against these risks.

3. Events for children or young people
Events that are aimed at families or young people, or events that are likely to have a number of young people attending can present additional risk which you will need to consider carefully. The following recommendations may help you shape your approach to safeguarding children or young people.

Children under the age of 14 at family workshops must be supervised by a parent/carer at all times, workshops should be designed to encourage families to participate together. An exception to this is family activities where DBS checked staff will supervise at all times
Children over the age of 14 can attend unaccompanied by an adult, however you must have written consent from a parent/carer or guardian. Written consent should include: 1. Name, date and signature of parent/carer or guardian /2.Emergency contact details /3. Details of the event and what to expect
There should always be at least one DBS (Disclosure and Barring Service) checked member of staff in the room when an event for children is taking place. Any staff, freelancers or volunteers that are leading events for children unaccompanied by adults, under the age of 18 should have a complete and up to date DBS check.
We recommend and encourage that under no circumstances should any individual, who does not hold a DBS certificate be alone with children or vulnerable adults and should avoid situations where this may occur. Activities should always be accompanied or in a public space. Individuals should never take children or vulnerable adults to the toilets, either as an individual or in a group or run a one-to-one in person or digital session without parent/carer’s consent.
In the event of an incident or illness involving an unaccompanied child suspected of being under 16 and requires first aid, first contact with the parent/carer must be made before administering by a qualified first aider. Where possible two individuals, one being a qualified first aider, should be present while first aid is being administered. If an emergency situation occurs, a qualified first aider may administer first aid without contacting the persons parents/ carers, however they should be contacted once the emergency has come to an end.
Physical contact between individuals and children or vulnerable adults is strongly discouraged, and you should never initiate physical contact. It is understood that spontaneous contact may be unavoidable but personal boundaries and space should always be respected.

4. Further help

If you are new to running events or would like extra help in thinking about minimising the risks associated with your events, you can find example risk assessments using this guide from the Health and Safety Executive here. Simply choose the example closest to your business. Alternatively, get in touch with the LFA team who will be happy to help.