Aerial CROWD SAFETY & Security
since if the same events were to repeat themselves in less forgiving circumstances the disaster might ensue�. Accidents and injurie can often be prevented if action is taken at any point during the sequence, but this requires good planning and event delivery with competent staff. Crowd safety management planning and preparation can be distilled down to a number of processes that all events should follow. A prominent Statement of Intent at the beginning of any Crowd Management document, clearly laying out responsibilities for planning, delivery and monitoring crowd safety, enables all parties to completely understand the terms of the proposed agreement. It should also cover what the supplier is not responsible for, helpful with framing responses to complaints or litigation actions. The starting point for a crowd safety management plan is information gathering to fully understand the attraction, particularly the performers and crowd, their profile and demographic, needs, expectation and likely behaviour. Questions arising over the venue such as realistic capacity, unique or adapted premises and suitability for event use should be tackled early. Other influences that could potentially affect the planning process such as weather, transport issues, conflicting events and media hype should also be looked into. Event organisers have a duty of care to staff and spectators and should take reasonable steps to ensure their safety. Therefore, a risk assessment process must feature prominently in any crowd safety management plan.
Understanding how and why incidents may occur at an event requires a little detective work using techniques such as Extreme Value Analysis (EVA), a two level system of analysis adapted by Mick Upton, when planning for crowd safety at organised public events. EVA is simply a method of estimating the probability of a rare event happening and can be used as a first step in the process of assessing risk, to try and ensure accidents from the past are not repeated in the future. Based on the information gathered, predictions can then be made on the likely crowd behaviour during each event phase e.g. Arrival, Ingress, Movement, Egress and Dispersal. Venue footprint design considerations, information, communication, staffing levels and management processes can then be developed.
A suitable risk assessment should take place throughout this process to validate and ensure crowd safety. A plan is only as good as the staff that implement it. ‘You should provide an adequate number of staff to ensure effective crowd management’ (Managing Crowds Safely HSE). Implementing a checkin system to make sure the correct number of staff with appropriate qualifications, skills and knowledge are present on the day, is essential. Briefing, deployment and the ability to maintain constant communication, to ensure staff efforts are aligned with the event needs is important, while monitoring for signs of capability mismatch.
