Briefing 67
RISK ASSESSMENT FOR EVENT ORGANISERS This Briefing is intended for voluntary event organisers who do not have access to the full range of training and support available to larger organisations. Its aim is to offer a simple and basic explanation of risk assessments to help you organise a safe and wellrun event. It is not intended to be an exhaustive guide. More information on writing a risk assessment can be obtained from the Health and Safety authorities in your nation. Further details are given at the end of this briefing.
Common misconceptions Risk assessments only need to be done for large events. Risk assessments only need to be done by professional event organisers. Risk assessments are complicated.
What is a risk assessment? Put simply, a risk assessment is an assessment of the risk involved in a particular activity. This assessment will allow you to make a decision about what steps, if any, are necessary to reduce that risk.
A risk assessment can never guarantee that your event will run without incident, but acting on its findings will significantly reduce the chance of problems occurring. If anything does go wrong, a risk assessment will show that you have done your best to predict and reduce risk. For anyone faced with a claim or prosecution relating to health and safety, the difference between having a written risk assessment and not having one may be significant.
Why do I need a risk assessment? As an event organiser, you have a responsibility to the public to ensure that your event is run in as safe and appropriate a manner as possible. A risk assessment ensures that you have thought through the safety implications of the activity and taken all possible steps to reduce risks, where appropriate.
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