Event safety is something that shouldn’t be underestimated. It’s a big part of what makes an event successful and ensures all guests and those working on the event are kept safe and protected from any threat or injury.
However, when it comes to event safety, it’s often mistaken to be solely about security. Safety focuses on more than that, like preventing hazards such as crowd crushes and medical emergencies.
In this guide, you’ll learn more about why event safety is about more than just security and why event organizers should be aware of all aspects of event safety beyond just the role of security.
1. Proactive risk mitigation vs reactive protection
Proactive safety is all about being meticulous in your planning, from creating risk assessments to conducting structural checks and maintaining clear emergency exits.
While security can be proactive through measures like surveillance, it’s often seen as a deterrent or a response to criminal activity.
With proper event safety, it uses an all-hazards approach, identifying potential issues before they become incidents.
2. Crowd management beyond security
Crowd management is important to be aware of when it comes to everything beyond what’s handled by security.
Event safety is about managing the crowd density in order to prevent deadly crushes. This is considered not just a security issue, but a structural and environmental issue too.
It covers the safe movement of people, ensuring exits aren’t blocked and that capacity limits have been strictly enforced.
3. Occupational health and safety
When it comes to the well-being of your staff, contractors, and volunteers, all of this comes under the umbrella of event safety and not just security. It’s important that they’re all working in a safe environment and given the proper training necessary.
Fire safety is also incredibly important, requiring specialized knowledge that is distinct from security guarding.
4. Psychological and physical comfort
It’s imperative to make attendees feel safe, secure, and comfortable, including addressing environmental issues like heat, lighting, and accessible facilities. It’s more than just security guarding them against threats.
Ensuring first aid is important, as well as providing professional medical support at events and handling health crises, is also crucial. The more you can do for your staff, the better their experience and how safe they feel during the event in every aspect.
5. Legal compliance and regulation
Legal compliance and regulation are something to be well aware of and to ensure you’re doing all of the above by the book.
This isn’t just about hiring security but maintaining compliance in all aspects of the planning, too. A simple, non-security-related safety incident can often ruin an event’s reputation just as fast as a violent incident taking place.
Security is a vital important to event safety, but event safety in general is the foundation that covers a broader spectrum of physical, human, and operational wellbeing across all aspects of the event itself. It’s something that you need to be careful and detailed with in your planning and everything beyond it.