Event safety checklist: an OHS plan for event planners

Event safety means identifying the hazards at your event before the crowd arrives, controlling them, and having a plan for when something goes wrong. A good event safety checklist covers four stages: planning and risk assessment, site setup, the event itself, and the post-event review. Whether it's a community fundraiser or a multi-day festival, the person running the event has to manage risks to workers, volunteers, contractors and the public so far as is reasonably practicable, under the primary duty of care in the WHS Act.

Use the checklist below as a working document. Tick off each item, record who is responsible for it, and update it as the plan changes.

Who is responsible for event safety

Event organisers often work with a venue, contractors, food vendors and volunteers. Responsibility is shared, and each party with control over a risk has duties for it. In practice, that means:

• The organiser sets the overall safety plan, runs the risk assessment and makes sure contractors are competent.
• The venue manages the site, its services and its own inspections.
• Contractors and vendors manage the safety of their own equipment, staff and work.
• Volunteers and staff take reasonable care of themselves and others, and follow the controls.

Put these roles in writing. When a problem happens at 11 pm, nobody should be asking who was supposed to deal with it.

Planning and risk assessment

Start with an event management plan. It sets out the purpose of the event, the expected crowd, the layout, the timeline, the staffing and the safety arrangements. Our events management plan gives you a starting structure to fill in.

From that plan, run a risk assessment. Look at:

• The venue. Structural integrity, fire exits, power supply, accessibility and drainage.
• The activities. Stage builds, rigging, inflatables, pyrotechnics, food preparation, and any work at height.
• The environment. Heat, rain, wind, lightning and the crowd's exposure to them.
• The people. Expected numbers, age groups, alcohol and drug use, and any vulnerable attendees.
• The contractors. Their experience, their licences and their equipment.

For each hazard, decide how to control it. Eliminate the hazard if you can, such as by moving an activity indoors. If you can't, use engineering controls like barriers and temporary structures that have been designed and inspected by a competent person. Add administrative controls such as signage, procedures and staffing levels. Use PPE for the remaining risk. Our guide to the hierarchy of controls explains how to rank them.

Plan for contingencies too. Decide in advance when you'll cancel or postpone for weather, and who makes that call.

Event safety checklist

Before the event

• [ ] Risk assessment completed and each control assigned an owner
• [ ] Permits and approvals obtained from the local council and any other authority
• [ ] Emergency response plan written, with exits, assembly points and contacts
• [ ] First aid arrangements in place, with enough trained first aiders for the expected crowd
• [ ] Contractors checked for licences, insurance and safety records
• [ ] Site inspection done, with hazards identified and fixed
• [ ] Toilets and handwashing facilities planned for the crowd size
• [ ] Traffic and parking plan agreed with the venue and local authorities

Site setup

• [ ] Entry and exit points designated, with barriers where crowds gather
• [ ] Security arrangements confirmed, including any coordination with police
• [ ] Fire extinguishers and alarms installed, and staff briefed on where they are
• [ ] Temporary structures, stages and rigging inspected before use
• [ ] Electrical installations checked by a licensed electrician, and cables routed to avoid trips
• [ ] Accessible routes, ramps and accessible toilets in place
• [ ] Safety signs placed at exits, first aid points and hazards

During the event

• [ ] Briefing held with all staff and volunteers on their roles and the emergency plan
• [ ] Radios or phones tested, with a clear channel for reporting incidents
• [ ] Crowd monitored, with patrols at high-risk areas
• [ ] Weather checked regularly against the contingency plan
• [ ] Food vendors confirmed as compliant, with clean drinking water available
• [ ] Staff wellbeing checked, including fatigue and heat stress

After the event

• [ ] Post-event debrief held with staff and volunteers
• [ ] Incidents and near misses recorded and reviewed
• [ ] Site cleaned, waste removed and the venue left safe
• [ ] Records kept, including permits, risk assessments and incident reports

Crowd management and public safety

Crowd safety is one of the most important parts of the plan. Overcrowding, blocked exits and sudden surges can cause crushing and falls, and they can happen quickly. Work out the maximum number of people each area can hold, and keep a count at the entry points. Keep exits clear and signed, and make sure barriers are strong enough for the pressure they'll face. Brief your stewards on what they should do if a crowd starts to move the wrong way.

Emergency management and first aid

Your emergency plan should cover medical emergencies, fire, severe weather and lost persons. Name the person in charge of each response, and set out how staff will contact emergency services and each other. Give each area a clear way to reach the first aid point, and make sure the crew knows where the nearest defibrillator is.

First aid should match the crowd. A small community event may need a first aider and a well-stocked kit. A large event with alcohol, heat and high-energy activities needs more trained staff, a medical room and a clear escalation path to ambulance services.

Traffic and transport

Large events often cause more harm on the roads outside the venue than inside it. Look at the roads leading to the event, the pedestrian routes from transport hubs, and the drop-off and parking areas. Plan traffic control with signs, temporary barriers and marshals, and agree any road closures with the local council before the event. Keep emergency vehicle access clear at all times.

Training and communication

Everyone working at the event should know their role and the safety rules before it starts. Hold a briefing, and run a short drill for the emergency plan if you can. Keep communication simple: radios or phones for staff, and clear signs and announcements for the crowd.

Make sure staff know how to report an incident. A short hazard report form is enough for most events. Have one person who collects every report.

Psychosocial wellbeing

Event staff and volunteers can face aggression, long hours and difficult situations. Those are psychosocial hazards, and they belong in your risk assessment alongside physical hazards. Set shift lengths and breaks, give staff a way to raise concerns, and check on people during and after the event. Our psychosocial hazards management plan can help you set this up. For background, read our guide to psychosocial hazards and work-related stress.

How SafetyDocs helps

Most event planners rebuild their safety documents every year from scratch. SafetyDocs gives you expert-written events and safety templates, with job, client and site details filled in for you. When something changes, everyone who signed the old plan is asked to sign the new one, so your crew is always working from the current version.

Common questions

Do I need an OHS plan for a small community event? Yes, if people are working at the event or the public could be affected. The plan can be short for a small event, but it should still identify the hazards and say how they'll be controlled.

Who is responsible if a contractor is injured on site? Responsibility is shared. The organiser and the venue both have duties for risks they control, and the contractor has duties for its own work. Put clear arrangements in your contracts and check contractors' safety records before they start.

Does the Disability Discrimination Act apply to events? Yes. The Disability Discrimination Act 1992 (Cth) applies to events, so think about access to entries, toilets, seating and information when you plan. This is separate from WHS, but the two often overlap in the same plan.

What should go in the post-event review? Debrief with staff and volunteers, record every incident and near miss, and note what worked and what didn't. Keep the records with your permits and risk assessment so next year's planning starts from real information.

This is general information, not legal advice. Check the current law with your WHS regulator and local council.