What corporate event planners need to know about event compliance
Creating and managing a professional corporate event entails myriad elements – each just as important as the next. You may have the perfect venue, a guest list that’s filled with VIPs and catering courtesy of a world-class chef, but if you’re not au fait with the correct event compliance procedure, you could end up with a disaster on your hands.
It’s the event planner’s responsibility to ensure the wellbeing of guests, as well as your staff. If you’re unfamiliar with event compliance best practice, it’s high time you equip yourself with this crucial knowledge. It’s essential that you’re up to speed with event compliance guidelines – planners who aren’t put their clients, their guests, and themselves in grave danger. Event compliance is an incredibly detailed undertaking, and it’s impossible to cover it all in one blog. We’ve compiled an overview of what this process involves.
Event compliance entails eight main aspects of safety.
When organising an event, it’s of paramount importance that you include the following eight areas of safety considerations: General Safety and Fire Prevention; National Building Regulations for Temporary Structures; Safe Working Practices; Gas/and or Naked Flame Application and Usage; Electrical Procedures and Requirements; Rigging Guidelines; Ladders and Scaffolding; Liability and Insurance.
Before you begin organising an event, a safety assessment of your venue needs to be conducted.
Picking a venue and then neglecting to inspect it for possible health and safety hazards isn’t only neglectful, it’s unlawful too. If you’re planning on building a temporary structure like a tent or stage, safety hazards need to be evaluate by both the organiser and contractor. Once the site and potential dangers have been identified, you’ll be able to draw up a plan that details procedures that need to be taken should an incident occur.
The most essential element of event compliance is a Disaster Management Plan
Every single event has to have a Disaster Management Plan in place. This needs to be approved by the local Disaster Management Centre (DMC) as well as the Local Fire Safety Officer. This should detail your emergency procedure plan that takes the health and safety of organisers, contractors, suppliers, exhibitors and visitors into account. In addition, your Disaster Management Plan should cover aspects including: temporary structures, environmental health, rigging, fire equipment, structural engineer certificates (read our blog about why this is crucial) and gas and fire retardant items.
An event Disaster Management Plan must include items on the South African National Standards (SANS) 10366: Standard for Live Events. This specifies the minimum requirements that a person or organisation organising an event needs to adhere to.
All aspects of your event compliance procedures need to be documented.
This includes written proof that your contractors, suppliers and vendors have the necessary training, expertise and experience. Every single person who has been hired – from your caterers to your structural engineers – need to ensure that they’re not only competent, but will conduct themselves in such a way that their health and safety and that of their peers will not be compromised. In addition, all role players need to be aware of their responsibilities regarding health and safety, as well as the ramifications that will ensue should they neglect this duty. Lastly, contractors must also be informed as to how all aspects of health and safety will be monitored and managed on-site.
It’s essential that all role-players are involved in the planning of your health and safety guidelines in order to ensure complete event compliance. It’s an event manager’s duty to make sure that all of the above is clearly communicated with everyone involved in the organisation and management of an event. Event compliance entails countless considerations, regulations and best practices. To ensure that you’re aware of what full event compliance entails, read the full SANS 10366 legislature here.
Image Credit: One Solution
