Event Traffic Management: A Comprehensive Guide to Ensuring Safety and Efficiency
Well-organised event traffic management is crucial to hosting a successful and safe event. Smooth traffic flow in and out of the event venue or location can leave your visitors with a lasting positive and lasting impression afterwards. At Number 8 Events, we can help you to organise a cost-effective, safe and well-planned traffic management plan from your initial consultation to traffic plan diagrams and everything else through the execution of the plan by our trained staff on the day.
Various avoidable issues like inadequate safety measures, poor directions, unprofessional marshalling and long queues can mar your event for all involved, from the organisers to participants and visitors. Regardless of the size of your event, we will handle all the essential details and liaise with police, highway agencies and local authorities, as well as attend all related Safety Advisory Group or SAG meetings.
The following guide will show how we will provide compressive event and traffic management services to ensure your event runs safely and efficiently.
Pre-Event Planning
Venue Access Points: We will ensure that all the venue access points are marked and left clear to avoid disruptions in the flow.
Traffic Flow: We will plan out the best direction for the traffic flow to ensure no accidents or long queues, where avoidable. This will stop attendees from becoming frustrated, especially when the event finishes and they want to go home.
Parking: We will assess how many attendees and vehicles will likely be at the event and create a temporary parking space, if necessary. If there is already a parking place for the venue, we will work hard to maintain reasonable control over that and make sure it is not overfilled.
Emergency Plans: It is crucial to plan for all possible outcomes, even rare ones. When an emergency occurs, we need to be able to act quickly to ensure it is dealt with in a calm, orderly and efficient way. We will ensure a clear communication chain and that local communities and all relevant parties know how to contact the emergency services and when they are required.
Communication Strategies
Public Announcements: It is essential to have a system to deliver critical public announcements before, during and after the event. Whether this is last-minute changes to routes, parking or how the traffic will be directed, we will ensure that all delegates, participants, spectators and visitors are informed.
Traffic Alerts: Traffic alerts and signage should be available and delivered to attendees throughout the event. These may be warnings about delays or changes in routes to and from the venue and parking.
Radio Communication: Radio communication is the best for all safety and event traffic management team members. We will use them to ensure everyone knows what is happening and when.
Emergency Communication: When emergencies arise, we will have emergency communication in place so that even those not part of the event traffic management team can stay in the loop and contact the emergency services if necessary.
Traffic Flow Management
Traffic Routing: An essential part of daily traffic flow management is ensuring that the traffic is routed safely and organised. This helps to avoid delays, disruptions, long queues and potential accidents.
Parking Management: Parking for your event needs to be managed just like all the other traffic. This will involve directing and guiding vehicles in and out of the parking areas and directing them around the designated parking areas so that they can find available parking spots. We will convey that information to all attendees when parking areas become full.
Pedestrian Management: It is just as essential to manage the flow of pedestrian traffic as vehicular traffic. We will plan the safest and most efficient routes to and from the venue for all pedestrians, whether by car, vehicle or on foot. We will ensure a steady flow to and from the venue and avoid accidents, especially in parts of the venue location with busy roads or parking areas.
Traffic Control Devices: traffic control devices like temporary traffic lights, cones and other equipment are required to ensure that traffic can be sufficiently controlled on the day. At Number 8 Events, we can provide various types of traffic control devices on the day, along with staff that know how to use them properly.
Staff Training
Traffic Management: All staff involved in event traffic management must be fully trained in the science and specifics of traffic management. All teams are suitably versed in planning, directing and controlling vehicular and pedestrian traffic.
Communication: Clear and direct communication can often make all the difference between successful traffic management during an event and unsuccessful traffic management. At Number 8 Events, we can promise that our team are great communicators, with one another, with customers and event organisers, participants and delegates, visitors and members of the general public.
Emergency Response: Having effective and timely emergency response methods and plans in place is essential, and you need staff at the venue who know what to do and when during emergencies. At Number 8 Events, our staff have been fully trained to a high degree and have the necessary experience and expertise to help ensure emergencies are managed properly and safely.
Customer Service: customer service is critical, regardless of what kind of event you are hosting and what industry or sector it caters to. At Number 8 Events, customer service is something we don't cut corners with. Our staff are fully trained to deliver the best level of customer service and customer experience to you, the client, the event delegates and the general public.
Post-Event Evaluation
Traffic Management Effectiveness: Regardless of how long you have been involved in the business, as an event traffic management provider, it is always essential to have a full post-evaluation. This consists in assessing traffic management effectiveness. Was traffic managed effectively and efficiently enough? Were there any complaints, disruptions, delays, queues or accidents? How could these be avoided during future events? These are all questions we will ask after we have helped with event traffic management plans for your big day.
Communication Effectiveness: When lines of communication are not followed well enough, it can lead to issues throughout the day. As part of the post-event evaluation, we will examine whether the communication was managed effectively. This includes communication between our team, your team and your guests, delegates and visitors to the event. Where issues were a problem, we will look to rectify these in the future.
Staff Performance: All traffic event management services providers should evaluate their staff performance following every single event you offer their services for. Is there anything that your staff could have done better on the day? Were some staff members working harder and more efficiently than others? These are essential questions Number 8 Events will look to find answers to when we evaluate the performance of our staff after the event.
Feedback from Attendees: the opinion and views of anyone attending the event are essential. You want everyone attending your event to be happy and interested in doing it again. Therefore, as part of the post-event evaluation, it is necessary to listen to delegates. At Number 8 Events, we look at all comments and feedback from attendees to get a clear picture of where we excelled and where we failed. Did attendees raise any compliments, complaints or issues?
Conclusion
Event traffic management is crucial, and to ensure it is handled properly, you must have a clear plan. At number 8 Events, we understand this importance, and following the layout above, we will ensure that before, during and after your event, all traffic is managed in an orderly and efficient way to make sure all in attendance have an enjoyable, positive and safe experience.
Why is Health and Safety Important in Event Planning?
As anyone in the event industry will tell you, no two events are the same and seemingly similar events (on paper) will often require a shift in approach and resources.
Variables such as the artist, audience profile, venue and weather conditions – in different combinations - can each influence the challenges you are likely to face.
Taking reasonable measures to prevent injury or ill health and having procedures in place if emergencies arise; means planning carefully to reduce the likelihood of accidents. At its best safety management should feature throughout each phase of your project.
Health and Safety Requirements and The Law
Most events, regardless of whether they are for profit, are considered work activities, with at least one employed person involved throughout. This means the employer has duties under the Health and Safety At Work etc. Act of 1974 and related subsidiary legislation. The following people have a responsibility under the Act for workers, as well as those who could be affected by the work activities being undertaken:
- Event organiser
- Venue owners
- Contractors
- Licensees
- Promoters
As if keeping people safe isn’t reason enough, bear in mind that prosecution can lead to uninsured losses at levels specifically designed to affect your business by way of a deterrent.
Is this something you can afford to cut corners with?
What You Need for Health and Safety Planning for an Event
There are four key documents that event organisers have the responsibility to prepare during the event planning process:
- A construction phase plan (where construction work takes place)
- A risk assessment
- An event safety plan and emergency plans – proportionate in detail – are likely to be required to adequately evidence how safety is being managed in relation to the project
Construction Phase Plan
Following the Construction, Design Management Regulations 2015 (CDM2015) the build and de-rig of an event site (where construction work takes place) is included in the scope of CDM2015 and as such a construction phase plan (CPP) must be compiled.
Construction work is a broad term but will generally include the assembly or disassembly of prefabricated elements (including such as shell schemes).
This document must lay out how the event organiser;
- eliminates or controls risks so far as reasonably practicable
- ensures work is effectively planned
- appoints the right people and organisations at the right time
- ensure everyone has adequate information, instruction, training and supervision as needed to carry out their jobs safely and without injury or ill-health
- has systems in place to help parties cooperate and communicate with each other and coordinate their work
- consults workers with a view to securing effective health, safety and welfare measures
Risk Assessment
Risk assessments are best done at the start of the project and developed through the planning stages, with new control measures agreed upon and added/removed as necessary. As the name suggests, the risk assessment will identify possible hazards and the control measures you plan to implement to reduce the likelihood of these causing injury or ill health.
As already mentioned all events are unique, however, some common areas you should consider for your event include:
- Are the welfare arrangements suitable onsite?
- Are the ground conditions suitable and will they still be suitable after everything has been laid out?
- Ingress and egress routes to transport hubs?
- Is lighting sufficient in the event spaces, including ingress/egress? Will this still be suitable if there is a power failure?
- Who has designed the temporary electrical system and who is testing and signing it off?
- What controls are in place for food safety with caterers?
- Is the event medical cover sufficient for the various phases (load in/out, live etc)
- Is the noise going to be at an acceptable and safe level?
- Are there site-specific hazards (trees, roads, power cables, buried cables)?
- Has a fire risk assessment been undertaken?
- Could the strobe lighting used in the event trigger photosensitive epilepsy?
- At what windspeed will temporary structures tip or collapse?
- What are the security risks, and how are they being managed?
- What are the crowd risks during ingress, circulation and egress? How could this change during an emergency situation?
- Is waste at the event going to be appropriately managed?
The key is to focus on foreseeable risks associated with your event and what is reasonably practicable to control them.
Some work tasks such as work at height involve absolute or strict liabilities, meaning there are certain codes of practice which will dictate how the risks should be controlled.
Emergency Plan
The last thing any event planner wants is to put into action their emergency plan. However, it is crucial to have one in place, though we should all take steps to reduce the likelihood of needing it!
Emergencies can range from bomb threats or fires to flooding and terror attack. How are you going to deal with specific emergencies if they occur? How are you going to get support from the emergency services when necessary?
All staff working at the event must be fully aware of your emergency plans. This will ensure that you have the resources needed to effectively implement your plan.
Ideally, you should wait until you have conducted your risk assessment before preparing your emergency plan. That way you will know about any possible problems that could affect the event and can you can better prepare to deal with them.
Event Safety Plan
The event safety plan is an important document you must complete when planning your event. This is the core of the planning documentation and central to how you communicate your event plans to stakeholders and contractors.
Depending on the kind of event you are planning, venues and local authorities will want to see this document while you are still in the planning stages of the event.
This document will also be important if anything does happen during your event, and you are involved in a prosecution or civil proceedings. The event safety plan can be used to prove that you did, everything so far as was reasonably practicable to deliver your event safely.
The average event safety plan will typically feature such as, but not limited to the following:
- Overview of the event
- Site plan
- Insurances in place
- Roles and responsibilities
- Stakeholders
- Permissions and licences required
- Structures on-site
- Risk assessment/s
- Emergency plan
- Communication before, during and after the event
- Power management
- Toilets, drinking water, and waste disposal details
- Accessibility
- Fire safety
- Noise management
- Crowd safety arrangements
- Traffic management
- Security arrangements
- Medical arrangements
- Children and vulnerable adult safeguarding arrangements
- Details about any amusements, attractions and displays
- Management of bars and caterers/food safety on-site
Food and Alcohol Consumption Considerations
If your event, as most do, offers food and drink, there are added safety requirements you need to consider.
According to Gov.uk, if food and drink will be offered at your event, you need to:
- Confirm that all food preparation and serving areas are in good condition, clean and tidy. This includes all the equipment and other facilities.
- The food preparation areas and serving areas should also be in the best position to prevent contamination either by pests or waste
- There should be adequate washing-up facilities – you need to consider the number of attendees there will be at your event
- Is there going to be someone available to answer questions about the ingredients used in food, allergies and where the food has been sourced?
The local authority Food Hygiene Rating Scheme is a good way to ensure that food operators are registered with their local authority and what inspections they have received. You can check caterers here. If your event is going to take place in a venue where there will be access to food and drink prepared on-site, these are good questions to ask during the planning stages.
Managing Alcohol Consumption
If alcohol is going to be sold and served at your event, you need to be aware of the risks that come from people drinking too much and have an alcohol management plan in place. Here are some suggestions about what you can do:
- If any of the alcohol will be provided for free, consider setting a limit on the number of tickets your attendees can have
- Ensure experienced staff are employed who have a specific briefing onsite
- Have a responsible drinking policy
- Ensure that you adhere to the Think 21 or Challenge 25 Policy.
- Have sufficient numbers of SIA Door Supervisors onsite
- Make sure public transport links are available and there are other safe ways for people to get home at the end of the event.
Remember that if they consume alcohol at your event and have too much, they are your responsibility.
Conclusion
Managing health and safety throughout the life cycle of the event is vital to it running smoothly and it being a resounding success. Although it may seem like a tall order and more than a little intimidating, we hope this post has helped show that once you break it down and take a methodical approach, it is not nearly as stressful or complicated as it might seem.
Remember, it is a legal requirement that you follow appropriate health and safety procedures when planning an event.
If you need advice or help, you should always look to a professional team that has experience dealing with the health and safety aspects of events. Contact us today to plan your event efficiently.
Fire extinguisher hire for events
Fire extinguisher hire
Fire extinguisher hire for events
Across your event site fire extinguishers need to be located within fire points. Identifying where these fire points are, should be part of your Fire Risk Assessment and Event Safety Plan. They need to be in locations that are either marshalled or regularly checked, to avoid misuse and tampering.
Within venues extinguishers are positioned on walls or stands, with appropriate signage placed above, to reduce the likelihood of incorrect use. Where you are in an outdoor or temporary environment this can be more challenging.
Rigid plastic fire stands and signs are available for hire, or alternatively you could print of appropriate signage and place that above the fire points on steel shield or hoarding.
It always helps to have a visual dot plan of extinguisher locations for your event. This helps in advance of the event to evaluate your cover of extinguishers and how close people are to them, then on the day for your teams to check they are still there and also as a guide for control should they be directing supporting teams to a situation.
Can fire extinguishers be stored outside?
You need to make sure that your extinguishers are protected from the elements, but this needs to be proportionate.If your event is for a number of weeks or months over the winter and is outdoors, you would be wise to position extinguishers inside cabins and marquees where possible and then provide water proof case protection for those that cannot be located under cover.
For short term events it may be appropriate that they are left outside, as long as you check them and ensure they are protected from vandalism, damage and weather conditions. You need your extinguishers to work when someone goes to use them in an emergency.
Foam and water extinguishers are at risk of freezing or spoiling if the temperature drops below 0⁰C. For safe outdoor storage, these extinguishers should have anti-freeze added to ensure that they are ready for action in an emergency. ABC Powder extinguishers can operate normally to a temperature of -20⁰C.
Types of extinguisher
There are 5 fire extinguisher colours: Red, Cream, Blue, Black and Yellow.
Each colour represents a different type of extinguisher, which has different properties and are to be used on different types of fires.
Since 1997 all extinguishers have a red (or chrome) body with the identifying colour on the wide band at the top of the extinguisher.
As a quick guide the extinguishers are usable as:
Fire extinguisher types and their uses on events
| Type | Used on | Not used on | Event use | Event Considerations |
| Water | Paper and cardboard fabrics and textiles
wood & coal |
Fires involving electrical equipment, kitchen fires, flammable gas, and liquids | Fire Exits
Portaloo Toilet areas Store Areas (containing Class A materials) Campsites |
Water conducts electricity so is dangerous to the user if used on electrical fires. Do not use on electrics!
if there is a high risk of accidental use of an extinguisher or where the likelihood of using them and refilling is high e.g. a festival campsite. Where a water fire extinguisher would therefore be preferrable.
|
| AFF Foam | Organic materials like: Paper Cardboard Material Wood CoalPlus, Flammable liquids, such as petrol, paint, and turpentine |
Kitchen fires Electrical fires Flammable metal fires |
Fire Exits
Portaloo Toilet areas Store areas Office spaces Bars Catering
|
A safer option for use than Water. |
| Dry Powder | Organic materials like: Paper Cardboard Material Wood CoalPlus: – Flammable liquids, like petrol, paint and turps – Flammable gases, like liquid petroleum gas (LPG) and acetylene – Fires involving electrical equipment up to 1000vSpecialist dry powder extinguishers are only used on flammable metals, such as titanium and magnesium. |
Cooking oil /chip-pan fires Fires involving electrical equipment over 1000v or in enclosed spaces, such as offices or domestic dwellings |
The most common use of a dry powder extinguisher is within the generator compound areas or areas where there are fuel storage and LPG stores.
Specific tasks involving hot works or flame cutting during the build would also need this type of extinguisher.
|
They shouldn’t be used in enclosed spaces because the powder can be easily inhaled and the residue is very difficult to clean. Standard dry powder extinguishers can be used on some electrical fires, plus specialist dry powder extinguishers are used for fires involving flammable metals and running fuel fires. Caution always needs to be taken when using outside as the powder will be taken by any prevailing wind.
|
| CO2 | Flammable liquids, like paint, petrol and turpentine Fires involving electrical equipment |
Kitchen fires or chip-pan fires Organic materials like paper, wood, cardboard or fabric Flammable metals |
We would expect to see 2kg CO2 extinguishers located with AFF Foam extinguishers in general areas of event spaces, such as offices, portacabins etc
CO2 extinguishers are important to be on stage, performance areas, Front of House control desks, side of stages where large distro boxes are located etc.
We would expect to see 5kg CO2 extinguishers located within generator areas.
|
|
| Wet Chemical | Chip-pan and cooking fat fires
Organic materials like:
|
Flammable liquid or gas fires Electrical fires Fires involving flammable metals |
Any kitchen or trader area which has fryers and hot oils.
|
|
| Water Mist | Paper and cardboard fabrics and textiles
wood & coal
Plus:
|
Cooking oil /chip-pan fires Fires involving electrical equipment over 1000v |
Locations where a dry powder extinguishers would be suitable but where you are in an enclosed space.
Suitable for offices, schools, workshops, churches etc |
The extinguishers are very expensive to buy and replace, so are hired less than conventional extinguishers.
The water droplets created by the extinguishers are so small that electricity cannot travel through them. In addition, the water mist extinguishers contain only de-ionised water which cannot carry electrical current.
|
As a rule there should be a fire extinguisher within 25M of any point within the event space, however, this can be more or less depending upon what is located within the event space, what activities are being undertaken, where is the event being held, is it outside in a wide open space or indoors within a historic building.
Fire extinguishers must be serviced annually, and this can be checked on the service label located on the side of the extinguisher and should always have the pin located in the top and a tag holding this in place.
At Number 8 Events we hold a huge stock of fire extinguisher hire for events, which can be foind here https://number8events.com/catalogue/product-category/fire-safety/fire-extinguishers/
and our safety officers can assist with putting together an event fire risk assessment for your event and advise you which extinguishers you need to have on site.
We also provide onsite trained fire officers to events, these staff can assist you with:
- Pre event fire safety compliance checks with traders
- Oversee extinguisher placement
- Proactive peak performance inspections
- Routine checks of escape routes
- Response to an emergency situation.
If you would like some downloadable templates for forms to check onsite for fire safety, the National Fire Chiefs Council have some great templates which can be found here https://www.nationalfirechiefs.org.uk/Event-safety
Please get in touch with one of our team who will be happy to help with any of your requirements.
Casual worker PPE
Casual worker PPE
PPE Regulation Changes and effects on Event Safety
The regulations relating to Personal Protective Equipment (PPE – hard hats, gloves, goggles etc) are being updated and they come into force on 6th April 2022. With some changes possibly effecting how companies manage the health and safety of events and casual workers.
The duties and responsibilities for PPE on employers and employees are unchanged, but what the new amendments do is extend the responsibilities on employers to workers that are of more of a casual or irregular status (HSE refers to them as limb (b) workers). As opposed to persons who are on a permanent contract of employment (limb (a) workers).
This then means that there is no difference in how you provide PPE to both full time employees and casual staff. So you need to assess the risk and ensure that suitable PPE is provided, to all people that fall under the definition of worker.
The PPE provided must be free, compatible, maintained and stored correctly. All workers must use the PPE properly following training and instruction in its use from the employer.
How does this affect event safety?
Unlike other work environments, events and brand activations have changing PPE requirements, and sometimes staff will be called in on casual basis to help out at events which at the time have PPE enforcement in place.
Some tips to help make sure you are compliant with the regulations:
- Consider what PPE you are purchasing, make sure that you have discussed the work practices and requirements with the supplier of the PPE or with a specialist. Always make sure they are CE or UKCA marked.
- What sizes will be required for the staff? PPE that doesn’t fit wont be worn by the user or will be worn incorrectly.
- Make sure the PPE issued is in line with the requirements from the risk assessment.
- Think about how you are instructing those to wear the PPE, do they know how to put it on and wear it correctly? Is it worth making sure they have done an online short course?
- How are you checking that PPE is being used correctly? Is it worth having some spot checks that are recorded?
- Where will the PPE be stored when not in use?
- Are the PPE requirements communicated in the site rules that are sent out pre event?
- Do you have a register of who has had PPE and who has been instructed on its use? Is it worth having a register that workers can sign to say that they have received their PPE and understand how to use it, how to store it and what to do if its defective?
- Do you have spare appropriate PPE available onsite, so that if there are any defective items or casual workers arrive without any, it doesn’t hold up the build?
If you would like to find our more on how Number 8 Event can help you with navigating these regulations and many more please see our webpage on safety.
For more information on all of the changes to the PPE Regulations please read the HSE Guidance
Event Barriers
Event Barriers
Barrier hire for events
Knowing what barrier hire for your event can be a tricky minefield of acronyms and names for different types of barrier. Which can be infuriating, because surely a barrier hire is a barrier!!
Here is a brief guide to some different types of barriers that are commonly hired on events.
Crowd Control Barrier Hire (CCB/Ped Barrier)
Crowd Control Barrier which is abbreviated to CCB, or often called ped (short for pedestrian), or ‘bike rack’. Are all the same style of barrier.
They come in 2.3m and 2.5m lengths in the UK, and can be lightweight or heavy depending on the manufacturer.
Further details on these barriers can be found via our website at: Crowd Control Barrier Page
They also come in different colours, some hire options can be red and black:
These barriers have no load bearing capability to them and should only be used for channelling people into the correct queue lane or area. As opposed to a static forward force possibly being applied.
Heavy Duty Met Barrier Hire
These are the sort of barriers that you will see in Central London outside No.10, or on the edge of a red carpet event.
They are normally 1.5m wide and very heavy. They come in upturned stillages, and need manual handling trained crew to install.
Stage Barrier Hire (Pit Barrier)
This is your front of stage, load bearing (rated) barrier, which is installed by professionals and is rated to take a forward force of pressure.
They have a footplate on the operator side, that means staff can elevate themselves above the heads of the crowd for safety reasons.
Stage Barrier is mainly used for concerts and stages, but also used for any area where there is a significant forward force applied by a crowd. Such as separation lines at London Stadium, high profile red carpets and popular product launches.
The IStructE Guidance for Temporary Demountable Structures 2017 is a great document for the considerations in the design and risk assessment for both structures and load bearing barriers such as stage barrier IStructE Guidance
Tensata Barrier Hire
These are premium barriers used when there is absolutely no forward pressure, but a more premium look is required than a crowd control barrier.
Further information can be found here on our website Tensata Barrier Page
They come in a range of styles and colours. But the normal hire ranges are chrome or black posts, with either black or blue tape.
These are the sort of barriers you would of have queued endlessly past in airports, but we offer a portable version as opposed to a permanent installation bolted to the floor.
They also come with options for A4 sign holders that slot over the top to assist with client branding and directional information.
Rope and Post Hire
The nicest of the non load bearing barrier range, and the one that every red carpet would be lost without.
They come in chrome or gold options, with black and red rope being the most popular.
You can see the various options Number 8 has here Rope and Pole
The rope lengths for these are 1.5m, but allow 1.2m for planning perspective, as you will want a nice hang in between the stanchions.
Exhibition Barrier Hire
A very low level barrier, used in art galleries and exhibits. These are used where you do not want the barrier to be in the way of an impactful piece of art.
The rope is custom cut to each order, so you can specify what colour best suits your installation.
Picket Fence Hire
A plastic version of the popular wooden picket fence. As a freestanding option this is ideal for country fairs and events where you want a softer barrier to segregate an area.
Mesh and Block Fencing (Heras) Hire
The mesh and block fence is a 2m high fence, with 3.5m wide panels. This is widely referred to as heras fencing, although ‘heras’ is actually a company name of one of the providers. Bit like how vacuum cleaners are sometimes referred to as hoovers!!
This fence is used to separate work areas during builds, and for creating back of house areas to secure plant and generators.
The range of options Number 8 has for hire can be found here Heras Fencing Page
These come with two types of feet, black rubber feet and yellow rubber feet.
The yellow feet are a newer range, which with the appropriate bracing can have weights applied above them to increase the wind resistance of the fence panel, useful if you want to install branding on the fencing.
This type of fencing has options for covering as well. The four main types are:
- Branded scrim either in a roll or per panel
- Fire Rated black scrim which comes in a rolls of 100m
- Opaque black panel sheets
- Echo Sound barrier (which have a noise reduction quality to them, perfect for generator compounds in city areas)
But some people also like to be a bit more creative and use bamboo, natural materials to clad the heras. Whatever you choose, just make sure you have assessed the wind, ensured you have stakes/weights applied and you take it off if the wind is too much!
Chapter 8 Barrier Hire
This barrier comes in a range of visible colours, but you will mainly see orange on the market. They are used by companies when bartering off road works. But they are also perfect for events that need a visible barrier in a traffic situation.
They are also commonly used in brand activations during the build and derig in stations because of the fact that they are non conductive, and increasingly used in shopping centres within boulevard areas during the build and derig.
If you are still unsure which barrier would best suit your event please get in touch with us and we can discuss the options with you. We have a huge stock of barriers available for hire, along with other essential kit for your events.
Superheroes
Superheroes
Did you spot the news about our new superhero status? If you haven’t, then keep reading…. Are you in a jam or have a problem? Is your event causing you stress? Don’t panic, just like Batman, here at Number 8 we can come to the rescue and you can escape unharmed.
We have assembled teams of our own fellow Justice League professionals from Logistics teams, to H&S experts to Event Producers that can help any issue you might be facing.
So getting back to our superhero statues, you might have seen that orange 8 illuminating high in the night’s sky and wondered what it is? It’s basically our modern day UK Bat Signal and our most trusted clients are issued with a lamp for their times of need.
The last time it was used was only last week when we had a client ring us from site at 10pm, short of barriers and needed them for the next morning. Our team spotted the signal in the sky and immediately mobilised from our Number 8 cave to get the kit ready and into the client’s event.
There are always other calls for help that are more in-depth and need more work, but when the pressure is on to deliver don’t panic and give up altogether if you are facing an emergency like this. Number 8 can help. Even with a short lead time, we can pull off a successful and creative event for you. We are known for working to tight deadlines and problem solve where other companies say it can’t be done. At Number 8 we have an ethos that we can ‘make it happen”. Here at Number 8 our super hero team can make the impossible possible.
We are one of very few companies that have so many different business disciplines across the Events service and beyond. Just like the Justice Leagues team you don’t have to worry about speaking to multiple people and companies, with Number 8 you can select the level of service you require. We can be a one stop shop to cover all your business needs, reducing the pressure on you. For more information please see our webpage.
So get on our orange bat phone and give us a call to discuss your needs or concerns. We are here to make your life easier!
But all jokes aside, if Joker or The Riddler have arrived at your place of work and are causing you trouble, you probably do need Batman!!
External COVID Advice
External COVID Advice
With an International Pandemic it is understandable that the control measures need to be amended on a regular basis to keep up with the increases in knowledge and the changing nature of the virus. As such your COVID Plans need to keep up.
It is therefore important that you appoint someone in your organisation who is the appointed lead for researching changing legislation and how it affects your company or services.
There are lots of sources of advice out there, so it is important to ensure you research across the various sources of information.
Here are some useful links to some external sources of information:
HSE Guidance https://www.hse.gov.uk/coronavirus/index.htm
National Outdoor Event Association https://www.noea.org.uk/resources/covid-19/
Association of Event Organisers https://www.aeo.org.uk/covid-19
Mayor of London https://www.london.gov.uk/coronavirus/re-opening-london-safely/guidance-events-during-covid-19
Number 8 Events https://number8events.com/2020/10/06/covid-plans/
Once that person in your organisation is appointed and knows their responsibilities, they can then digest the relevant information and updates, and then relay this info to your staff and contractors with advice which is relevant to your organisation.
If you’d like to chat with us about your COVID-19 safety plans, please ring 0203 743 7292 or email support@number8events.com.
Exhibition Shell Scheme
Exhibition Shell Scheme
Your exhibition shell scheme team are here to make your life easier
If you are gearing up for 2021 trade shows and exhibitions, it’s time to start thinking about shell schemes. They are the structural backbone of your event, and getting the right team on the job is crucial. That’s right, it’s not just the quality of the shell scheme itself that you need to consider, it’s also the team in charge of it. Fortunately, we’ve got our best people assembled. Team Number 8 Events are ready to help you.
Let’s talk about the kit first of all.
You want one critical thing from your shell scheme – it must be robust. After all, it’s giving your event or exhibition its framework. The kit we use is strong, durable and smart. It does the job well and can be easily adapted to your specifications. Once the shell scheme is in place, it’s easy for exhibitors to customise it with their branding and décor.
You might want to standardise the top fascia so that it’s easy for visitors to navigate the event and for your team to see where each business is located. Our shell scheme comes with adaptable fascias to do just that, helping to ensure everything is uniform if that’s what you need.
Bring in the experts
Our event industry expertise means we’ll be the perfect partners to help you achieve what you need. There won’t be time to waste, and since we don’t need you to explain how this all works to us, we won’t be using too much of yours. Instead, you can trust us to get on with the job, safe in the knowledge that we understand the pitfalls and challenges you face and the reasoning behind decisions.
Event organisers bring us in at the planning stage, while they’re still working out the floor plan. Not only does that ensure we are fully briefed, but we can also make suggestions or give advice based on our extensive knowledge of these events. Once you’ve cracked it, we’ll schedule the time for our shell scheme to be delivered and built, ensuring you’ve got everything you need when you need it.
Let’s get building
On the day of the build, our team will arrive with everything they need to get the shell structure in place in good time. Having built many shell schemes in our time, you can rely on us to work quickly without fuss. There aren’t many things that surprise us after decades in events, so we’re not fazed and can adapt wherever you need us to.
We’ll make sure the shell structure is up and ready for use with plenty of time to spare. After checking it over, you’ll be ready to welcome the exhibitors, knowing that the venue framework is now in place.
Throughout the time we’re building your shell scheme, you can focus on the other essential jobs on your list. It’s our intention to give you peace of mind and time back to deploy in other areas of the event. We know that for event organisers, time is the most precious commodity of them all.
No-fuss de-rigging
When your show or exhibition is over, our team will swoop in again to dismantle the structure. You can rely on us to get everything out of the venue in a timely fashion so that you can hand it back to the owner. Thanks to the number of shell schemes we’ve built and de-rigged over the years, we’ve got it down to a fine art. So, that’s another thing you can cross off your list because we’ve got you covered.
If you’d like to chat with us about your shell scheme needs, please ring 0203 743 7292 or email info@number8events.com.
Air Purification Unit
Catch and Kill
In the fight against coronavirus, professionals need to be diligent about securing the spaces their teams are working in. Under such stringent conditions, being able to ensure that clean air is being pumped around the area is fantastic, but it’s not enough. That’s why we’re delighted to introduce our latest bit of for-hire equipment – hospital-grade air purification units.
These dynamic and multi-functional units offer two layers of protection. Not only do they pump clean air throughout your workspace, but they also trap and kill airborne viruses, bacteria and microorganisms. Testing by Eurofin and the University Of Oslo proved that the efficiency of this ground-breaking technology is an incredible 99.97%. For your people, that is the sort of protection that ensures everyone can work knowing the risks of infection are substantially decreased.
The good news is, you don’t have to invest big to get the benefit of these air purification units – we’re able to hire them to you for a competitive rate.
How Does It Work
Let’s look inside the air purification unit to understand how the technology vastly improves on less-sophisticated systems. At the top of the unit is a powerful fan that works to draw in the air and push it down into the cylindrical HEPA13 filter below. When the air reaches the inside of the cylinder, any particles become trapped on the pleated inside, and that’s where viruses, bacteria, etc. are stopped in their tracks. Inside the bottom of the unit is a UVC lamp that shines continuously, destroying the DNA contained in the aforementioned nasties. What leaves the unit is purified, clean air.
The other significant advantage of these systems is to do with airflow capacity. You’ll find each unit can process 560m³/hour (20,000ft³/hour), a much larger area than traditional systems. This capability means it’s a terrific solution for people operating commercial or retail spaces, and if you need to cover more area, you can just hire multiple units.
We’re working with professionals operating photo studios, event venues, restaurants, bars, offices and many other types of premises. The units provide them with the ultimate protection and reassurance that they are keeping their visitors and teams safe.
Getting Started With The Kit
It’s not complicated to start using the air purification system we hire you, you simply plug and play. Their portable, minimalist design means you can fit them easily into your space as long as you have access to a plug socket. The system begins working immediately, which is great for days when you may be arriving early to transform studio space and have crews moving in and out of the area for multiple tasks.
Plenty of big-name operators are already using this ground-breaking technology in their business. The likes of Bentley, GlaxoSmithKline, Triyoga London, Discovery Channel and many NHS hospitals already have the systems up and running. While their budgets might be significantly bigger than yours, the opportunity to hire the kit from us means you can enjoy the same level of protection at an affordable price. We can also advise you on how best to deploy the system in your space and talk you through any other considerations for COVID safety.
If you’d like to talk to one of our experts about hiring the air purification proven to catch and kill COVID and other viruses and bacteria, please call us on 0203 743 7292 or email info@number8events.com.
Matrix or No Matrix?
Do you still use risk matrices?
Risk Assessment risk matrices
Are you still using risk matrices?
We’re not – here’s why.
In 2019, we removed risk matrices from our risk assessments after discovering they can do more harm than good. As you probably know, they are not mandatory, yet many professionals continue to use them regardless. However, after an ex-HSE inspector raised the subject with us, we took time to explore the benefits and drawbacks, to make sure we were using best practices. Our research helped us conclude that in many instances it makes sense not to use them.
The official line
Just to be clear, before we take you through our key reasons for not using risk matrices anymore, let’s talk about the law. There’s no mention of risk matrices in any health and safety legislation, the HSE’s risk assessment guidance, or HSE document indg163: www.hse.gov.uk/pubns/indg163.pdf. Therefore, you are not obligated to use risk matrices by the regulators.
Our findings:
After a thorough examination of the subject, these are the key reasons that we’ve decided to abandon the use of risk matrices.
- Risk matrixes do not usually take into account the findings of psychological research concerning the cognitive biases that impair most people’s ability to assess risk.
- The verbal labels used in ordinal scales (e.g. high/medium/low likelihood) are interpreted inconsistently among different users and by the same user. For example, one person’s perception of likelihood is different from another’s, based on personal experience or their level of competence.
- A multiplicative model, for example, will assess the likelihood and impact of several different risk activities as if they were entirely independent. When the scores are aggregated, three different activities may be considered to be medium or low risks. However, if the activities are correlated and have an impact on one another, three low-to-medium risks could together produce one very high risk.
- Hazards of low severity and high likelihood will receive the same risk value as hazards with high severity and low likelihood. Although the risk values may be the same, the response to these different hazards in terms of priority for correction may be very different (source: St John Holt, 1999).
Taken together, these four findings indicate that the scoring methods of risk matrices are likely to be poor tools for risk assessment.
A potential exception
Using a matrix may still be worthwhile for more complex situations, or those where a score might help provide context to stakeholders during discussions around a particular issue. However, it does require experience and expertise to judge the severity and likelihood accurately. Getting risk scores wrong can result in failing to implement important control measures, or implementing the wrong control measures
Moving forward
We advocate removing risk matrices for the most part. Instead, we advise concentrating your efforts on assessing what the risks to your event or activity are, as well as considering the control measures that are likely to reduce that risk.
If you couple this with being clear about who is responsible for actioning the control measures, what instructions or information persons need to receive to control the hazards effectively, and how you are recording what you are doing, you are likely to achieve a better overall outcome.
For more help with event risk assessments, see our webpage for further information.