Legal Requirements
As an event organiser in the UK, you have a legal duty to ensure the health and safety of everyone at your event — attendees, staff, and performers. This applies to events of all sizes.
Risk Assessment Checklist
- Venue capacity and emergency exits identified
- Fire safety equipment checked and accessible
- First aid provision arranged (qualified first aider for 100+ events)
- Electrical equipment PAT tested
- Food hygiene certificates for any catering
- Public liability insurance in place
- Weather contingency plan for outdoor events
- Safeguarding policy for events involving children
Tips
Keep your risk assessment documented and updated. Brief all staff on emergency procedures. Know the nearest hospital, fire assembly point, and emergency phone numbers. Use your Tickts attendance data to ensure you never exceed venue capacity.
Legal Requirements
UK event organisers have a legal duty of care to ensure the health and safety of everyone at their event — attendees, staff, volunteers, performers, and members of the public. The key legislation is the Health and Safety at Work Act 1974 and the Management of Health and Safety at Work Regulations 1999.
For most grassroots events, this means conducting a risk assessment, having appropriate insurance, ensuring fire safety compliance, and providing first aid cover.
Risk Assessment
A risk assessment identifies potential hazards and the measures you take to mitigate them. It should cover:
- Venue risks: Trip hazards, fire exits, structural issues, lighting, ventilation
- Crowd management: Capacity limits, entry and exit flow, crush prevention, queuing areas
- Weather: For outdoor events — wind, rain, heat, cold. What triggers cancellation?
- Equipment: Electrical safety, staging stability, sound levels (hearing damage risk)
- Food and drink: Allergen information, food hygiene standards, alcohol licensing
- Vulnerable people: Children, elderly, disabled attendees — specific considerations for each
Document your risk assessment in writing. Many venues require this as a condition of hire. Even if they do not, a written risk assessment protects you legally.
First Aid Requirements
Every event should have first aid provision appropriate to its size and risk level. As a guide:
- Under 100 attendees: trained first aider on site with a first aid kit
- 100-500 attendees: at least 2 first aiders, consider a professional first aid provider
- 500+ attendees: professional first aid or paramedic cover is strongly recommended
Insurance
Public liability insurance is essential for any event open to the public. Most venues require a minimum of £5 million public liability cover. Policies are available from specialist event insurance providers and typically cost £50-200 for a single grassroots event.
Frequently Asked Questions
Do I need a risk assessment for a small community event?
Yes. Even small events should have a basic risk assessment. It does not need to be a lengthy document — a simple list of hazards and how you address them is sufficient. Many venues provide templates.
What about food hygiene?
If you serve food at your event, food handlers should have basic food hygiene training. If you use external caterers, they should hold a valid food hygiene rating. Display allergen information for all food served.
Creating Your Risk Assessment
A practical risk assessment for a grassroots event does not need to be complicated. Use this structure:
- List all hazards: Walk through your event from the attendee perspective. What could go wrong at each stage — arrival, entry, during the event, departure?
- Rate each hazard: How likely is it (low/medium/high)? How serious would the consequences be (minor/moderate/severe)?
- Identify controls: For each significant hazard, what are you doing to prevent it or minimise its impact? These are your safety measures.
- Assign responsibility: Who is responsible for each safety measure? Name the person, not just the role.
- Review and update: Review your risk assessment after each event and update it based on what actually happened. New hazards emerge that you did not anticipate; some anticipated risks never materialise.
Keep the document accessible — not locked in a filing cabinet. Your team should know where to find it and what it says. A risk assessment that nobody reads provides no protection.
