East Suffolk Council
Running an event safely
Good planning and organisation is essential to putting on an event that is both safe and enjoyable. For many events all that is required is to follow a basic series of steps and produce an Event Management Plan (EMP) that helps to ensure that everyone knows what they are responsible for and all necessary contingencies are in place.
A good starting point is the Health and Safety Executive's event safety website, which is aimed at helping organisers and others run events safely.
Contacting your area Safety Advisory Group
Organisers planning larger events should consult with their area Safety Advisory Group (SAG) at an early stage. The purpose of the Safety Advisory Group is to enable the relevant regulatory and response agencies to consider events that have implications for public safety.
Membership of the SAG can vary according to the event being considered but the core members of any SAG will be local authority representatives, Suffolk Fire and Rescue Service, Suffolk Constabulary and the East of England Ambulance Service. Event organisers may also be invited to the advisory group meetings to discuss their proposals.
The group has no statutory powers but individual members may have regulatory powers. Therefore, organisers will be advised if any aspects cause the group concern although the SAG is not in a position to make decisions about the event.
Further information about the role of the SAG and further guidance on running events safely is available on the Suffolk Resilience website.