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.

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:

East Suffolk Safety Advisory Group (SAG)

Organisers planning events should consult with the East Suffolk Safety Advisory Group (SAG) at an early stage by emailing environment@eastsuffolk.gov.uk to advise the SAG of the date any type of event that is being planned.

All events will require an event management plan; the scale of the event will affect how much information is needed within the plan. View a guide to drafting an Event Management Plan, including a template.

The East Suffolk Safety Advisory Group holds monthly meetings to review event plans, usually on the second Thursday of the month, to allow the relevant regulatory agencies and emergency services to gain intelligence prior to any event to inform emergency planning and advise each other on any areas of concern. 

The group will also advise the event organiser of ways in which they can manage the event safely although the group as a whole does not have statutory powers and any regulation of the event will be carried out under primary legislation.

The East Suffolk SAG is not part of the event planning team and safety of persons attending the event will always remain the responsibility of the event organiser and venue owner.

To reduce unnecessary travelling, or when short time scales require it, some events will be considered via a “virtual SAG” by circulating documentation and comments electronically.

The Purple Guide is produced by the Events Industry Forum and provides detailed information that anyone organising an event might find useful.