Guide
Event risk assessment template
An event risk assessment template has to cover the hours the public are not there. Most of the harm in a crew RAMS happens at load-in and load-out, in the street or the yard, not during the show.
Write the venue, not a festival generic
Name the access, the vehicle route, who is in the street, and which fire exit the cases must not block. Temporary power and an unfinished stage are separate tasks in the library. This worked example is the load-in. The stage build sits on the event trade page.
No law requires a document called a RAMS. The duty is to assess risk under the Management of Health and Safety at Work Regulations 1999, regulation 3, and to plan the work safely.
Every hazard below is from the RAMSPack library and is marked draft – awaiting competent review. Change it for the site. It is not HSE approved.
Worked example: Load-in and load-out
Unload event equipment from a van, move it into a venue, and reload it after the event, including use of a tail lift where the van has one.
Order of work
- Park so the tail lift opens onto a level surface away from traffic where possible. Hazard lights on if the crew are in the road.
- Open the lift and check it before the first load. Do not exceed the marked load.
- Use sack trucks for flight cases. Two people for awkward cases. Agree a route that avoids fire exits being blocked.
- Stack in the venue so that cases cannot fall and so that escape routes stay clear under the fire arrangements for the building.
- Reload heavy items low in the van and strapped. Do not leave the lift down and unattended.
Manual handling of flight cases and truss
Library status: draft – awaiting competent review
From the event crew library, task: Load-in and load-out. Who might be harmed: Crew
Before controls: 12 Medium. After controls: 4 Low. These scores are a prompt. Score the job yourself.
- Use trucks and the tail lift. Do not carry a case that blocks your view on a stair.
- Share the weight. Plan rests.
Regulations that fit this hazard: Health and Safety at Work etc. Act 1974; Management of Health and Safety at Work Regulations 1999; Manual Handling Operations Regulations 1992; Personal Protective Equipment at Work Regulations 1992 (as amended 2022).
Crushing or a fall from the tail lift
Library status: draft – awaiting competent review
From the event crew library, task: Load-in and load-out. Who might be harmed: Crew
Before controls: 12 Medium. After controls: 4 Low. These scores are a prompt. Score the job yourself.
- Stand clear of the closing platform. Do not ride the lift unless that is specifically allowed for this lift.
- Load within the rating. Report a lift that creeps or will not hold.
Regulations that fit this hazard: Health and Safety at Work etc. Act 1974; Management of Health and Safety at Work Regulations 1999; Manual Handling Operations Regulations 1992; Personal Protective Equipment at Work Regulations 1992 (as amended 2022).
Being struck by other vehicles while unloading in a street or a yard
Library status: draft – awaiting competent review
From the event crew library, task: Load-in and load-out. Who might be harmed: Crew
Before controls: 15 High. After controls: 10 Medium. These scores are a prompt. Score the job yourself.
- Hi-vis worn. A crew member watches traffic if the lift opens into a live area.
- If the street cannot be made safe, move the van. Do not rely on cones alone in fast traffic.
Regulations that fit this hazard: Health and Safety at Work etc. Act 1974; Management of Health and Safety at Work Regulations 1999; Manual Handling Operations Regulations 1992; Personal Protective Equipment at Work Regulations 1992 (as amended 2022).
Blocking a fire exit with cases
Library status: draft – awaiting competent review
From the event crew library, task: Load-in and load-out. Who might be harmed: Crew and the public
Before controls: 15 High. After controls: 5 Low. These scores are a prompt. Score the job yourself.
- Keep marked exits and their routes clear. The Regulatory Reform (Fire Safety) Order 2005 duties sit with the responsible person for the premises; the crew do not obstruct the measures that person has in place.
- Stack in the area the venue has allocated.
Regulations that fit this hazard: Health and Safety at Work etc. Act 1974; Management of Health and Safety at Work Regulations 1999; Personal Protective Equipment at Work Regulations 1992 (as amended 2022); Regulatory Reform (Fire Safety) Order 2005.
Event risk assessment sheet
Write this venue, including load-in and load-out. A festival generic does not describe your build.
Event: ____________________
Venue and address: ____________________
Dates and times, including load-in and load-out: ____________________
Person in charge on site: ____________________
Who else is affected: ____________________
Access and vehicle route: ____________________
Temporary power: ____________________
Fire exits that must stay clear: ____________________
Key points
- Hazard, who might be harmed, and the controls for this venue.
Say what changes if the weather, the crowd, or the call time changes.