Site Safety Briefing

Event Director | Paul Steele (CEO at Art Reach) 

The Creative Director will oversee the delivery of the festival and make strategic decisions in consultation with the Event Manager. The Creative Director is solely accountable for Health and Safety for all aspects and stages of the festival. 

Lead Producer | Elaine Doherty (Head of Programme and Engagement at Art Reach) 

The Lead Producer will oversee festival programme delivery and act as the main point of liaison for all artists and participants. The Lead Producer is the Event Director’s deputy. If for any reason the Event Director is not present at the event, the Lead Producer will take on the role of ‘Event Director’.  

Event Manager | Leia Kirton 

The Event Manager will lead on the overall delivery and logistics of the festival and will be responsible for assessing crowd management and safety. They will be the tactical lead on the event and consult the Event Director when making strategic decisions.  The Event Manager will also assume the role of Event Controller and will maintain an Event Log throughout. 

Production Manager | Andy Lindley 

The Production Manager will lead on the technical delivery of the installations at the festival. They will be responsible for troubleshooting and addressing installation specific safety concerns. 

Marketing and Communications | Beth Edge 

Marketing and Communications Manager will lead on all marketing and public communication elements of the festival.  

Venue Leads | Lynn Simmonds, Amelia Silver & Jo Dacombe 

The Venue Lead will be the main point of contact for our Ambassador team. They will be responsible for monitoring staff wellbeing, arranging/providing break cover, overseeing redeployment and responding to queries during the shifts. 

Your main onsite point of contact will be our Venue Leads. 

The Venue Leads will oversee the Ambassador team and manage breaks, staff rotation and all aspects of team welfare.  

If you wish to raise an issue pertaining to crowd management, site conditions, security or any other operational areas, please also contact the Venue Leads who will channel this to the relevant team or individual.  

In emergency situations, such as First Aid and Fire response, please report directly, in person, to the Venue Lead.  

Paul Steele is responsible for the overall delivery and safety of the event. In his absence, Elaine Doherty will act as his deputy. 

Please remember that all questions are welcome. We are here to support each other and work as a team to deliver a great festival. If you’re unsure about anything or need help, always ask!

We ask that you join our WhatsApp Community for all comms throughout the festival period. As outlined above, most festival communications will be in person with your Venue Lead or other available members of the festival management team. However, the WhatsApp community will be used for low-priority comms.   

Please join the Ambassador Team group via the QR code below: 

When working at the festival, and representing Art Reach, we ask that you always maintain a professional and safe code of conduct.

Art Reach adopt a no smoking or vaping policy at its events. If you do want to smoke or vape, please ensure you have removed all branded items off your person and are within a designated smoking or vaping area around the city centre and away from your working area. Please do not litter.

As one of the installations is outdoors, we ask that you come to site prepared for all weather conditions. It is useful to pack layers for warmth and have A waterproof jacket to hand to cover all bases.

All contractors/builders working on site during build and derig must be wearing: 

Hard work boots

These are a requirement of the festival for the purposes of everyone’s health and safety. Anyone working without hard boots does so at their own risk and if the work is deemed too unsafe then they will be asked to down tools.  

Hi-vis jackets

These don’t really apply to your roles but it’s important that you are aware that during the build and derig of an installation, if you’re on site, the activity is likely to be dangerous. Please stay out of the way and at a safe distance, you will not be asked to partake in anything that requires you to wear work boots but by receiving this training you are aware that the activity may be going on around you.

Hair nets

These don’t really apply to your roles but it’s important that you are aware that during the build and derig of an installation, hair nets must be worn to avoid obstruction to vision whilst working.

Safe working areas must be created as soon as work commences. This is to protect you, the public and the work. 

Please ensure that no tools or equipment, clickers, clipboards, Hi-Viz, etc are left unattended on the ground, even for a short period of time. 

Please be especially mindful of handling anything that contains data, particularly ticketing data or attendees lists that might be at venues.  

At the end of the day, any information containing data must be returned to a member of the Event Management team.

During the build and derig phrases, please work smart. Ensure, where possible, that there is no lone working, and that you always have another member of the team with you. Where this is unavoidable, please make sure you have phone numbers handy in case you need to get in touch with someone locally or have updated someone of your location.

This pertains to the lifting and moving of heavy boxes or other equipment. You might be asked to carry an event/venue box or brochures from time to time during your shift. Please ensure you are not handling any loads above your capacities or state if you don’t feel comfortable with manual handling. With any manual handing, it is important to: 

• Plan your route before lifting 

• Adopt a good posture 

• Avoid stooping; lift from the knees, not with your back 

• Adopt a stable base and secure grip on the load 

• Avoid twisting  

• Hold the load close to the body 

We will have a couple of canvas trolleys available for large loads.

It is everyone’s responsibility to ensure that the ground and surroundings are free from hazards and obstacles. We ask all staff to remain vigilant to the ground conditions. Please don’t allow audience members to create obstacles with personal belongings and ensure that the event venues are tidy to prevent such incidents.  

Please report any slippery, uneven, broken or blocked surfaces immediately for response.

We will have two roaming Medical Responder on site during the festival. 

In the event of a medical incident, please inform the Event Manager and/or the Medical Responders via festival comms. Once in attendance, a decision will be made based on the severity of the injury/incident and safety of the casualty and wider audience.  

If determined that a casualty requires assistance outside of on-site capabilities or remit, the Event Manager will contact the emergency services. The Event Manager will wait with the casualty until the emergency services arrive, and the incident has been resolved or escalated. 

The following Art Reach Event Management Team are certified Emergency First Aiders: Paul Steele, Leia Kirton, Amelia Silver and Lynn Simmonds. 

If required, our existing venues have first aid kits. If a medical incident occurs during your shift that is responded to by the venue team, it is still very important that all first aid incidents are reported to the Event Manager to be recorded. 

After a medical incident, it is important to assess if there is any physical damage to the area where the incident occurred, if anything needs cleaning up or if the cause/danger still exist. We ask that you act where possible and safe to do so (i.e. removing a trip hazard) and report any other outstanding issues. 

Our existing venues have Fire and Evacuation Procedures and equipment. When working in a pre-existing venue, we ask you to familiarise yourself with the emergency exits, equipment and procedures. 

In the event of a fire, please inform the Event Manager and the venue team who would advise and lead on the response. Please be vigilant and proactive in clearing any immediate vicinities of the public, whilst ensuring your own safety, to create an exclusion zone. 

We ask that you keep your working environment clear of waste as a preventative measure. 

Nearest fire station: Central Leicester Fire Station, Lancaster Road, LE1 7HB.

We will have a Security Team onsite during the festival. This includes a Roaming Team (who will patrol the festival site and be available for support if required), a Steward at The Festival Hub, an SIA and Steward at Sirens in the Cathedral Gardens and a Steward at the Story Chef performances at Leicester Central Library. 

When working at one of our existing venues, there will not always be festival appointed security provision. This is because these venues have their own security protocols in place. But our Roaming Team will be available for additional support if/when required.

If you identify a security or public safety issue during your shift (i.e. overcrowding or a volatile situation), please report via to your Venue Lead or venue/festival security at your location immediately for response.

Please remember that it is always important to report, even if you are unsure or it seems insignificant! 

Your safety is our priority, so we ask that you do not attempt to respond to any adverse situations personally.

It is important that crowd levels and movement are continuously monitored across the events. We ask that you check the below as part of your role: 

• Ingress and egress routes are always kept clear  
• Crowd levels are monitored to prevent overcrowding at events. If you have any concerns, please ensure that you report them to the Event Management Team.

We ask you to be vigilant to any unattended items and inform the Event Manager immediately if an item is deemed ‘suspicious’ using the HOT protocol:  

H – has the item been deliberately HIDDEN? 

O – does the item have OBVIOUSLY suspicious characteristics? 

T – is the item TYPICAL of what you would expect to find in this location? 

An item should be deemed as suspicious if: 

• It has been deliberately hidden  

• Nobody on site has any knowledge of it  

• Contents of the item are not visible  

• Grease or wiring are visible  

If a suspicious item is reported, the following actions will be taken:  

• Item will not be touched  

• Area needs to be cordoned off  

• People to be cleared from the area: 100m away (small item – backpack size), 200m away (large item – up to and including cars) and 400m away (vans and heavy goods vehicles) 

• No phones or radios to be used in a 50m radius of the suspected item  

• Record time of sighting and keep eyewitnesses at hand  

• Calmly implement full evacuation procedure 

• Event Manager to contact the Police 

In the unlikely event of a weapon attack or threat, we ask that you immediately inform the Event Manager and adhere to the following process. No attempt to approach or tackle the attackers will be made. The Event Manager will contact the emergency services for assistance. 

The image reads:

Run: Run to a place of safety. This is a far better option than to surrender or negotiate. If there is nowhere to go then…

Hide: It’s better to hide than confront. Remember to turn your phone to silent and turn off vibrate. Barricade yourself in if you can. Then finally, and only when safe to do so…

Tell: Tell the police by calling 999.

IMPORTANT THINGS TO REMEMBER ABOUT YOUR SAFETY 

• Do not include children in any of your photographs or film/videos taken at venues. 

• Always work in an open environment avoiding private or unobserved situations. Don’t be alone with a child or an adult at risk. 

• If a situation arises where a person / child sustains an injury requiring medical attention and a person in charge is not present, still call emergency services. 

IT IS IMPORTANT TO KNOW 

• In the event of an emergency, actions taken should always be in the full knowledge and consent of someone in charge, or the child’s parents.

• If an ambulance is not available there should be two people taking the child to hospital – one driving the car and one taking care of the child.  

Remember, you are not expected to be experts in Safeguarding. Just report any concerns. 

LOST/FOUND CHILD OR ADULT AT RISK 

Definitions: 

A Child is legally defined as anyone under the age of 18.   

Where we use ‘an adult at risk’ this is someone aged 18 or over who, due to their care and support needs, is unable to protect themselves from abuse or neglect. This includes individuals who may have difficulty with physical, mental or emotional well-being and are at risk of harm. In the context of this protocol, there is an element of recognising that sometimes certain individuals, due to specific vulnerabilities, require extra protection from harm.   

All members of the Art Reach Event Management Team (EMT) will be identified as Safeguarding and Welfare leads to respond to and assist with any Lost Children or Adult at Risk reports along with any other welfare or safeguarding concerns.  

The designated LCAR (Lost Children / Adult at Risk) point will be the Festival Hub at Haymarket Shopping Centre. 

LOST CHILD OR LOST ADULT AT RISK 

In the event of a staff member being informed of a lost child or a lost adult at risk, they should report the situation immediately to the EMT or Security.  

A member of the Welfare Team is then required to attend the location to assist.  

A description of the lost child/person should be securely relayed to the EMT and the Security Supervisor.  

The Welfare Team should encourage the parent(s) or carer to stay with them whilst the search is conducted. If they refuse, the Welfare Team should attempt to stay with them to maintain contact. If the LCAR isn’t located after 10 minutes, it may be beneficial to escort them to the Festival Hub to for further support; whilst continuing to communicate with on-site team members for updates.  

The team member(s) should attempt to get any further information that would help the search, such as where they have been, do they know the area, was the lost child or adult at risk carrying anything, do they have a mobile phone. Any such information should be relayed to the Event Manager who will record the information. 

Details to record: 

• Name, age, date of birth, gender, hair colour 

• Eye colour 

• Ethnicity 

• Clothing 

• Contact details of the parent/carer, etc.  

• Incident details – Time and place child/adult at risk last seen, time the EMT were informed 

• Actions taken e.g. event security informed, police informed (if needed) 

• Medical information  

If the LCAR is still missing after 30 minutes the situation will be reported to the police. The response and subsequent action will be judged case-by-case in discussion with the Event Manager.  

Found Child or Adult at Risk 

In the event a LCAR is presented to or found by a member of staff, they report the situation to Security or to the EMT who will in turn dispatch a Welfare Team.  No fewer than two members of staff should be with the LCAR. 

The LCAR should be kept in the location where they were found while the Welfare Team attends to assist and wait 10 minutes where they were found in case the parent/carer come back. 

Where possible information such as a description of the parents or carer, where they have been, do they have a mobile phone number for their parent or carer, should be obtained and relayed to the EMT. The Event Manager will record the information. 

Details to record: 

• Name, age, date of birth, gender, hair colour 

• Eye colour 

• Ethnicity 

• Clothing 

• Any other information 

• Time found  

• Location 

• Time LCAR found and handed over the security or police 

• Time LCAR reunited with parent/carer 

• Contact details of the parent/carer collecting the LCAR and signature 

• Parent/carer ID details checked  

• Other details 

Depending on the situation and emotional state of the LCAR, the Welfare Team in consultation with EMT will assess whether to remain in position or to take the LCAR to the Festival Hub.   

When an adult comes to collect the LCAR ask them to name and confirm the age of the LCAR they have come to collect and make sure they are who they say they are. You must ask for identification such as a driver’s licence and must get the parent/carer to sign a Release Form (filed in the festival folder in the Festival Hub). 

If you are not sure the person is who they say they are or the LCAR’s behaviour or attitude gives you any reason to doubt this, for example they don’t want to go with the person or seem very distressed, ask for assistance from the security team or the police 

If the lost person is not reunited with their parent or carer after 30 minutes, the event manager will call the Police for assistance.

Site Safety Quiz

Starter Form