Running a Safe Event

The UCSA is committed to supporting affiliated clubs so that they can provide and maintain safe and healthy environments for their members.

This Health & Safety Manual contains helpful information, templates and guidelines for UCSA clubs. It is your responsibility to familiarise yourself with the information contained, and apply it (as appropriate/relevant) in your club.

Should you require further assistance on developing, implementing and maintaining your health and safety systems and processes for your Club, please contact the UCSA Events Team.

Before the Event

Running a safe event should be down to good planning, not luck. Regardless of where your event is held, you are responsible for managing your hazards through risk assessment. 

Risk Assessment: How to Manage Hazards

What is a hazard? A hazard is anything that can cause harm.

What is a risk? A risk is potential consequence of not dealing with the hazard.

Regardless of where your event is held, you need to complete a Hazard Risk Assessment and Management Form before the event starts. A Hazard Risk Assessment and Management Form documents hazards that could cause harm to your event attendees, as well as staff.

How to Complete a Hazard Risk Assessment and Management Form 

1. Identify the hazard
   • A hazard is something that can injure you, make you sick or kill you (the source of the harm or loss).
2. What is the risk that this hazard poses?
   • What could occur that leads to this hazard causing harm?
3. Determine how likely this risk event is to happen?
   • What is the worst possible consequence of this risk (C).
   • How likely is the Risk to occur? (L)
   • C x L = Risk Rating
4. How are you going to control this risk and reduce the risk rating?
   • Eliminate the Hazard (Remove trip hazard by keeping floor clear)
   • Substitute the Hazard (Replace old equipment with new)
   • Isolate the hazard (Use a barrier to separate people from it)
   • Engineering controls (Use a trolley to move gear rather than lifting)
   • Administrative controls (Training, Supervision, signage)
   • Use PPE (wear protective clothing / equipment)
5. What is the new risk rating
   • C x  L = Risk Rating
   • The consequence stays the same – but we are reducing its likelihood

Please contact the UCSA Events Team if you require assistance with the hazard identification and/or risk assessment process. 

Contractors

If you are bringing anyone onsite to do work, they are most likely a contractor. You need to ensure you have a plan on how to manage contractors.

During the Event

The club needs to ensure they are focused on Health & Safety at all stages of the event.

Event Inductions

Once you have created your Hazard Risk Assessment and Management Form, you need to ensure that all event attendees, event staff, contractors and volunteers are aware of the Hazards you identified, and that they abide by controls you have put in place – otherwise you have not truly minimised the risk.

Also ensure that as your “event attendees”, your customers arrive for your event they have been inducted in some way – e.g. an email before the event, house-keeping notes at the start of the event, signage at the event etc.

Please note for staff you will need to ensure they are inducted in person.

Responding to Accidents, Incidents, and Near Misses

Ensure at all stages of the event, be it during setup / pack-in, the event itself, or pack-out that you are responding to accidents and near misses.

This means not only treating the person who is involved in the near miss or incident, but also documenting incident or near miss to understand why it happened and to ensure it will not happen again.

What is an Accident? 

An accident is an unplanned event that results in injury, illness, or damage. 

Accidents or illnesses that require the person to be admitted to hospital are considered “Notifiable Incidents”. If a notifiable incident occurs, WorkSafe NZ and the UCSA must be notified as soon as possible. 

What do we need to do if an Accident occurs at my event? 

When an incident or accident occurs to a club member or any other person on site of a Club-run event or activity, you must follow the procedure documented below: 

• If the incident is serious, 111 must be called immediately, followed by UC Security if on campus. During the Health Centre opening hours, they should also be contacted. The localised First Aider is then notified so they can provide immediate treatment. 
• Once appropriate treatment has been given and an Incident/Accident Report Form is completed as soon as possible by the Event Lead. 
• If an incident/accident or illness occurs that requires, or would usually require, the person to be admitted to hospital for immediate treatment, then the UCSA Head of Student Engagement must be notified immediately.  The UCSA will assist you with the process of notifying Worksafe NZ as this is considered a Notifiable Incident. 
• The UCSA Events Team will work with you complete an Accident Investigation Form. 
• UCSA works closely with UC to manage health and safety, and so will be in contact with UC to discuss this particular circumstance. 

After the event

Your event may have finished, but you still have a few things to do. If any accidents or near misses occurred, please send the completed forms to the UCSA Events Team. The next step is to review your Hazard Risk Assessment and Management Form, add any new risks or hazards that were identified, and make any changes to the controls as necessary.

By documenting your successes and failures, you are helping the next student who replaces you as your Clubs Events Coordinator. They will have a much easier job of organising the event next year, which will hopefully give them more time to come up with other cool and engaging activities for your club