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Event safety risk assessment

An event turns a familiar space into an unfamiliar one, filled with people who do not know the exits. Under the Work Health and Safety Act 2011 the duty extends to people affected by the work, which at an event means attendees, volunteers, contractors and performers as well as staff. This template assesses the event and produces the plan.

Who it's for: Event organisers, council and community services staff, school and university event coordinators, venue managers and volunteer coordinators.

Free to use and adapt · Last updated 2026-08-02 · No email required

Event details

Event name, date and times, including bump in and bump out
Location, and whether indoor, outdoor or both
Expected attendance, and the maximum capacity of the space
Audience profile Children, older attendees, people with disability, people unfamiliar with the site
Event manager, and who has authority to stop or cancel the event
Permits, approvals and licences required, and their status

Crowd and people flow

  • Capacity calculated for the space and enforced by a counting method
  • Entry and exit points sufficient in number and width for the crowd
  • Queueing arrangements planned, including where queues form and what they block
  • Pinch points identified, especially at entries, bars, toilets and stages
  • Crowd flow considered at peak moments: opening, headline act, close, fireworks
  • Crowd management staff briefed, positioned and in communication
  • Accessible routes, seating and toilets provided and kept clear
  • Lost child and vulnerable person procedure agreed and briefed
  • Standing and seated areas separated where needed, with barriers rated for crowd loading

Site, structures and services

  • Temporary structures certified, installed by competent people, and inspected before use
  • Marquees, stages, screens and rigging assessed for wind loading with documented limits
  • Electrical installation by a licensed electrician, with RCD protection and cables covered or elevated
  • Generators positioned safely, refuelled safely, and away from the public
  • Gas installations and cooking areas assessed, with extinguishers appropriate to the fuel
  • Trip hazards controlled: cables, pegs, guy ropes, uneven ground
  • Lighting adequate for the event and for pack down after dark
  • Ground conditions assessed, including what happens if it rains
  • Waste, toilets and drinking water provided in proportion to attendance and duration

Vehicles and pedestrians

  • Vehicle movements separated from pedestrians in time or in space
  • Bump in and bump out scheduled when the public is not present
  • Any vehicle movement during the event escorted at walking pace with spotters
  • Parking planned, with pedestrian routes from parking to the site assessed
  • Emergency vehicle access route kept clear at all times, and its width protected
  • Deliveries scheduled and controlled
  • Traffic management plan prepared where the event affects public roads, with approval where required

Weather and environment

Agree the trigger points and who calls them before the day. Weather decisions made under pressure with a crowd already on site are the ones that go wrong.

ConditionTrigger pointActionWho decidesHow it is communicated
High wind    
Heavy rain or storm    
Lightning    
Extreme heat    
Poor air quality or smoke    

Alcohol, behaviour and security

  • Liquor licensing conditions understood and met, where alcohol is served
  • Responsible service arrangements in place, with servers trained
  • Security staffing appropriate to the crowd, licensed where required
  • Aggression and intoxication response agreed, including when to call 000
  • Staff and volunteers briefed on de-escalation and on withdrawing rather than confronting
  • Cash handling and takings secured, with transport arrangements planned
  • Staff and volunteers can summon help from anywhere on site, including remote gates and car parks
  • Lone volunteers at gates, car parks and remote posts identified, with check-in arrangements

Emergency and medical

  • First aid provision matched to attendance, duration and event type
  • First aid post signposted, accessible, and its location communicated
  • Defibrillator available and its location known
  • Emergency services notified where the scale warrants it
  • Evacuation plan written, with assembly areas that can hold the crowd
  • Public address or another reliable way to give instructions to the whole crowd
  • Staff and volunteers briefed on the evacuation plan and their role in it
  • Site address and access point known by everyone who might call 000
  • Incident reporting arranged for the event, including for attendees
  • Communications tested, with a backup if radios or phones fail

Risk table and approval

Event manager approval and date
Post-event debrief scheduled for
HazardWho is at riskRatingControlsResidual ratingOwner
      
      
      
      
      
How to use it

Getting the most out of this template

  • Walk the site as an attendee who has never been there, then again in the dark and in the rain.
  • Agree the weather trigger points and the cancellation authority in writing before the day.
  • Brief volunteers properly. They are often the least experienced people on site and the ones the public approaches first.
  • Keep the emergency vehicle route clear as a hard rule, and give one named person responsibility for it.
  • Debrief afterwards while it is fresh, and keep the assessment as the starting point for next year.

This template is general information, not legal advice. Requirements differ by jurisdiction and industry; check the guidance published by Safe Work Australia and your state WHS regulator and seek advice for your specific circumstances.

Questions

Frequently asked

Do we need a risk assessment for a small community event?
Scale it, do not skip it. A small event still involves crowds unfamiliar with the exits, temporary electrical arrangements, and volunteers who are not trained staff. A two-page assessment covering crowd flow, weather, electrical and emergency response is proportionate for most small events.
Are volunteers covered by work health and safety law?
In many jurisdictions volunteers are treated as workers for safety purposes, and the duty to provide information, training, instruction and supervision extends to them. Confirm the position with Safe Work Australia and your state WHS regulator. Regardless of classification, they are on your site because of your event and the duty to people affected by the work applies.
Who is responsible when contractors run part of the event?
Duties are shared and overlap. The organiser retains a duty for the event as a whole, contractors hold duties for their own work, and where duties overlap the parties must consult, cooperate and coordinate. Agree in writing who controls what, particularly for structures, electrical and crowd management.
What should trigger cancelling an event?
Decide in advance and write it down: wind speeds that exceed a structure's rating, lightning within a set distance, heat above an agreed threshold, or crowd numbers approaching capacity. The value of pre-agreed triggers is that they remove the judgement call from a moment when there is enormous pressure to continue.
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