Jubilee Celebrations

The Government has made an announcement which will be welcomed by many streets in the UK planning on holding Jubilee celebrations. There is no need to worry about health and safety concerns which are being enforced by ‘jobsworths’. These are men and women that are taking health and safety laws and regulations out of context and applying them where they are not needed. This is often done by people looking for an excuse to ban events or cancel parties.

Have Fun and Use Your Common Sense

If your street is planning a party it is up to you to ensure that any person trying to wrongly enforce health and safety laws is challenged. The Health and Safety Executive have offered the support of the Mythbusters Challenge panel for anyone who is unsure of where they stand, and there are some useful guidelines to follow.

1. Any extremely large parties may require permission from your local council. If  you are going to employ people to help out, are selling alcoholic beverages or food, or need to close a road down for the event you will need to speak to the council.
2. Paying guests become your customers and you have a responsibility to them.  Keeping the event free can help to make things simpler.
3. Any informal parties can be carefully planned out by working together to help  reduce the risks caused by traffic, or any other dangers posed to small children for example. Organisations holding events the risks must be evaluated, for everyone else you can rely on common sense.
4. Try and set the amount of guests you are able to accommodate right from the start of the party planning. This will give you time to contact the council if the guest lists is going to be huge.
5. In many cases common sense will be able to help you overcome problems. If you are able to highlight a particular risks work out how those risks can be  overcome so the event or activity can continue.
6. Don’t back down to anyone who you think is being a jobs worth. Ask to see proof  and contact the Mythbusters Challenge Panel or check the HSE website myths  pages to see if you can find an answer online.

Community events that have been organised by volunteers, and do not have paid employees working the event are not subject to health and safety laws.  However use your common sense and take the necessary precautions to help ensure everyone enjoys the celebration. Look for areas where you may think public safety might be jeopardised and come up with a solution to reduce those hazards.

If you are an organisation and you are concerned about your Jubilee Celebrations there are people you can contact to help. If the Mythbusters Challenge panel suggest assessments, insurance or forms you will need to complete them. If you require a competent person or any other health and safety service provided by health and safety consultants you can call 0800 1488 677. Otherwise feel free to hang up your bunting and have a jolly good time with the rest of the UK.

About David Cant

A chartered (fellow) safety and risk management practitioner with 20+ years of experience. David provides a healthy dose of how-to articles, advice and guidance to make compliance easier for construction professionals, Architects and the built environment. Get social with David on Twitter and Linkedin.