Event safety plan template.

HSE says event planning should reflect the scale and risks of the activity. Use these headings as an outline, adding detail where the event needs it. An event management plan may contain the safety plan or cross-reference it.

Start with a cover sheet and a clear account of who makes decisions. Include the venue operator and contractors where their arrangements affect the event.

• Event name, purpose, location and activities.
• Dates and times, including setting up, opening, closing and clearing away.
• Organiser’s legal name, event lead, deputy and useful contacts.
• Venue operator, landowner and relevant contractor contacts.
• Who can pause admission, stop an activity or begin an emergency response.
• Plan owner, version, issue date and people receiving the plan.

Martyn’s Law for eventsWho is responsible for a qualifying event?

Attach a usable site plan and explain how the expected attendance was calculated. Distinguish simultaneous attendance from total ticket sales across several sessions.

HSE recommends assessing crowd risks during arrival, entry, circulation, exit and dispersal. Include people who may need assistance and the effect of overlapping activities.

• Site boundary, entrances, exits and routes used by attendees.
• Expected peak crowd, relevant staff and the evidence behind the estimate.
• Admission method, counting arrangements and action if numbers approach the agreed limit.
• Queue locations, circulation routes and likely busy points.
• Accessible routes, toilets, welfare points and arrangements for people needing assistance.
• Vehicle routes, pedestrian separation and emergency-service access.

How to count people at an event

Identify the main hazards, the controls needed and who checks them. Cross-reference relevant assessments and contractor documents so the plan remains readable.

Set stewarding and security arrangements according to the event’s assessed needs. Do not choose a generic staffing ratio from a template without assessing the actual work.

• Crowd monitoring and the reporting route for congestion or unsafe movement.
• Steward positions, supervisors, briefings, breaks and replacement arrangements.
• Relevant contractor responsibilities and checks before opening.
• Fire precautions, temporary structures, electrical equipment and cooking activities.
• Weather monitoring and who decides whether conditions require a change or cancellation.
• First aid, medical provision, welfare and arrangements for lost or vulnerable people.

Record the scope decision rather than assuming every event qualifies. If the event is at enhanced-tier premises, connect with the premises arrangements. Otherwise, assess the qualifying-event criteria, including expected attendance, admission checks and exclusions.

For qualifying events, the four procedures and enhanced protection measures must be appropriate so far as reasonably practicable. The required SIA document must also describe and assess the arrangements; an event plan does not automatically contain everything needed.

• Scope: event boundary, expected simultaneous number, entry controls and exclusions checked.
• Leadership: responsible person, practical lead, deputies and designated senior individual where required.
• Evacuation: how people can leave away from the danger.
• Invacuation: how people can move to a place within the event or premises with less risk.
• Lockdown: appropriate arrangements for preventing entry or exit.
• Communication: who sends messages, which channels are used and the fallback.
• Enhanced measures: monitoring, movement, physical security and information security.
• Notification: publicity date, submission responsibility and relevant SIA deadlines.

The four public protection proceduresQualifying-event SIA notificationEnhanced-tier requirements

HSE recommends clear emergency roles, arrangements for contacting and assisting emergency services, and plans proportionate to the risks. Discuss the relevant arrangements with the venue and agencies where appropriate.

A safety advisory group provides advice and co-ordination; it does not approve the event or assume the organiser’s duties. Ask the council what information it needs and when.

Licensing is separate. In England and Wales, a temporary event notice is limited to relevant events with fewer than 500 people, including staff. Check whether your activity is covered by an existing premises licence or needs another route.

• Alarm and reporting arrangements, including the location information to give emergency services.
• Who can stop the event and how instructions reach performers, contractors and attendees.
• Evacuation, assistance, medical response and support for displaced people.
• Council and SAG contacts, questions raised and actions agreed.
• Relevant licences, notices, permissions and their conditions.

What a safety advisory group doesWhen a temporary event notice is neededAn emergency evacuation plan template

Finish with an action list showing who must do what before opening. Walk through the plan with the people who would use it, check communication equipment and resolve gaps in control or responsibility.

Record changes during the event and hold a proportionate debrief afterwards. Update the plan before using it again; a different layout, crowd or activity can need different arrangements.

Martyn’s Law duties are not yet in force. The SIA expects spring 2027, with no exact date confirmed. Existing event safety and licensing duties continue to apply. Adapt this outline with your own advisers; it is not legal advice.

Event security supportA business continuity plan templateCheck your event and venue