Event health + safety standards

DRAWING THE LINE

As South Africa moves through the fifth wave of Covid-19, it begs the question: are health and safety standards within the events industry in line with the current risks posed by Covid-19, or unnecessarily over the top? Meetings understands more.

Unprecedented times call for unprecedented measures. This has been a common theme during the Covid-19 pandemic. However, the health and safety regulations that the organised and live events industry have been subject to throughout the duration of the pandemic and lockdowns have meant that there is no single standard or norm.

“Some may argue that we are overregulating ourselves as we are testing before and during events. Other industries are not and as such we are being singled out for doing the right thing. That is finding the balance between saving lives and livelihoods,” notes the Southern African Association for the Conference Industry (SAACI) in its official communication.

SAACI goes on to say that the release of the National Norms and Standards by the Department of Tourism is a key piece of legislation that guides self-regulation for the hospitality industry in South Africa.

“In addition to all the protocols the industry has developed, such as the Re-opening Guidelines, this serves as an additional layer of checks and balances when we host events,” highlights SAACI.

SAACI is responsible for representing the conferencing industry and, together with figureheads from other associations that are also active within this space, it has lobbied extensively to the government on the safe reopening of events.

ANSWERABLE TO GOVERNMENT

The suspension of South Africa’s National State of Disaster on 4 April 2022 by President Cyril Ramaphosa has been met with several criticisms, most significantly as the regulations stipulated under the National Health Act (No. 61 of 2003) will now dictate the future of health and safety at events. Following an extension of the public consultation period by Minister of Health Dr Joe Phaahla, the country awaits a way forward in how it will balance lives and livelihoods. Until then, events in South Africa will be allowed to operate at a maximum of 1 000 people indoors, and 2 000 outdoors, or 50% of the venue’s capacity.

While the consensus among organisers and representing associations seems to be that the self-regulation of health and safety protocols is the best way forward for in-person events, there are still several national and local laws that apply. Without these laws in place, there is unfortunately very little recourse should anything go wrong.

“It has been a rollercoaster ride… staying motivated and positive, and pressurising the government to recognise that our professional recovery plan will successfully keep people Covid-safe at the events we host,” says Mike Lord, interim chair of the Events Safety Council (ESC).

The ESC was established under the Southern African Communications Industries Association (SACIA) and is an international affiliate of the Event Safety Alliance (see sidebar). Previously, the ESC’s focus was on general event safety risks such as erecting structures, crowd control, security and fire. However, with the rapid spread of Covid-19, it has highlighted

the pressing need for the implementation of best practices within health risk management, resulting in health and safety risks being dealt with at the same time.

“Covid-19 is a complex problem, and there is no single, simple solution. The environment keeps changing, and the laws are constantly being adjusted – as a result, it is difficult to keep up. We are tackling the problem with science, facts and experience, while keeping an eye on global trends,” Mike explains.

“The event space has always been regulated, but the advent of Covid-19 has brought the issue of health and safety into stark focus. Our progress has sometimes been slow and frustrating, but the ESC’s effort since lockdown commenced has not been in vain. I believe that continued interaction with the government structures will lead to a better understanding of our industry, and a recognition of our sector’s contribution to the GDP of our country,” says Sam September, vice-chair of the ESC.

BEEFED-UP SKILLS

The ESC’s Re-opening Guidelines, which were brought together to assist in-person events in safely operating while the Covid-19 pandemic was in full swing, were endorsed by members of the SA Events Council and accepted as an industry recommendation when presented to the National Economic Development and Labour Council (Nedlac). In April 2021, the SA Events Council made the ‘Spectator Safety Guidelines’ publicly available. This set of guidelines was endorsed by Sascoc (South

SAACI continues to advocate that our recovery will be done in a responsible manner with all the safety protocols we have shared, developed and tested at the industry proof of concept events.”

African Sports Confederation and Olympic Committee) and presented to both the National Joint Operational and Intelligence Structure, as well as Nedlac.

Committed to best practice in safety across all aspects of the events industry, the ESC has developed and rolled out professional event safety designations that are registered with the South African Qualifications Authority. The two certifications are the SACIA Certified Event Safety Practitioner, given to “individuals who can demonstrate a comprehensive understanding of legislation, regulations, standards and by-laws that apply in the events industry,” while the SACIA Certified Event Safety Professional designation “is awarded to individuals who can demonstrate a deep understanding of legislation, regulations, standards and by-laws that apply in the events industry – along with substantial experience working as an event safety officer across multiple event genres.”

To ensure that members are kept abreast of the latest trends, developments and technologies shaping the future of safety within the events sector, they are required to participate in a programme of continuing professional development.

WHAT THE ESA’S HEALTH AND SAFETY GUIDANCE FOR IN-PERSON EVENTS SAYS...

The Event Safety Alliance (ESA) Health and Safety Guidance for In-Person Events was released in October 2021. It maintains that it “follows the science and takes the position that vaccination is the single best way back to healthy in-person events.” In short, it makes the following considerations: • It addresses common objections to vaccination with firm but respectful responses on the basis of law, medical status and religion. • The Guidance discusses the science of face coverings and why venues and event promoters can require them as a condition of entering private property or private events. • The Guidance discusses the relative merits of PCR and rapid antigen tests as infection mitigation measures. • There is a discussion why symptom-based testing works poorly with Covid-19. • The Guidance concludes with a discussion of hygiene measures like hand sanitiser in the context of this pandemic and public events generally. • Throughout the document, factual assertions are supported by hyperlinked source material for further reading. DISCLAIMER: ESA offers no opinion on those subjects. Rather, the Health and Safety Guidance for In-Person Events is intended to answer commonly asked questions at this moment during the pandemic and empower event professionals with reliable information about applicable science and law. The goal is nothing less than encouraging a return to in-person events in a way that is both economically viable and healthy and safe for guests, workers and performers. Health and Safety Guidance for In-Person Events can be downloaded from www.eventsafetyalliance.org/esareopening-guide