14 minute read
Conferences & Events
Getting back together means getting back to basics
Following the UK’s successful vaccinations programme and subsequent withdrawal of Covid-19 restrictions, face-to-face events of all sizes are back on the agenda. Stephen Thomas, health and safety business partner at the Institution of Occupational Safety and Health (IOSH), has some top tips for event organisers on getting ‘back to basics’ to ensure sensible and proportionate risk management
Know your limits
There are many interested parties when it comes to managing event safety, including the organiser, venue owner, contractors, Safety Advisory Groups (SAGs) and, if certain criteria are met such as serving alcohol, local councils granting Temporary Events Notices (TENs).
However, meeting organisers retain prime responsibility for the health and safety of workers, members of the public and contractors working at the event. The organising team should be clear about health and safety roles and responsibilities, while also ensuring co-operation and co-ordination of work activities on site before, during and after the event.
To manage the risks of an event effectively, organisers need to ask themselves whether they have sufficient knowledge and skills in health and safety - if not, it is time to upskill, recruit or bring in external support.
Event support and resources
There are numerous event safety resources but organisers should be careful to utilise authoritative sources such as the Health and Safety Executive (HSE) and the Events Industry Forum (EIF). HSE, for instance, has a microsite covering event safety basics from the point of view of organisers, site owners, contractors and workers, while the EIF publishes its Purple Guide to Health, Safety and Welfare at Music and Other Events, which is produced in consultation with HSE.
Consultants can be used to support the organiser with risk assessment, planning and training. However, it is important to establish that they are competent. Check whether the consultant is registered on the Occupational Safety and Health Consultants Register (OSHCR), is a Chartered Member of IOSH (CMIOSH), has relevant experience in the type of event planned and can provide references from organisers of previous events they’ve supported.
Risk assessment
Risk assessment is the tool by which we identify hazards (something with the potential to cause harm), assess the risks
(how likely and how severe that harm may be) and decide on proportionate control measures to address those risks. Sensible risk management should be applied: a small, low-risk event such as a fête at a village hall warrants a lesser level of control than a large higher risk event, such as a musical festival. Assessments should ideally be carried out afresh for each event but where an organiser uses a template or a previous assessment as a starting point, they should be reviewed to ensure they are still suitable and sufficient. For example, running an outdoor winter event will be substantially different to one at the height of summer, due to weather conditions and the necessary facilities and equipment. Even after an assessment has been completed for the event, it should be reviewed following any incidents or significant changes; for example, changes to the intrinsic nature of the event or updates made to relevant event industry guidance. E organisers need to ask themselves whether they have sufficient knowledge and skills in health and safety
The Safety Plan Once the risks have been addressed in the assessment, this can then be used to inform a Safety Plan for the event. The plan should cover the control measures identified in the assessment, as well as considering factors such as the scale and nature of the event, the number and type of attendees it is likely to attract, and when and where it will be held.
The plan should also be used to determine the resources and facilities that are required, including first aid and medical assistance, stewards required for crowd management, eating and drinking facilities, toilet and washing facilities, and parking.
Foreseeable emergencies must also be planned for. Depending on the nature of the event, such emergencies could include fire, accidents, terrorism, inclement weather (such as high winds and flooding - and even heatwaves), food poisoning and disease outbreaks. Relevant stakeholders such as the venue owner, contractors, emergency services, employees and local SAGs should be involved in this planning, with emergency roles and responsibilities clearly outlined. Where possible, the plan should be tested in advance of the event, as a ‘table-top’ run through, for example.
It is also good practice to have a postevent debrief with the stakeholders so that lessons, both good and bad, can be learned and incorporated into the planning for further events.
Managing contractors
When it comes to using contractors, there is more to appointing them than simply going with the lowest cost - event organisers need to exercise a reasonable level of due diligence to ensure that the contractor is competent to carry out its work safely.
Take outdoor marquees, for example. Although seemingly innocuous, they are classified as a temporary demountable structure and it is therefore essential that organisers ask the contractor to demonstrate they understand and will manage the risks For instance, if the expected demographic of event attendees is considered to be at higher risk from Covid-19 (that is; older people, people with health conditions and pregnant people), then it may be wise to implement a higher level of communicable disease controls.
from erecting and dismantling as well as use. There will also need to be weather monitoring and emergency plans in case of high winds.
Further due diligence checks for contractors would include asking for evidence of training for their workers (preferably to a standard recognised within their industry) and whether they can provide evidence from previous work, such as risk assessment/method statements (RAMS) that show they can work safely.
HSE maintains a register of convictions and notices that can be used to check whether a contractor has been subject to enforcement action or prosecution. Online reviews may also be a useful indicator of how a contractor operates.
While contractors are working at the event venue, it is important that they are supervised to make sure they are carrying out work safely and if not, they should be challenged.
Do we still need to worry about Covid-19?
Covid-19 certainly hasn’t gone away but is more manageable at a society level; there is certainly a push towards living with Covid-19 risk rather than taking great pains to avoid it, all of which is in line with the Government’s Response Plan ‘Living with Covid-19’.
Event organisers need to ask themselves if Covid-19 poses a greater risk at the event than perhaps other communicable diseases, such as flu or norovirus. For instance, if the expected demographic of event attendees is considered to be at higher risk from Covid-19 (that is; older people, people with health conditions and pregnant people), then it may be wise to implement a higher level of communicable disease controls. This might include increased cleaning regimes, access to sanitiser and reviewing the ventilation of indoor areas.
Reputational risk is also a consideration. For example, if an outbreak is linked to an event then it could be fertile ground for negative portrayal in social media and local (or even national) press.
Finally, there is still the possibility of Covid19 ‘spikes’ during the colder months, when people spend more time indoors, with a commensurate increase in local infection rates. This could then result in local or national restrictions being imposed, along with changes to Covid-19 guidance.
Thankfully, Covid-19 has now largely become just another factor you need to take account of in the risk assessment of an event. The rest is down to sensible, proportionate risk management and being careful to address the things that could cause real harm. It may not be rocket science but it’s critical to keeping people safe and healthy… and, therefore, to the success, or otherwise, of your event. L
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Advertisement Feature Mobile Forensics: The Challenges for UK Law Enforcement & Government Agencies
At present, there are 83.8 million mobile devices in active circulation in the United Kingdom and 98 per cent of adults possess a mobile phone. The number of mobile devices in active circulation continues to increase annually, as does the number of devices which are seized by police as a result of criminal activities
The Problem
Mobile devices retain a wealth of information and their prevalence within the investigation process is significant. Our increased dependence upon technology as a society and our reliance upon mobile devices in particular, has resulted in the accumulation of significant national backlogs pertaining to digital forensic examinations.
In 2014, there were approximately 14,000 seized devices awaiting forensic examination, today there are over 20,000. Despite increased investment and the best intentions of the Home Office, UK Law Enforcement and Government Agencies, the national backlog continues to grow by around 750 devices annually. Technological advancements, increased storage capacities and our reliance upon cloud-based services are exacerbating the situation.
As with the majority of professional services, the digital forensics industry is regulated and organisations are required to achieve formal ISO 17025:2017 accreditation. The passing of the Forensic Science Regulator’s Act 2021 means that ISO 17025:2017 accreditation and compliance with The Forensic Science Regulator’s Codes of Practice and Conduct will soon become a mandatory requirement for all forensic service providers and practitioners. This is expected to significantly limit the organisations to which UK Law and Government Agencies can outsource mobile devices for forensic examination.
The Solution
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Case Study
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01554 227410 enquiries@ex1-forensics.com
Advertisement Feature What to consider for a successful digital transformation roll-out
The UK government’s plan to roll-out full fibre by 2025 is under way with work beginning on the first major broadband upgrade under the £5 billion Project Gigabit
Access to lightning-fast gigabit broadband for homes and businesses across the UK is the aim of the government’s plan and with video conferencing, online learning and virtual medical consultations becoming the norm, the need for gigabit-capable coverage across the UK has become even more critical.
Of course, transformation is to be welcomed, as services improve and become fit for the digital age. However, public sector IT leaders must not underestimate the challenge of widespread digital transformation, and what it will demand from existing networks and connectivity infrastructure.
To understand the extent in which the public sector and UK organisations were making progress and building out their digital strategies around activities, including cloud migration and digital transformation, we conducted a survey to learn more about when connectivity was considered in the process, the level of investment in network infrastructure and the ways in which organisations are implementing forwardlooking solutions to maintain sustainability.
From our findings, perhaps most pertinent was that 65 per cent of respondents expected reliance on connectivity solutions to increase in the future, while 64 per cent agreed that their digital transformation projects were at high risk of failure due to poor or inadequate connectivity. And yet, fewer than half (45 per cent) of organisations include connectivity and networking requirements as part of their digital transformation roadmaps, while just four out of ten (41 per cent) deem it a high priority.
For the public sector in particular, the survey brought to light some interesting statistics with the research revealing that transforming digitally remains high on the agenda of many, with 65 per cent of organisations stating it is important to their future strategy.
As one might expect with the public sector, their strategy focused around bettering the lives of people. The research would suggest that this is being considered in two primary ways; through the improvement of internal processes which will make the working day easier for employees, and through the introduction of technological advancements designed to improve the lives of citizens.
Key challenges the public sector is facing with digital transformation
Safety and risk:
With so much emphasis on safety and risk, it is no surprise that the biggest digital transformation challenge for the sector is information security.
Resource:
Another common challenge was the extent to which internal IT teams are stretched leading to a reduction in the pace of roll-out.
Connectivity:
More than eight out of ten (84 per cent) in the public sector are plagued by slow lead times when implementing new technology solutions. It is also the sector most likely to suggest it needs more help and advice regarding the optimal balance of connectivity performance versus cost.
Supportive telecoms providers:
Just a fifth of respondents in the public sector stated they were happy with the advice provided by their current telecoms provider on which new technologies can help with digital transformation.
Key learnings from a successful roll-out of digital transformation programmes
Our survey found that organisations that have succeeded in their digital transformation projects have focused considerable attention to the importance of connectivity. They highlight a set of success factors they adhere to when they embarked on their digital transformation journeys.
Prioritise connectivity:
regardless of the technologies you might be implementing as part of your transformation programme, appropriate resource should be made available to ensure adequate connectivity is in place to optimise operations.
Improve connection quality for cloud solutions:
with the transition to forward-facing cloud technologies under way, it’s imperative that connectivity solutions are future-proofed and offer the capacity capable of dealing with exponentially increasing demands on data.
Address connectivity challenges of hybrid work:
the way we work is changing. Connectivity should not be delivered using a ‘onesize-fits-all’ approach. Organisations must adapt accordingly and provide the capacity, resilience and security to remote sites just as they would a central HQ.
Enhance visibility, security and control:
businesses should be involving IT teams in their digital transformation programmes at all stages. The IT team should have visibility and control over network connections and be kept abreast of new technology initiatives within their organisation.
Recruit the right connectivity partners:
your connectivity partner should be supportive of your digital transformation ambitions, offering strategic advice and providing solutions designed to add value.
In the current climate, digital transformation must be delivered at an accelerated rate. You can explore our success framework in greater depth as part of our report, Core
connectivity: The key enabler of digital
transformation. L
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