Safety at T in the Park
T in the park Music Festival has a high risk of fire. At nightime a lot of the music fans make campfire by their tents. With 140,000 people who have mostly been consuming alcohol all day and 50,000 tents it would be very easy for someone to accidentally set fire to a tent or other materials near the fires.
There’s also the risk of car fires being set, gas canisters exploding, fires in power generators and fires starting in the food stalls. These risks could be very dangerous and are a threat to the lives of staff and the customers. This event only has one dedicated fire engine to deal with these possible incidents, which personally I think is shocking and put a lot of people’s lives at risk. This risk could be minimised by dedicating more fire services to the event and having security guards around the campsite to make sure no campfires are set.
As the event is a music festival the noise levels are very high especially at the front of the stages and in the tents. Staff are exposed to the highest noise levels and this can lead to temporary or even permanent hearing loss. Noise levels at T in the Park typically range from 79 dB to 111dB in areas where people work. To minimise the risk from high noise levels all staff should be issued with protection ranging from earplugs to specialised ear protectors.Training would need to be given to staff to ensure that the protection is used correctly.
Risks could be reduced even more by making sure all non-essential staff are kept away from high noise areas. Speakers should be positioned in a way that staff working close by are not directly in front of them. Elevating speakers above head height can achieve this effect. Employees also need to be given adequate breaks in quiet areas to give their ears a rest.
Next we have the stages themselves. Erecting them involves a lot of manpower and machinery so it is very important that thorough safety checks are implemented and all the staff involved are wearing and using the correct safety equipment. Once the stages and surrounding areas are completed they should be checked over by specialists then sealed off to ensure safety for the bands performing and also the audience watching.
As new laws prohibiting smoking in public spaces came into legislation the stages, tents and other enclosed spaces have to be smoke free zones. Risks of smoking in these areas include putting other people’s health at risk, burning people and causing fires. These risks can be eliminated completely by ensuring that this new legislation is adhered to. This is a lot harder than said though as trying to spot people smoking in a very large crowd is difficult. The situation is not helped by performers smoking on stage when they were told it was illegal. Signs stating that smoking is prohibited also need to be displayed in all enclosed areas.
Large crowds form at each of the stages and in the tents. 140,000 people is a substantial amount and risks are imminent with this large amount of people. The crowds in front of the main stages are split up into smaller areas using barriers. This makes the crowd a lot more manageable for security staff. In the crowds pushing may occur and the people at the front of each area could be crushed. This poses a serious risk as someone could be killed. The crowds also tend to jump up and down. If someone was to fall while this was happening they could be trampled on and sustain serious injuries. This risk could be minimised by making the sections smaller. This would make it a lot easier for the security staff at the event to spot a problem and try to stop it before someone gets injured. The tents should also have maximum capacities, which allow space to be left in the tent. This would allow for people to move around a lot easier and a much more manageable crowd for the security staff to deal with.
Fairground rides are present at T in the Park. These rides can pose a serious risk to staff and customers. Often the consumer doesn’t realise that their actions whilst on these rides can potentially be fatal. Undertaking stunts such as putting limbs out of carriages or acting in a dangerous manner can cause serious accidents. Unsafe machinery could also cause a major incident to occur. If a piece of a ride was to fall off or break the ride could collapse and cause serious injury or death. Alcohol plays a major part in these risks. This can be solved by not letting people who appear to be intoxicated onto the rides.
In conclusion T in the Park is a relatively safe music festival. Very few major incidents have taken place at this event. Health and safety at this event could be improved with the provision of more emergency services in case of a dangerous event taking place. Making sure that machinery and venues are safely erected and that staff are adequately trained will also help to improve the safety at this major event. A higher level of ear protection needs to be given to employees to ensure the noise levels at this event do not affect their health. T in the Park is a fantastic well organised event with just a few changes need to ensure that all the staff and anyone attending has a safe and enjoyable time.
