Plymouth Event Safety Advisory Group Protocols

1. Scope

1.1 The Plymouth Event Safety Advisory Group (PESAG) is a multi-agency group consisting of members of the agencies shown at 2.1, who are competent and experienced in their field of work and empowered by their agencies to make decisions relating to them. The Group’s remit is to provide advice, guidance and/or information to assist an organiser in the organiser’s decisions about safety at their event, where that event meets the SAG criteria for engagement. The Group does not have an ability to approve or ban an event, however individual agencies who form part of the group may be able to do so outside of the SAG.

1.2 Events can be one off or recurring. They can be international, national, regional or local. Events are of limited duration but by their nature vary. Events encompass a range of entertainment, cultural, arts, recreational, sporting and commercial activities.

They are developed primarily to provide spectacle and enjoyment; enhance the awareness, profile, visitor numbers, participation levels and civic pride of the city or activity; have an economic impact value for the city and assist economic growth.

The term event could also be used to encompass mass gatherings, rallies and marches unrelated to the above definition. The group will not consider ‘events’ which are being managed by Police under legislation relating to protest or assembly, although it is likely that the same agencies (and possibly) the same staff will be engaged in any multi agency group which the police call together to ensure statutory agencies core business is unaffected.

1.3 The criteria for events which will be considered at the SAG is shown at point 3.2.

2. Membership

2.1 The PESAG will comprise of agencies whose staff are appropriately trained and competent to represent the following agencies:-

PCC Civil Protection Service
PCC Public Protection Service
Plymouth Highways
Devon and Cornwall Police (including Operations Planning and Police Licensing)
South Western Ambulance Service NHS Foundation Trust (SWAST)
Devon and Somerset Fire & Rescue Service
Derriford Hospital Emergency Planning Department
NHS Emergency Planning and Risk Resilience Unit

2.2 Other agencies, such as PCC Building Control and the Kings Harbour Master may be invited to provide advice, guidance and/or information dependant on the event.

2.3 Where an event is invited to attend the SAG the organiser and landowner (if known) will be invited to attend. The organiser will be able to bring with them their critical contractors, at their own expense, if they wish to do so.

2.4 Critical contractors are usually considered to be the below but, depending on the event may be others;

the traffic management company
the security/stewarding company
the medical provider

3. Terms of reference

3.1 The terms of reference are shown below:

To remind statutory agencies of their powers to support public safety under any relevant legislation such as Article 2 (the right to life) of the European Convention on Human Rights.
To promote clarity of roles and responsibilities relevant to the event(s) within the SAG’s remit. This should include the SAG members’ roles and may include the powers and policies of those organisations in relation to events. It is essential that SAG members understand who is performing safety critical roles at the event.
To establish clear timelines for the provision of paperwork to the SAG and agree attendance and timelines with organisers.
To advise the event organiser/landowner in order to ensure high standards of health and safety in relation to Health and Safety at Work Act 1974 and Occupier’s Liability Act 1957 and 1984
To promote the principles of sensible risk management and good practice in safety and welfare planning. In doing so to balance all reasonable matters of safety and not permit specific members to focus on just one source of danger. The holistic view is essential to ensure all aspects of safety have been considered. (It is common that a bias is shown towards recent events, especially those leading to death, but these should not overshadow the multiple likely other safety issues that may arise. Examples such as recent drug deaths or inflatable structures breaking free can lead to ‘monocausal thinking’ to the detriment of other areas. Extreme examples include lengthy SAGs during COVID19 that discussed nothing other than covid matters)
To promote a consistent, coordinated, multi-agency approach to event planning and management.
To advise the event organiser/landowner in respect of the formulation of appropriate contingency and emergency arrangements.
To advise the event organiser/landowner in respect of relevant legislation and guidance.

To encourage arrangements to be made to minimise disruption to local communities.
To consider the implications of significant incidents and events relevant to their venue(s) and events, or surrounding area and facilities, especially in view of the new definition of safety within the Green Guide and considerations regarding ‘Zone Ex’.
To consider the impact of nearby events on one another.
To consider emerging threats to events, such as terrorism methodologies, drone use and the still developing threat of cyber terrorism and deniability of service
To review reports relevant to debriefs, visits and/or inspections of the venue or event.

The Criteria for events that will be considered by the PESAG are shown below. It is important to remember that this group is not owned by any particular agency and thus the criteria is based upon risk.

Events with a level of risk which causes any agency to have concerns. This level of risk can be from any factors and whilst the list within the UK Good Practice Guide to Working in Safety Advisory Groups is not exhaustive, the figure 5 at paragraph 3.8.2 provides a good example of the types of risks that may be relevant.
Events which cause an agency to amend their core working practices, This should not be seen as merely an increase in staffing levels, but could include the provision of specialist staff near to the event location, or being moved closer than their default deployment.
Events of an unusual nature or with a particular profile at a particular time. This could be events which have an activity which has caused concern over an area, e.g. in 2018 there were several issues relating to inflatable play equipment, which may have caused a SAG to consider all events at which this type of equipment was in use. This particular criteria could then be removed once the HSE issues their advice.
Any event, venue or organiser where there has been previous incident. This is not restrictive; for example, it can relate to disorder, attendance numbers or structural issues.
Any event, venue or organiser, who requests support/advice/guidance from the PESAG. Dependent on other factors shown above, this may have to be managed as directing them to appropriate guidance documents or sharing information by email rather than directly at a meeting.

If an event is considered by PESAG, it will be relevant for PESAG to request a copy of the debrief from the organisers of the event. Dependent on issues raised by the organisers, venues or SAG members, it may be that the organisers are invited to a meeting, or that their debrief is kept on file to ensure that matters are considered when planning their next event.

In some circumstances, particularly where an event has required intervention from PESAG agencies, it may be appropriate to invite an organiser or venue to a meeting to discuss the event. In this instance, it should be clear that PESAG is not conducting the debrief on behalf of the organiser or venue, but is working in support of that debrief to provide their own matters.

4. Roles and responsibilities of members of PESAG

4.1 Chairperson

Ensuring that the group discharges its responsibilities fairly, effectively, efficiently and proportionately
Ensuring, where practicable, appropriate representation on the group
Ensuring that all members have the opportunity to participate
Ensuring that an audit trail of group processes is maintained
Ensuring that the event calendar is populated by all agencies and is shared on a regular basis

4.2 PCC - Public Protection Service

The PPS will appoint representatives as necessary to discharge the following functions.

4.3 Licensing

Determine whether an event requires licensing and advise the group and applicants on the options to be considered.
Provide advice/guidance, as necessary, where event does not require a licence.

4.4 Food and Occupational Health & Safety, Public Health and Environmental Protection

to advise an organiser on compliance with food safety/health and safety legislation.
to advise an organiser in the assessment and control of nuisance and control noise levels at any event to prevent the occurrence of a statutory noise nuisance.
to advise the organiser on matters of food safety, occupational health and safety and nuisance.

4.5 Civil Protection Service

If requested through the PESAG, provide advice to event organisers on civil protection matters
To review event management plans circulated by PESAG to ensure emergency planning considerations are suitably considered
To bring integrated learning from previous events to enhance the overall safety of the event in question

4.6 Plymouth City Council Highways

(a) to advise an event or organiser relating to Highway matters. This may include liaison with statutory authorities and other organisations, giving advice on and, as necessary, arranging for:-

(i) the maintenance of clear and safe routes for emergency vehicles and traffic of all (ii) categories including pedestrians; any road closure or other temporary traffic management measures which may be necessary;

(iii) liaison with the statutory undertakers and transport providers

(b) Minimise the impact of illegal parking through parking enforcement

4.7 Devon and Somerset Fire & Rescue Service

All technical/legal aspects of legislation within the remit of the Service as they relate to public events.
To provide advice to the organiser with regard to Fire and Rescue related matters.
All public safety and crowd management matters as referred to in The Purple Guide to Health, Safety and Welfare at Outdoor Events, The HM Government Fire risk Assessment Guide to Open Air Events and Venues, and any other relevant publication.

4.8 Devon and Cornwall police

To provide advice relating to all policing matters to cover crime and disorder, alcohol licensing, safeguarding and vulnerability, public order and public safety.

4.9 South Western Ambulance Service NHS Foundation Trust

(a) To provide advice in relation to event first aid and medical cover and advise if it is in line with the event safety guidelines.

(b) To review any potential impacts that the event may cause SWAST and the wider NHS and to also consider any mitigating or proactive actions required by SWAST in relation to the event.

4.10 Kings Harbour Master (KHM)

KHM manages the usage and safety of waterborne activities within KHM operational area of control. They will:

a) Advise the organiser on activities at the water / land interface

b) Advise the organiser on matters affecting MOD requirements at the port.

c) Provide the initial point of contact for MOD matters.

5. PCC - Events Team

5.1 The events team can, at various times, act in the capacity of either:-

The event promoter.

As a joint promoter working with an outside body.

As site lessor and acting in liaison with event promoter.

The team’s role and responsibilities will alter depending in which capacity it acts in either (i), (ii) or (iii) above.

(a) As Promoter

The team will be responsible for complying with all requirements as laid down for the licence and will be responsible for all event organisation.

(b) CS&L as Joint Promoter

The team will clarify roles and responsibilities with the promoter so that PESAG is aware of situation and the team will work with joint promoter to ensure compliance with requirements of any licence.

The team will ensure the promoter is given clear guidance on roles and responsibilities and will strive to ensure that contractually the promoter is responsible for stated provision and compliance. The department will also act in a liaison role, where deemed applicable and appropriate, with other bodies and will strive to ensure the promoter complies with all requirements of the licence.

Please note that the Events Team are not advice givers on the Safety Advisory Group. However as most events take place on land that they manage, they will be attendees in one of the above roles.

6. Meetings Of The PESAG

6.1 Meetings of the PESAG will take place every month. Dependant on the events to be considered, it may be appropriate to cancel meetings which are not required. A meeting at the start or end of the year will be designated as the meeting to review the constitution, terms of reference and criteria for events to be considered at a SAG.

6.2 Core agencies should be present at each meeting of the PESAG, and should ensure that their representative is competent to provide the relevant information.

6.3 Where an agency is unable to attend, unless for unforeseen circumstances, they should ensure that they have provided email feedback to the Chair or Secretariat in advance of the meeting.

7. Notification of events

7.1 Where an event is notified to a member of the PESAG, it is the responsibility of that member to notify, in writing, the other members of the Group.

8. Procedures for dealing with events

8.1 The following procedure has been approved for use by the PESAG:-

8.2 At each meeting the group review the diary of events (accessed via MS Teams) for the forthcoming months/year. This diary is set up by PPS Technical Support and will upload the diaries from the Events Team and Parks, however all members are asked to add to this calendar as they hear of any additional events.

8.3 The purpose of the PESAG will be to receive details of the event from the organisers and for the emergency services and other agencies to identify further information or advice in relation to action necessary to enable the event to proceed safely.

8.4 The Chair will be responsible for checking the minutes of the meetings and communicating those decisions to all necessary parties (including non-attendees).

A copy of the minutes relevant to the event will be shared with the organiser and any critical contractors who attend the meeting. This ensures a record of the meeting is shared with them and also allows for clarity and a reminder in what was discussed, as well as providing the organiser with contact details for each agency.

8.5 The responsibility for completion of any actions identified lies with the promoter/appropriate agency.

9. Conflict of interests

9.1 Some members will have involvement either as organisers or providers of services which could be seen as a conflict of interest when considering events. In order to avoid conflicts and challenges on the decisions of the group members will either;

Declare any interest and continue after agreement by the remaining members
Declare any interest and be excluded

9.2 Where member organisations may be bidding for services no information is to be released or used by other organisations for commercial gain.

9.3 Minutes will record any declarations, details of the conflict of interest and action taken.

10. Freedom of Information

Minutes will generally hold a mix of information which may or may not be excluded from FOI requests. Some commercially sensitive or enforcement related material would generally not be released.

The minutes will not be automatically released by any member of the group. Any requests made under FOI should be forwarded to the Chair. The Chair will contact all members concerned to seek views on any information that may be excluded under suitable statutory exemptions. This will include contacting the author of any document which may be considered for release.

All agencies represented at the SAG are signatories to an Information Sharing Agreement.

11. General

11.1 All members of the PESAG will operate within the areas identified as their roles and responsibilities

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