The Purple Guide to Health, Safety and Welfare at Music and Other Events has been drawn up by the Events Industry Forum in consultation with the UK events industry, including representatives from regional and national Government. This publication is designed to replace ‘Purple Guide’ (HSG195) which was originally published by the Health & Safety Executive (HSE), which continues to support its publication.
Designed to establish consistently safe standards for the running of outdoor events, from music concerts to country fairs, the Guide is an online publication, which enables it to be constantly revised and updated.
As an employer, the event organiser – whether an individual, collective or local authority – has a general duty to ensure, so far as reasonably practicable, the health, safety and welfare of their employees. They also have a similar responsibility to ensure, so far as is reasonable, that others – including volunteers and spectators – are not exposed to risks arising from the operation of the event.
The guide, which covers more than health and safety, is not designed to be prescriptive but simply to highlight legal responsibilities and non-legislative good practice. As events can differ considerably, it is important that the specific requirements for each is established through an individual risk assessment approach.
In some areas, the Guide signposts users to other sources of information that may be helpful. At the time of publication all the links are checked and regularly updated and amended as necessary.
Due to the complexity of organising a wide range of events, the Guide contains a large amount of detail, which may not always be relevant for some smaller events. Organisers running modest scale events may wish to refer to the Lite version of the Purple Guide or the HSE’s event safety web page www.hse.gov.uk/event-safety/index.htm (http://www.hse.gov.uk/event-safety/index.htm)
Volunteers running events do not generally have legal duties under the Health & Safety at Work Act. Please reference www.gov.uk/government/news/can-do-guidance-will-make-organising-volunteer-events-simpler (https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/can-do-guide-for-organisers-of-voluntary-events/the-can-do-guide-to-organising-and-running-voluntary-and-community-events) for further information and guidance.
Placemaking – the art of designing public spaces as not just functional, but also beautiful and meaningful for the people who live, work, and play there – is increasingly referenced in relation to outdoor events. However, it is important that such considerations should be made in the context of the Purple Guide and general event safety.
As well as event organisers, the guide is widely used by local authorities, health and safety enforcement officers, licensing officers, emergency services, landowners, contractors or sub-contractors working at events as the basis for a consistent approach to organising outdoor events safely.
As all events have their own unique requirements and legislation frequently changes, this publication should only be read as guidance and the contributors, editors and publishers cannot be held responsible for the accuracy of the information therein. However, every possible care is taken before publication.
A full list of acknowledgements for the numerous professionals who have been involved in writing this guidance are listed on the credits page. We would particularly like to acknowledge the initial financial support provided by the Concert Promoters Association and members of the Events Industry Forum which made the original publication of the Purple Guide possible
