How do you keep up to 68,000 visitors safe in a building that hosts major sports events, elaborate exhibitions and film shoots? How do you manage safety on a 100 acre site with hotels, rail stations and residential apartments?
For Protecting London Episode Four, ExCeL London’s Health and Safety teams answer all our questions about safety procedures at the venue, which hosts hundreds of events each year.
Matt Constance is responsible for the health and safety and he explains that success relies heavily on good communication with different event stakeholders. He attends planning meetings with clients in advance of events, and he then meets them again during build-up to ensure all stands are constructed safely.
‘My remit is to do tours of the halls. I do tours during build up and break down. I’m checking for safe systems of work. I work closely with building services and the helpdesk. During tours of the venue itself any repairs that are noticed/any part of the fabric that needs repairing, I report that back to building services.’
CDM has changed a lot of their processes and Matt was well-prepared for the introduction of the regulations, having spent two years collaborating with event industry associations to assess impact.
“Helpful things they’ve come up with for event organisers are organograms, which is essentially like a flow chart which shows how it will fit with existing management systems,” Matt says.
Under CDM, a phased build phase plan has to be done for every show, and the template was for it was sent to HSE for approval earlier this year.
The cleaning team also has an important role to play in safety because waste from exhibition build-ups and break-downs can create fire hazards and trip hazards. The estates manager is heavily involved in health and safety and is responsible for keeping the 100 acre site safe. And of course the senior fire officer, Ian Tynan, is an essential part of the team and in the documentary he explains the challenges posed by different events.
Crowd safety and crowd movement is an important consideration at conferences, because hundreds of visitors will have breaks and head to the central boulevard at the same time. Pyrotechnics can be a challenge with film shoots, which often have large, dramatic sets. And evacuations and emergency lighting can require special attention for large scale exhibitions which section off parts of the halls with drapes to create small conference rooms.
As the interviewees explain in the documentary, the size and diversity of events taking place at the venue pose big challenges, which the safety teams overcome through careful planning and clear communication.
For more videos, infographics and articles on safety in the capital’s most iconic landmarks, download your free copy of the Protecting London report here.
