Event Risk Management

A risk management plan helps you identify any risk associated with your event and elaborate strategies to reduce or eliminate them.

Event managers have a duty of care to all event staff, volunteers, and event participants. They may be personally liable for injuries sustained by people involved in the event if inadequate safety measures and potential hazards are not appropriately managed.

Regardless of the event type or size, you must submit a risk management plan with your event application. The risk management plan will help ensure that all participants experience your event safely by identifying potential hazards, assessing risks, monitoring performance, and implementing controls to manage those risks. An Emergency Evacuation Plan will also be required for all large-scale events.

To report any serious workplace accidents or incidents at your event, please contact SafeWork SA on 1800 777 209 (24-hour service) and advise us that this call has been placed.

You can download a Risk Management Plan to assist you in the elaboration of your own risk mitigation strategies.

Safework SA recommends that an event that has any of the following should submit a completed Public Event Assessment Checklist:

• Registered amusement devices.
• Dangerous goods over the licensable quantities.
• Fireworks.
• Large marquees (i.e. over 6m in length).
• Stages/grandstands (that requires scaffolding).

All requests for road closures or traffic management in relation to the event must be included in the Event Application Form. A road closure could be partial (e.g., one lane closed), full, or rolling road closures (such as marathons, fun runs, cycling events, parades, etc.). A copy of your Traffic Management Plan must be submitted to Council for consideration and approval.

Temporary road closures have specific operating times and conditions and will be implemented under legislative requirements under the Road Traffic Act 1961, special powers delegated to SAPOL, and/or the Local Government Act 1999. Road closures must be advertised under the Road Traffic Act.

Event organisers must engage a reputable external traffic management to create a Traffic Guidance Scheme (TGS) or Traffic Management Plan (TMP). The TGS or TMP needs to be submitted via email to SAPOL Traffic Planning for review:

• 30 days for small/medium events (two weeks minimum)
• 60 days for major events

You will be required to employ trained and accredited traffic controllers to implement the Traffic Management Plan at the event and distribute an approved resident and business notice to affected residents at least one week before the event.

Vehicle permits are granted for essential vehicles to access the event site, as required, for conveying goods and equipment – unloading and loading only. Once a vehicle is unloaded/loaded, it must be driven off-site and into allocated public parking areas. The only vehicles allowed to remain on the event site are those physically required, i.e. catering vans and food trucks.

It is the event organiser's responsibility to ensure that all persons attending the event are made aware of the above parking conditions. Vehicles must stay on formal paths or hard surfaces wherever possible. During vulnerable ground conditions, such as after heavy rain, we will discuss any additional restrictions that may need to apply with you. Vehicle movement during event operating hours should be limited to protect patrons and the general public.

Any request for vehicles to remain on a reserve or foreshore area or a designated off-site location must be made in writing to the Event Team. All requests are subject to approval and are not guaranteed. If approved, the event organiser will be allocated an Event Vehicle Permit, which must be displayed on each vehicle. At the council's discretion, only essential vehicles deemed vital to the event's operations will be permitted to remain on-site.

This guided self-assessment is designed for owner-operators of places of mass gathering and event organisers. The purpose of the assessment tool is to assist you in identifying the attractiveness of your location to a terrorist attack.

There are currently no COVID restrictions in place for events.

Please refer to the COVID-SA Health guidelines for any updates or changes.