Event Planning

G.07/A, the atrium, cafe, MF1, and MF2 are all considered to be event spaces and you should therefore check the guidance below when planning.

External events - organised by person/department who is not part of UoE or the School of Informatics.  Anyone organising such events should email infevent@ed.ac.uk

UoE events - organised by person/department from UoE but who are not part of the School of Informatics. Anyone organising such events should email infevent@ed.ac.uk

School of Informatics events - organised by a person from School of Informatics

Regardless of the type of event you are holding or what space it is in, if any of the attendees or presenters are from outside the School of Informatics they need to be provided with certain information about the building and safety arrangements.  The best way to do this will depend on the event and the activity but the organiser is responsible for ensuring this happens.  The required information is:

• Fire safety

  • Location of exits

  • Any fire drills/alarm tests planned

  • Fire assembly point location
• In case of injury
  • How to access first aid assistance
• Security
  • Attendees must stay in the event venue and not visit other areas of the Forum
• No smoking within the building; please do not smoke by entrances/exits
• Location of toilets
• Location of water
• Building access arrangement if applicable (eg show name tag to receptionist etc)

Below are some useful definitions relating to planning and running events, including roles and responsibilities.  If you complete the risk assessment form, anyone performing any of these roles should be named and preferably, contact information provided for them.

If your event is taking place during normal working hours (Monday - Friday 9.00-17.00) you do not need to make special arrangements for first aid, unless your event carries high risk activities.

If your event takes place partly or fully out of hours, whether you need first aid depends on the activities taking place, number of attendees, location, end time, and other factors. If you are unsure, contact infhs@inf.ed.ac.uk for advice.

In all cases, if you are completing the risk assessment form you must state what the arrangements are for accessing first aid.

You always need to assess risk no matter what you do, because assessing risk is thinking about what could go wrong and how you prevent that.  Everyone working or studying in the School is required and expected to do this as a normal part of work.  Events are no different and you should therefore always follow the process below when planning an event.

However, that assessment doesn't always need to be written down and formally approved by the Health and Safety Manager.  See the guide below for when to complete the form.

Please note this is for guidance only!  If you have any doubts err on the side of caution and do the form, but get in touch with the H&S Manager to discuss if you're not sure.

Category 1 - Events/meetings that need a risk assessment form completed and approved

• External or UoE meetings/events in event spaces
• Any event that may end out of hours
• Any event using the barbecue or Forum kitchen
• Any events where the organisers will be introducing additional hazards to those already present in Informatics
• Any event where alcohol will be available (whether provided by organisers or not)
• Any event where 20 or more attendees are expected

Category 2 - Events/meetings that generally don't need a risk assessment form completed

• Meetings in meeting rooms (other than events spaces) during working hours where the meeting is 16 people or less
• Meetings or events in event space within working hours for work purposes (eg seminars, Institute meetings, etc) where the majority of attendees are from within the School
• Social events (non-alcoholic) for Informatics personnel, within working hours with fewer than 20 attendees expected

Category 3 - Catered Events

If you are holding an event/meeting that falls in to category 2 and are planning to have catering, no risk assessment is required if:

• Catering is for 16 people or fewer
• Organisers have made attendees aware catering will be supplied and provided opportunity for attendees to declare any dietary requirements
• No alcohol is being served
• Food preparation takes place off-site (ie Forum kitchen and/or barbecue is not used)
• Organisers ensure there is adequate time and resources made available for clear up
• Food and drink are kept away from electrical items

 Assessing risk is a process of identifying any way that things can go wrong and someone can be injured. You do this by thinking through what you're doing, where you doing it and for who, and figuring out what you need to arrange to deliver all that.  This is no different to the planning you'll already have done, it's just that for health and safety you think in more detail about the potential for injury at various points.  

 Steps to risk assessment

1. Identify the hazards

• Where it will be?

  • Does the place hold any risks, or need you to think about other risks? For example, if you're using the roof terrace you need to think about weather but not for G.07. If you're using MF2 you might want to rearrange furniture so have the risk of manual handling injury, etc.
• Who and how many will be there?
  • The more people attending, the higher the risk will be as there is more opportunity for things to go wrong
  • Who's coming - are they high risk? For example, if there are non-school people attending who don't know where the fire exit is, you need to arrange for them to be told.
• What tasks will happen?
  • The activity happening may have it's own risks; for example a demonstration of a 70kg robot risks crushing or manual handling injuries; presenting a talk has very little risk.
• What equipment will be used?
  • The equipment may have it's own risks; as above, if you are holding a demonstration of a 70kg robot risks the equipment has risks ofcrushing or manual handling injuries; presenting a talk from a laptop is low risk but has the potential for injury related to electricity.

2. Decide on control measures

Once you have identified the hazards, you need to decide on the measures you'll take to control that risk.  The ways you do this should be proportionate to the risk itself, and sensible enough that it will actually happen.  Read the guide below for advice on common hazards and potential control measures to help.

Hazards and Control Measures for Event Organisers (925.59 KB PDF)

3. Documenting your risk assessment

We have created a template which is pre-filled with hazards likely to be present, and expected control measures (below).   You should complete the first section with as much detail as possible and then review the hazard section.  Remove anything that doesn't apply to your event and add anything that is not listed.  Failure to do this will slow down the approval process.

School of Informatics Event Risk Assessment (232.07 KB Word)

 Once this is complete, please email to infhs@inf.ed.ac.uk with as much notice as possible, preferably at least 2 weeks in advance of the event.  The Health and Safety Manager will review your arrangements and will advise if changes or additions are needed.  The event cannot go ahead until it has been approved.