If you’re thinking about running an event, or you’re in the middle of planning one, you probably have a lot of things running around in your head right now. After all, even the smallest event takes a lot of work to pull off, and as the organiser, it’s your job to make sure everything is taken care of before the doors first open. But let us highlight one area that many organisers forget about during the planning process – medical cover. Because every event, no matter how small, needs some level of medical cover in place, and here’s why.
It’s The Law
This should be the first and only thing we need to say really. According to the Health and Safety (First Aid) Regulations 1981, all employers in the UK are required to provide ‘adequate and appropriate equipment, facilities and personnel to ensure their employees receive immediate attention if they are injured or taken ill at work.’. So if you have employees who are working at an event you’re running, you have to be able to provide access to appropriate first aid.
Additionally, there is the Health and Safety at Work Act 1974, which covers most employer activities and the Management of Health and Safety at Work Regulations (MHSWR) 1999. Both of these include the requirement to assess and protect workers. The MHSWR (specifically) introduced the legal need to undertake risk assessments. As an event organiser, you have a legal duty of care to event attendees. Part of this included adequately assessing the first aid requirements for your event.
Event First Aid Is Complicated
Event first aid is much more than just buying a first aid kit at the local supermarket and calling it a day. There are a lot of responsibilities that fall on the organiser’s shoulders to make sure their staff and any visitors to the event are safe and can access appropriate medical treatment swiftly. Plus, there are legal, financial, moral and reputational considerations to take into account, as well as risk assessments to complete and contingency planning. Not to mention making sure there is someone on site who is medically trained to provide first aid and care.
Insurance Requirements
If that all sounds like a lot and you think we’re exaggerating, just go and look at your events insurance policy. We’re willing to bet that there is a section in there detailing your first aid obligations and the steps you need to take to make your policy valid. And why would you not want to do everything possible to ensure attendees leave your event safe and well? You take out event insurance to make sure any issues can be financially covered, and that includes any compensation if someone in injured at your event. So make sure you check your insurance obligations and provide medical cover equal to or greater than needed.
Attendee Safety
Even if your event is as simple as gathering people in a field for a sing-a-long, you still need a medically trained person around in case something should happen. Remember, event medical cover isn’t just about injuries that could happen as a direct result of your event. It also covers anything that happens to occur and need medical attention. People are people after all, and things like cuts, allergic reactions, heart attacks, strokes and even broken bones can and do happen while they are at an event. In some of those cases, rapid action can mean the difference between life and death, and a medical events team will know exactly how to respond. By having medically trained personnel on hand you can provide peace of mind for everyone in the event that no matter what happens, they will be in good hands.
At Canopy Medical Services we pride ourselves on offering first-class, professional and reliable services to events of all shapes and sizes. We are run by a team of trained medical professionals, giving you access to care above and beyond your minimum requirements and making sure you have the support you need for your event. With us on board, you can relax and enjoy your event, with the peace of mind and confidence that everyone at your event will be safe and well cared for. If you’d like to know more, just get in touch with the team today.