Safety at Events

Running Events Safely

As committee members, you have a serious responsibility for running your Club / Society activities in a safe and responsible way.

The easiest way to plan events safely is to make sure to submit a Risk Assessment to the Clubs and Societies team with plenty of notice. We will help to finalise your plans and give you any pointers on health and safety.

Fire Safety at Events

At every event you plan, you need to think about fire safety and ask yourself the following questions:

Have you completed a fire risk assessment?
Is there an emergency / fire escape plan in place?
Are all escape routes available with no escape widths reduced or blocked?
Are there any special effects in use like smoke / pyrotechnics / haze?
Have you considered attendees with accessibility requirements e.g. wheelchair users?

You should also check that:

The room capacity is suitable for the event
The event is accessible to attendees with different mobility levels and abilities
Queen's Security is aware if you’re using on-campus rooms out of hours (i.e. during evenings and weekends)
You are aware of what to do if fire alarm goes off and will actively encourage all of your participants to evacuate promptly

If you ever have any questions about fire safety, just contact the SU Clubs & Societies team. We work closely with Queen's fire safety officers and can seek their support on any event plan.

Accessing First Aid

During your event or activity, a participant might require first aid support. You should make sure you know how to access a first aider just in case.

If it's during working hours and you're in a building on campus (e.g. if you're in the SU), the staff at Reception will normally be able to help you if you need first aid. You should ask in advance if you're not sure - we can help you find this information if you're not sure where to look.

Outside of normal working hours (e.g. during the evening or over the weekend), you can contact Queen's Security for first aid support on campus. You can call them on 028 9097 5099.

If you're off campus, you need to take responsibility for ensuring your participants will have access to first aid if they need it. This could be from:

Trained staff at the venue or external site you're using (ask them in advance for their first aid resources)
Responsible committee members with valid first aid qualifications which are suitable for your activity
Members with enhanced first aid qualifications if necessary (e.g. expedition first aid)
A means to access the emergency services quickly if necessary (e.g. a strong mobile phone signal and a way to pinpoint your location)

If your Club / Society is running a large event like a conference or performance, you may wish to organise dedicated professional first aid support to be in attendance throughout your activity. There is sometimes a cost attached to organising this kind of support, so you should budget accordingly. The SU Clubs & Societies team can help you get started if you'd like to research professional providers for your event.

In an Emergency

On campus, Queen's Security is on duty at all times and be contacted on 028 9097 5099, or 2222 in an emergency from an internal phone.

Anywhere, you can contact the emergency services (ambulance, police, and fire services) by calling 999.

If you ever need to call the emergency services from an internal Queen's landline phone, you need to include an extra 9 at the start to dial out - so dial 9999. You should then inform Queen's Security that the emergency services are coming as they will coordinate with them directly.

Belfast City Council has some helpful information here about the emergency services that are available in the area, and some guidance on what to do in an emergency. The most important things to remember are:

try to stay calm and avoid putting yourself or other people in greater danger
follow the advice of the authorities or the emergency services when they arrive
call 999 if anyone is injured or if there is a threat to life