Crowd Management

Crowd management Preparing for disasters Whenever large numbers of people come together to watch an event, there is potential for major disasters. No-one ever suspects that day watching a sport event is is a major risk to life and health but history proves otherwise. Sport administrators are required to conduct risk auditing for all types of events, large and small. Any failure to do this can result in an law suits for negligence. One important aspect of risk auditing is to examine all possible risks associated with spectators.

Risks associated with spectators can arise as a result of the behaviour of spectators and in particular when spectators begin to take ona crowd mentality. Risk associated with physical arrangements, dimensions and layout of the venue must also be examined. Sport administrators really need to know Murphy’s Law (anything that can go wrong, will go wrong). Crowd Control There is a necessity to make a careful estimation of the number of staff * Manage entry and exits Control / patrol all areas of the ground / facility * Control an evacuation should it prove to be necessary * Raise the alarm and liaise with emergency services * Having sufficient staff to manage an emergency is a “Duty of Care” It would be therefore prudent to consult appropriate emergency authorities (police, fire service, etc) in this matter. Training in Crowd Control The organization should provide courses that provide the participant with knowledge of the functions and roles of a crowd controller.

Such a course might include: * Roles and responsibilities * Communication and clients * Operational procedures * Managing performance * Managing conflict * Emergency first aid * Crowd control operations * Law and practice * Emergency procedures * Access control * Securing premises and property In addition to this training, event managers and venue managers should provide additional training to familiarize their crowd control staff with specific aspects of the facility or venue.

For example, it will be necessary to know the: * Location of exits, stairs and other aspects of buildings * Position of emergency equipment such as fire hoses * Location of communication devices e. g. alarms, public address systems and telephones It will also be necessary to provide training in the venue’s or hosting organisation’s policies and procedures for event management and control. These policies and procedures should include conducting drills and tests to ensure staff have the knowledge required.