Occupational risks in event and entertainment set-up

Occupational safety at an event begins before the audience arrives and continues during dismantling. Stages, lighting, sound, access routes and temporary structures generate rapidly changing tasks involving several companies.

In brief

This article focuses on the people who prepare and operate an event. Public safety has its own requirements and must be coordinated with occupational risk prevention. Technical designs and authorisations depend on the venue, activity and applicable regulations.

Contents
  1. Plan every phase
  2. Check the site and structures
  3. Manage the temporary electrical installation
  4. Organise access and simultaneous work
  5. Prepare for changes and dismantling
  6. Example of a stage alteration
  7. Related concepts
  8. References

A–Z dictionary →

Plan every phase

The site plan must support set-up, operation and removal, identifying access routes, loading areas, installations and workplaces. Each phase may have different needs.

Coordination between companies must clarify who controls the space and how changes are communicated. Moving a structure or a technical area can affect several contractors at once.

Check the site and structures

Selecting temporary structures requires knowledge of ground conditions, load-bearing capacity, planned anchorages and weather exposure. Having used a solution at a previous event does not demonstrate that it is suitable for the new site.

Erection, use and dismantling must follow the design and the instructions of competent personnel. Modifications or additional loads must not be improvised without the appropriate review, even if they appear minor or short-lived.

Manage the temporary electrical installation

The design must consider power requirements, environmental conditions, accessibility and cable protection. Electrical risk does not disappear simply because an installation will be used for only a few days.

Cable routes must prevent damage and trips, and electrical areas must be inaccessible to unauthorised people. Last-minute changes must undergo the same technical checks as the initial installation.

Organise access and simultaneous work

During preparation, lorries, access platforms, installation crews and equipment testing may all be present at once. Internal traffic management must separate routes and coordinate schedules to prevent conflicts.

Work above other workstations and areas where materials could fall should also be cordoned off. Before opening to the public, it must be checked that areas still undergoing construction or maintenance remain separated and that the planned routes remain available.

Prepare for changes and dismantling

Weather, delays or a change to the programme can alter the plan. It is necessary to define who reviews the conditions and communicates a suspension or a new work sequence.

Dismantling must have its own resources and time allocation. It should not be assumed that the work will simply be carried out in reverse order: access, the stability of components and the presence of other activities may have changed.

Example of a stage alteration

An organiser requests a larger screen after the structure has already been erected. Before accepting the request, the load, supports, power supply and effects on routes and other equipment are reviewed.

The decision is documented and communicated to the people responsible for the affected activities. Keeping an up-to-date plan and a single version of the authorised conditions prevents each company from implementing a different interpretation of the same change.

References

  1. HSE: event venue and site design. Official source
  2. HSE: electrical safety at events. Official source
  3. HSE: temporary demountable structures. Official source

Editorial information

Publication date: 19 October 2026.

Editorial responsibility: Sabentis Editorial Team.

Author: Pablo RodríguezLinkedIn

Executive Vice President of the ORP International Foundation and Chief Financial Officer of Sabentis.

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