Event Safety

Under the Health and Safety at Work Act 1974, as the event organiser you are legally responsible for the health, safety and welfare of:

  • people attending your event, and
  • the employees, volunteers, contractors and subcontractors that work at the event

You must take reasonable steps to ensure your event meets health and safety laws and guidelines.

High risk activities

High risk activities at an event includes: 

  • bouncy castles
  • inflatables
  • fairground rides
  • animals such as a petting zoo, birds of prey or donkey rides

If you plan on having a high risk activity at an event, you'll need to:

  • get permission from Sutton Council to undertake the activity
  • do your research and ensure that the contractor or provider you choose is reputable
  • request a copy of a site specific risk assessment that:
  • covers the risks associated with the activity, and
  • has appropriate control measures in place
  • request a copy of their proof of Public Liability Insurance.
  • ensure the provider complies with the relevant legislation, safety standards and schemes:
  • ensure that the provider holds the relevant licenses
  • ensure you're satisfied with the safety arrangements your contractor will have in place on the day

We will request copies of the risk assessment for all high risk activities. You should submit these alongside your initial event notification form.

You can find more information on event safety, on the Health and Safety Executive website.

Planning your Event

You can access resources to help you plan your event and ensure that it runs safely, in our event planning downloads folder (Google drive).

Our Event Manual will provide you with a full guide to planning your event, and the references and resources document will direct you to useful external guidance (useful industry organisations, funding, etc).

You can also read about the Sutton Event Management Process (Google drive).

There are templates and examples to help you complete your application:

  • Event Notification Form
  • Event management plan template - completed by request from Emergency Planning Service

We also provide fact sheets with information and guidance on:

  • event planning timelines
  • site map
  • managing volunteers
  • keeping your event green
  • traffic, road closures and parking suspensions
  • publicity
  • noise control
  • Sutton Councils Sky Lantern Policy

You can request any of these documents in a different font size or format, by emailing our events team. 

St Johns Ambulance Service

If you need first aid cover, St Johns Ambulance Service can provide first aid services at events. You can submit a St Johns Ambulance Service enquiry online. They will carry out a risk assessment and quote you for the level of cover that they recommend.

London events team

You can send an email to the London Events Team, or call them on 0303 003 0101.