Health and safety is an important consideration for any musical performance. it was important for gig because there were multiple bands changing over on the stage, there was also a lot of people in the audience which meant we had to look out for their safety and well being too. Some of the risks we could have encountered were; lifting heavy objects, fire, tripping, electrics, aggressive members of the public, crushing. We worked to reduce these risks and here is the manner in which we did so:
Lifting heavy objects: made sure that there was at least two people to lift a heavy object, we also made sure that everyone knew how to lift properly by explaining to them to lift with the knees, so that nobody would hurt their back or strain any muscles by lifting incorrectly.
Fire: we had the fire exits pointed out to us before we performed, so that we could get ourselves to safety and assist others if the worst was to happen.
Tripping: we made sure that all cables that were in the open were taped to the floor and all neatly organised to minimise the risk of tripping.
Electrics: we made sure that all the electrics were PAT tested and that all the extension leads had fuses in them. This ensured that the risk of having an electric shock was minimalized. We were also only allowed water in a bottle so that it wouldn’t spill and run the risk of ruining the electrics.
Aggressive members of the public: we had barriers in the college entrance to stop random people walking in, and all of the members of the audience had to sign in so that we knew exactly who was in the audience. College security was also on hand during the concert so that they could remove any members of the audience if it was needed.
Crushing: the risk of crushing is quite large especially in a live music scenario. The risks we faced were amps falling over. On stage we prevented this by having all the amplifiers at waist height so that if they were to fall there would be no risk of them landing on somebody’s head. We also had the PA system on the floor at the front of house so that there was no risk of them falling over and crushing one of the performers. They were positioned at the front as well so that the seated members of the audience wouldn’t be able to get up and tip them over. Also, in the audience, we prevented the chance of crushing by making sure we didn’t over sell the venue, and we made sure that everybody was seated so that nobody could get crushed.
After considering the health and safety risks listed above, we managed to avoid all of these with careful consideration and general awareness. because of this we had a successful performance where nobody got injured.