With the Festival season fully in swing now, and the sun has been shining (well most of the time). I bet just like some of our team, you are also excited to see your favourite musical artist, and soak up the amazing atmosphere that comes with such amazing live events.

With the likes of Creamfields, Bestival, Reading and Leeds, plus a whole range of smaller local festivals approaching, we couldn’t help but think about the health and safety side of these fantastic summer events.

So with that in mind, we have pulled together some of our top tips for staying safe at the great British festival.

Stay Together

Sorry we are going to sound like your mum now, but as your mother always told you…stay together! Even though event planners and hosts are always prepared for and mitigated against issues as much as possible, there is always a risk. However the best decision is to stay as a group and avoid going anywhere on your own.

If you do have a split up, pick a meeting point and arrange to meet there at certain times throughout the day.

Surf the Sea not a Crowd

Crowd surfing always looks great fun but a study by Airedale NHS Trust, during a three-day music festival in August 2000 recorded 43 crowd surfing injuries. 60% of these injuries were to the people in the crowd.  It may not injure you personally but it could injure others and everyone is here to have a good time.

Secure Your Personal Items

The first thing to consider is that if you can’t afford to lose it then don’t take it! A tent is not a secure place. Most festivals have onsite lockers for securing your items but any festival goer will know that you can’t lock everything away, so if you don’t mind making the final resting place for your tent, clothes and other items a muddy field then you have brought everything you need.

You also leave yourself vulnerable to personal items being stolen, shoes or clothes removed during crowd surfing. So we advise you to keep your feet on the ground and to keep your personal items in your pocket!

If this is your first festival and you’re not entirely sure what to take still, check out this recommended list of what to pack.

The Mosh Pit

The Mosh Pit – the place everyone wants to be right at the front, in the prime viewing spot. But think before you enter, it could be more violent than you anticipated. Assess the mosh pit before you enter, look for any negative behaviour – extreme pushing and shoving, people arguing with each other, and the number of people in the mosh pit.

Keep an eye for any security, crowd control, or first aiders nearby as they should be located near the mosh pit area.

Protect Your Ears

Research has shown that a noise which is continuously above 109 dB only has a permissible exposure time of 1.9 minutes before possible damage can occur. Scary thought really when noise levels around the stages at festivals can reach 110 decibels or more.

Spending too long listening to loud music, this doesn’t just include festivals, can cause permanent damage to your ears, which could result in tinnitus or even hearing loss.

We don’t want you to miss out on your favourite band but to protect your ears during festivals don’t forget to pack some ear plugs.

Prepare for the Sun and Rain

When it comes to the British weather and festivals we all know anything can happen, it could be sunny one day then turn into a muddy swamp the next! More likely the latter probably!

You could check the weather forecast but in any case you need to be prepared for any conditions. If you are lucky enough to be enjoying one of our mini heatwaves whilst at a festival don’t forget to hydrate (that means water not booze!) throughout the day, and don’t forget to bring sun cream. Check out our previous blog post to find out more tips about staying safe in the sun and heat.

Now to the opposite end of the spectrum, in the eventuality that your day or weekend is accompanied by the rain, you may not realise it but the combination of being wet and cold and exposed to the wind can have negative effects. Ensure you have appropriate clothing that will protect you in any weather conditions.

Last But Not Least…

It may put a slight downer on the whole festival experience when you think about the health and safety side, but after considering everything above and ensuring you do implement them correctly, the most important thing is to enjoy yourself! It’s summer, you are at a festival with your friends, make the most of it.

If you want to find out more about how our health and safety advice can help you and your business, give us a call today on 01666 503686, or fill out the contact form on our website.