“The importance of role specific training for Volunteers and Staff

at the 2012 Olympics”A presentation regarding the advantages gained from Safety Training and a strong Safety Culture

Paul Sandell Safety Management

Mega Events involving the movement of large amounts of people have a considerable impact on Society as a whole. Both in terms of the resources that are consumed by the project and the potential for a lasting positive or negative Legacy. Such events have happened across the planet and as the global population grows it is likely that we will see larger Crowds in areas such as Entertainment Events, Sporting Events, Political Rallies or Protests and Religious Events.

Mega Events

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In order to ensure a successful Event - Planning, Training, Co-operation and Communication must be essential elements within the Event Safety Environment. These elements must be further structured by adherence to recognised National and international Standards of Crowd Safety Management in order to prevent such occurrences as The Hillsborough Disaster and The German Love Parade Disaster.

Event Safety Environment

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“A major factor in the decision to bring the 2012 Olympic and Paralympic Games to London was the commitment from the UK Government to ensure safety and security at every Games location and venue”.

Planning for a Safe and Secure Games

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“The London Host City Contract included commitments from: the Prime Minister, who signed a guarantee to ‘take all financial, planning and operational measures necessary to guarantee the safety and the peaceful celebration of the Games’; the Home Secretary, who guaranteed to ‘co-ordinate all matters of security and the emergency services for the Games’; the Chancellor of the Exchequer, who signed a separate guarantee to provide ‘all necessary financial support to the Games, to include… bearing the costs of providing security.

London 2012 Olympic and Paralympic Safety and Security Strategy (HM Home Office Publications)

Planning for a Safe and Secure Games

Paul Sandell Safety Management

The Safety Culture at the Olympic Park was built on the excellent work carried out during the Planning and Construction phases. From the early planning stages Safety was a key part of the ODA strategy which incorporated extensive Planning and Guidance from the Metropolitan Police, London Fire Brigade, London Ambulance Service, Transport For London, Local Authorities and External Stake Holders.

Safety Culture at the Olympic Park

Paul Sandell Safety Management

The construction or “Big Build” phase was the Safest Civil project of its type with zero Construction accident related deaths during the building of the Olympic Park. Overall incident/accident rate of 0.17% per 100,000 hrs worked. This figure was the lowest incident/accident rate recorded compared to projects of this scale. (Reference Delivering Health and Safety on the ODA Construction Project-Loughborough University)

Safety Culture at the Olympic Park

Paul Sandell Safety Management

From the projects inception ensuring the health and safety of spectators and all client groups was the central focus of ODA and LOCOG Planning proceduresTesting programsMonitoring procedures Training programs

Safety Culture at the Olympic Park

Paul Sandell Safety Management

Event Services were responsible for the Safe operation of- Ingress and Egress of all Spectators, Client Groups and workersVenue ManagementAccess ControlCrowd Management proceduresSafe Ingress and Egress of all client groups Event Services Operational planning and Crowd Management Planning supported the creation of a number of robust operational systems and the ability to respond flexibly to changing conditions associated with the movement of crowds at Mega Events.

Events Services

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Visitor Numbers, This was the largest event in the UK with the greatest daily attendance rate of any UK Event.A large Number of Attendees with accessibility and mobility issues.Visitor being un-familiar with the site.Safety and Security issues such as- Un-safe Behaviours, Suspicious Packages, Disruptive Behaviours.Emergency procedures. Crowd Control and Monitoring.The Safe Ingress and Egress of all client groups.

EVS Operational Challenges

Paul Sandell Safety Management

Event Services Cluster

Event Services Common Domain

Area Leaders

Staff

Volunteer Games Makers

Event Services Organisational Chart

“The Common Domain is the area of land within the Olympic Park that provides access and egress for spectators and staff to Olympic Sporting venues, spectator amenities and work areas”.

The Crowd Management Challenge incorporated all the publicly accessible areas throughout the Olympic Park and was the most densely populated of the Functional Area.

The Common Domain

Paul Sandell Safety Management

An Arial view of the Olympic Park.

The Common Domain Incorporates all of the publicly accessible areas.

The Event Services Common Domain team delivering the event were composed of a mixture of-An Experienced and Competent Management team with experience of previous Olympics and other large scale events.Over 500 Staff with experience of Large Scale Events.Over 1700 Volunteer Games Makers in EVS support roles across the Olympic Park.

Events Services Common Domain

Paul Sandell Safety Management

The area marked in white is the Common Domain.

Ensuring the Safety of all Client Groups, Spectators and Workers throughout the Common Domain required in-depth Planning and Co-ordination. It was essential to have a well trained and knowledgeable workforce.

Events Services

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In order to overcome these challenges emphasis was placed on close collaboration with other LOCOG functional areas and external stakeholders. The planning was based on relevant guidance and best practice from the UK and further built upon the lessons learned from previous Games.Training Programs for all participants conformed to recognised National Occupational Standards.

Events Services

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EVS worked closely with other functional areas in order to establish safe Ingress and Egress procedures and to ensure the Integration of the Functional Area’s Emergency procedure and Emergency and Evacuation procedures with that of the Olympic Park Emergency Response Plan.

Liaison with other functional Areas

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Other Functional Areas included-LOCOG Emergency PlanningOlympic Park Waterways SafetyOlympic Park Fire SafetyLOCOG Event SecurityVenue ManagementLast Mile

Liaison with other functional Areas

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BMWCoca Cola Sky TVBBCSainsburysEDF Energy The Orbit TowerBritish Airways Live siteBritish PetroleumMac Donalds

External Stakeholders

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In order to deploy the correct amount of staff in the optimum locations for Crowd Control a system was created which clearly indicated the number and type of staff member to be deployed.Changes in critical staffing positions during peak crowd flows were co-ordinated to ensure spectator and client safety.The operational system ensured that staffing positions and levels were represented simply and could be communicated without ambiguity.

Deployment of Trained Staff

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“The 2012 Games compelled many UK citizens to make or renew a commitment to community involvement and volunteerism. 70,000 people served as Games Maker volunteers 40 per cent of whom volunteered for the first time ever.In the run-up to the Games, Trailblazer volunteers performed a wide range of administrative duties one day a week, for a minimum of four months.Over 28,000 people served as Local Leaders, hosting events in their homes, gardens, streets and community centres to spread the Olympic spirit”.

Learning Legacy LOCOG

VOLUNTEERS

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Volunteers involved in the Games come from all kinds of professions, occupations and walks of lifeMany Games Makers had little or no prior Events or Sporting Event experience. In order to fully support the paid staff and ensure the safety of spectators, staff and workers at the Olympic Park and throughout the 2012 Olympic Sites all Volunteers had to be trained and instructed to the National Occupational Standards in Stewarding at Sports grounds.

VOLUNTEERS

Paul Sandell Safety Management

The LOCOG general and EVS-specific training ensured that volunteers, contractors and staff recognised the important role that each team member played in delivering a Safe and Successful Event and to provide them with the tools that are required to identify risks and respond appropriately.The Event Services Training Program for the Olympic and Paralympic Games 2012 were endorsed by City and Guilds and contained the elements required by the Green Guide.

Stewarding Training

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The Guidance used in the training of Staff and Volunteers was-Safety at Sports Grounds 2008 (Green Guide)www.safetyatsportsgrounds.org.uk/sites/default/files/.../green-guide.pdf With reference to and under the conditions of The Safety of Sports Grounds Act 1975.www.legislation.gov.uk/ukpga/1975/52

Guidance

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Section 4.8 of the Green Guide to Safety at Sporting Events states that:Stewards must receive training to provide the underpinning knowledge for the following units in the National Occupational Standards for Spectator Safety:• C29 – Prepare for spectator events• C35 – Deal with accidents and emergencies• C210 – Control the entry, exit and movement of people at spectator events.

Stewarding Training

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These elements of training form part of the Level 2 National Vocational Qualification, City and Guilds Spectator Safety (6852). The City and Guilds of London Institute was the awarding and assessing body.

Stewarding Training

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One of the challenges was to build a cohesive team from a workforce incorporating personnel with diverse experiences, ethnicity and cultural beliefs. The shared experience of the Games Maker Common Role Training gave a bench mark standard of behaviours that was expected and required from all Games Makers, thus providing a shared experience and a basis for cohesive operational teams.

Diversity and Learning

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Role Specific Training further developed a sense of unity and commonality of purpose throughout the EVS Functional Areas where Volunteers were in support roles including-Mobility Assistance Ticketing ScanningCrowd Density MonitoringCrowd Assistance

Role Specific Training

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1700 Volunteers and 500 paid contract Staff were successfully trained at the Olympic Park by Events Services to the standards set out in the Guide to Safety at Sports Grounds (Green Guide) for the May Test Events, Olympic Games and Paralympic Games. Event Services Staff were awarded recognition by the City and Guilds Institute for delivering this training to Games Makers.

Training Outcomes

Paul Sandell Safety Management

Of course we as Events Organisers cannot see everything or be everywhere all the time….. even when we have a state of the art surveillance and communications network. Incidents often do not have the curtesy to happen in plain sight where they may be easily rectified.

Learnings

Paul Sandell Safety Management

However the training that was provided to the Staff and Volunteer Games Makers raised their awareness of safety issues and contributed greatly to producing a safe event. Events Services also gained a significant advantage in having a workforce that were aware of the possible Hazards and Risks associated with Events issues and that had received sufficient General and Role Specific Training across a wide range of safety topics and so knew how to respond appropriately to many situations.

Learnings

Paul Sandell Safety Management

In conclusion I would like to say that in order ensure the Safety of all Client groups, Spectators and Staff General Event Safety Training is essential for all staff at Mega Events in order to create the foundation of a strong Safety Culture and so increase resilience throughout the Event Environment and in wider society.Role Specific Training for Volunteers and Staff is equally essential to the overall safety factor of the Event Environment however; the knowledge that is required to ensure the safety of spectators, clients, Volunteers and staff at Mega Events must be constructed to meet the requirements of National Occupational Standards.

Conclusion

Paul Sandell Safety Management

Crowd Disasters | Prof Dr G. Keith Stillwww.gkstill.com/CV/ExpertWitness/CrowdDisasters.html

The Hillsborough stadium disaster - South Yorkshire Policewww.southyorks.police.uk/.../hillsborough%20stadium%20disaster%20fi

An Analysis of the Duisburg Love Parade DisasterHttp://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1002/fam.2214/pdf

Further Reading regarding Crowd Disasters

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Safety of Sports Grounds Act 1975 Legislation.gov.ukwww.legislation.gov.uk/ukpga/1975/52

Fire Safety and Safety of Places of Sport Act 1987www.legislation.gov.uk/ukpga/1987/27

Further Reading regarding Legislation

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Green Guide to Safety at Sports Groundswww.safetyatsportsgrounds.org.uk/sites/default/files/.../green-guide.pdfThe Purple Guide to Health, Safety and Welfare at Music and Other Eventswww.thepurpleguide.co.uk

Further Reading regarding Guidance

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Delivering Health and Safety on the ODA Construction ProjectLoughborough Universitywww.hse.gov.uk/aboutus/london-2012.../delivering-health-and-safety.pdf

Safety culture on the Olympic Park Health and Safety Executive RR942 www.hse.gov.uk/research/rrpdf/rr942.pdf

Safety Culture: Faster, Higher, Stronger, Safer Health and Safety Laboratorywww.hsl.gov.uk/...safety.../safety-culture-faster-higher-stronger-–-safer

Further Reading regarding Safety Culture at the Olympic Park

Paul Sandell Safety Management

The 5th edition of the Guide to Safety at Sports Grounds (Green Guide) was published in 2008, post Olympics the curriculum and definitions of training requirements have been up-dated. Changes to the National Occupational Standards can be found by following the link below.http://nos.ukces.org.uk/Pages/results.aspx?u=http%3A%2F%2Fnos.ukces.org.uk&k=spectator%20safety

See more regarding changes to the National Occupational Standards at:http://www.safetyatsportsgrounds.org.uk/news/changes-steward-qualification-standards#sthash.snxglTz2.dpuf

Further Reading Regarding National Occupational Standards

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Thank You

Paul Sandell Safety Management