Event Risk Management Drills - Assignment Example

Event Risk Management Drills Chapter 5 Events provide a huge stress when it comes to managing medical risks of crowds. The New YorkNew Years Eve is one hectic event to be managed by any event risk manager. The event is hosted at Times Square; a major transportation hub at the heart of the city which can accommodate an enormous magnitude of party goers. The party attendees mostly youth consume a lot of alcohol, can easily form a mob, expose themselves to nudity and perform stunts that are unreasonably deadly. All this pose a high chance of medical injury (Tarlow, 2002). In event risk management, the Emergency Medical Services (E.M.S.) unit should always be prepared to handle any event whether secondary or the normal everyday emergencies. This is coordinated by the risk manager who controls the number of medical personnel to be present as well as the amount of equipments to be used. The equipments should be placed before the event begins. The personnel should also remain in place until the special event is over. There should be a communication plan to avoid conflict of interest in case of fire outbreak. According to Taylor (2002) the risk manager should plan for ambulances in case something happens. That is, the number of ambulances to be used as well as well as their passage to and fro the special event compound. People who reject medical attention should be documented to avoid legal issues later. There should also be a shelter to cater for the victims and medical personnel during rainy, sunny or extreme windy conditions. The medical official vehicles should also be secured to avoid cases of vandalism or theft. Fire incidences can quickly be controlled by the use of smoke alarms. Smoke alarms and sprinkler systems should be checked to reduce the spread of fire. Use of an evacuation plan is highly necessary especially for the old, disabled and children. The evacuation plan should be read and explained to the participants in advance. The evacuation plan should be pre tested and discussed by the various fire officials to prevent the actual fire incidence. The evacuees’ routes should be demarcated to necessitate ease during evacuation. Biochemical precautions should be taken care-of by consultations with the relevant experts. Biochemical hazards increase the intensity of the fire and it complicates the extinction of the fire (Taylor, 2002). The risk management team should ensure emergency power backups and phones are put in place to cater for emergences when need arises. Poison can be minimized by provision of hotline numbers for all poison control centers, strategically placed and may be, precautions should be translated to different languages for efficiency. Poisonous cans should be carefully labeled and kept out of reach especially from children. Acts of terrorism should be controlled in three stages. Before an attack, the risk manager needs to assess the safety and security measures to avoid inadequacies during the calamity. The manager needs to speak with all stakeholders to discuss all possible solutions in the event of an attack (Taylor, 2002).Key sensitive security information should only be passed to limited persons to avoid jeopardizing the security detail put in place. All entry points should be inspected and emergency doors kept strictly out of bounds only for crisis exit. During an attack, the victims need to speak in low tones to avoid panic. The victims should try to corporate with the terrorists to avoid any injuries. In case of chemical attack; exit paths should be checked and accessibility tried, if not assistance should be sought. Anger should never be displayed. After an attack, assessment and recovery plan should be undertaken to avoid loss and damage severity. The risk manager must show the victims everything possible is being done to guarantee their safety; this will make them feel safe. Lighting should be ensured at all cost as it provides a sign of relief for the victims. The police should then be notified to plan for rescue. Chapter 6 Taylor (2002) noted pedestrians should walk facing the sidewalks to avoid being hit by a vehicle or a stray car. This helps the pedestrians to know where the vehicle is coming from. The risk manager should encourage people to wear clothes with bright colors to enable visibility. It reduces chances of people being hit whether daytime or at night. Headphones during walking should highly be discouraged. Pedestrians should always cross the streets at designated areas; where there are crossing guards, street lights or crossings. Pedestrians should always walk at crossings and avoid running not to injure others. The risk manager must ensure the disabled are given special care while transiting to avoid being hit. Bicycle users should be given their own path to prevent collusion with pedestrians. In populated areas, a minimal speed level should be maintained to reduce accidents or the impact of an accident. Insect and snake bites are most common in almost all parts of the world. Insects’ bites and stings have an acute pain and measures to reduce their effects should be controlled. The event management and risk manager should consider the weather and the local environment to avoid such incidences. Spider bites can be treated by washing of the affected area with warm soapy water and calling a poison practitioner (Taylor, 2002).Tick bites can be controlled by washing of the area and removing the tick using a blunt object from the skin. Other insect bites can be prevented by washing the affected area with soapy water or taking pain killers to ease the pain. Snake bites are best prevented if not avoided at the first place. People should avoid walking on tall grass and collecting objects from rocky places. Snakes should be given a lengthy space to avoid interference with their personal space. Under food safety, Risk managers should educate cooks and servers on the importance of customer dissatisfaction. Food should be cooked and served at their right temperatures to avoid stomach illnesses. Cooking and serving utensils should be washed properly well. The risk manager should ensure cleanliness of the employees as well as the sanitation of the food joint. Ingredients used to prepare the food should be revealed to customers avoid allergic reactions. The risk manager must ensure water quality from cooking to bathing water. Clean water prevents stomach upsets and skin diseases. He or she must know alcoholic and outdoor activities necessitate dehydration. Stream water or bottled water especially from developing countries, should not be deemed safe until tested. Power outage in water purifying plants should be tested before drinking. Lighting should be checked at parking, danger points and potholes. Risk managers must ensure the bulbs are well functioning and there is a power back up plan (Taylor, 2002). Before the event, the risk manager should contact the metrological department for lightning and storm updates. Alternative electrical plan should be considered before an event. The electrical wires should be kept away from water. Nevertheless, electric appliances should be unplugged after use. Gas detection apparatus should be installed to detect leakage. The gas cylinders must be stored away from the attendees. Emergency response numbers and procedures should be outlined before an event. Gas valves and vents should be kept tight to prevent leaking. Chapter 7 Risk managers must ensure stage construction is done in a safe and professional method. Current building standards should be used in building construction. All electrical components should be checked on a regular basis. Professional electrical workers should be hired and avoid quacks. Industrial engineers are highly recommended. Materials used should be of high quality to avoid shocks and accidental injuries. The stage durability should also be considered to prevent the users from falling. The staircase should be tough enough to support any amount of weight. Security personnel should be inspected of firearms and appropriate licenses approved. Medical facilities should also be present, just in case of an incident. Taylor (2002) further highlighted that pyrotechnic devices should never be used around hazardous environment. Grassy environments should be avoided as they are highly flammable. Safety protection clothes like goggles should be worn to prevent accidents. Pyrotechnic devices should be launched where no people are around. Pyrotechnic should never be carried in the pocket as they can self-launch by mistake. The objects should be fired in a safe place away from fire or any other flammable objects. Parades should also be carried out with safety concerns as noise and fire can affect the attendees. The risk manager must be able to control the crowd riots and stampedes in case of commotion. In floats, the pulling truck must be checked for firmness. This is to ensure there is no mechanical error. The risk manager must ensure falling objects from the floats, so as to not mistakably fall on the crowd. The risk manager must ensure during parades, the participants are well hydrated to avoid exhaustion. During events children get lost, the risk manager must plan a mechanism to ensure safe custody of the children before their parents find them. The risk manager can set up a temporary rescue post at the event. Traffic corridors must be maintained during such an event to prevent accidents and traffic jams from existing. To combat crime distractions, the risk manager must get in touch with the local police to arrest pick-pocketters and conmen at the site (Taylor, 2002).Undercover agents could also be deployed to assist in the arrest of the criminals. Parades which have bands must avoid busy neighborhoods to prevent noise pollution. Risk managers also need to ensure night parades don’t affect people’s visibility. The risk manager must ensure peaceful demonstrations take place. He must train his followers to be sober and not cause disruptions at the neighborhood. The demonstrators should not act foolishly to pretend they are victims. The risk manager should be pro active and have contingent plans before a hazardous event happens. This reduces stress and severity of the problem. The manager should appear to be in control and in case of an unrest, he or she must ensure quick settlement of the problem. He can employ the services of journalists to tape the happenings of the events and help the crowd to maintain calm and focus. References Tarlow, P. E. (2002). Event risk management and safety. New York: Wiley. Read More