Dense Crowds and the risks YOU need to know about.

It won't be long before the summer season of outdoor events is in full swing, this is a rapidly expanding industry and this year there seem to be more than ever - undoubtedly there are some fantastic events to look forward to. But how safe will you really be and do you recognise the areas that are more risky than others? Do you know what to do to keep yourself as safe as you can be in a mass crowd?

Most of us go to these events without thinking much about issues of safety - mistakenly holding onto the notion that those who organise these events will have taken care of it all - whilst they may have policies and procedures in place - and duly note the published guidance there is much that is poorly researched and many areas that need some urgent attention - so I think its fair to say that we all need to be a little more aware and take some responsibility for our own safety.

The outdoor summer concert and festival typically takes place on 'green field' sites - basically a field; there are significant difficulties in managing crowds safely in this type of environment given the nature of open spaces - the unpredictability of external factors and differing crowd dynamics. It is a major concern that crowd safety management is still not recognised as a social science - this means that there are no nationally recognised qualifications for those who work in this area - and there are no indications or checks on the level of competence for those undertaking this vital role which is often confused with the role of the Health and Safety Officer.

Those charged with organising, licensing and promoting any event rely heavily in what has become known in the industry as the 'Purple Guide' - it is in fact the Event Safety Guide and was first First published as the Guide to health, safety and welfare at pop concerts and similar events in 1993 as a direct response to the deaths of two young men at the Donnington festival in 1988 (see Mick Upton's paper Incident at Donnington Monsters of Rock 1988)

This 'purple guide' - which is viewed as a bible within the industry - has not been properly overhauled or re-written since - despite the fact that today's modern event environment is a very different animal from that which pre-dominated in 1993. We have found an on line copy of this guide that can be found here if you want to see what should be being adhered to by those responsible.

In outdoor concerts that have "general admission tickets" you will basically be standing in a field - and overcrowded fields can be quite dangerous places - even more so given that they appear to be so benign - it's very, very easy to be lulled into a false sense of security and therefore wise to be a just little wary and on your guard.

So - before we look at some of the issues this type of event presents here are just a few tips to try and ensure that you keep yourself as safe as possible when at one of these gigs:

1. Arrive at the venue in plenty of time to familiarise yourself with the setup and layout -check it out to see where the exits are, also check where the welfare services and medical services are located - is there an information area? Is there a security office?
   
2. Once you're in the venue check out where the emergency exits are and as you find the place you want to be for the concert make a mental note of the nearest exit to your party, preferably look for a different exit -- NOT the main entry/exit because if there is a need to get out fast most people will make for the main one and the crowd there will be very intense.
   
3. Make a decision with your mates as to where you will meet up or make contact if you get separated - either inside the venue if you just lose each other or outside the venue if something happens there - that way you all know what you will do and how you will make contact.
   
4. Most people want to be near the front of the stage for their favorite acts - this results in some dodgy situations and there have been numerous 'near misses' in this area - this can be one hell of a dodgy place to be and if something goes wrong you won't have much time and you can't rely on security to get you out - pit teams are good but they are not miracle workers and it's very unlikely that they'll be able to get into the crowd to get to you in time - in a real dodgy situation you may only have 3 minutes to get out - think about it - is it really worth it? Remember - crowd collapses can occur anywhere in the crowd but why increase your risk by forcing yourself into an already overcrowded situation? At present organisers are doing nothing to address this issue - although they are well aware of the risks.
   
5. What are the ground conditions like? Safety will be compromised with changing weather conditions, what seems okay on a fine sunny day can change rapidly and unpredictably if adverse weather conditions enter the equation. When the ground becomes sodden you might find it hard to walk and if you're on a slope it's easy to fall over - if the crowd pressure becomes intense or surges occur you can get into difficulty pretty quickly. If barriers haven't been correctly placed they may give way. So be aware of where you are standing and what the potential problems might be - if necessary move to a better space.
   
6. Crowd surfing, stage diving and moshing - not a good idea, don't do it, most places are trying to ban it - there is a high risk of injury - and a higher risk of hurting those around you (and seriously pissing them off!) You may get ejected from the venue as well. Have a look at the type of injuries people are getting as a result of these activities.
   
7. To avoid the crowd's inevitable rush to leave following a performance ( they call it egress in the industry and it is a 'hot spot' with great potential for accidents) consider the possibility of leaving before the end of the show - you may miss the last number but you will get out much more easily and safely.

Have a look at our festival survival guide for a range of information on surviving the festival experience. Festival survival guide

While general admission concerts and festivals are undoubtedly great fun, there are some (unofficially) recognised problems with overcrowding - and you don't have to be a rocket scientist to work that out for yourself if you've been to a few of these gigs.
The capacity for any given venue is worked out on a calculation of two persons per square metre (the Purple Guide) - this is not only outdated but it is fundamentally and deeply flawed - it is flawed because it doesn't take into account how the crowd will behave - it just assumes that everybody will stand stock still in their own allotted space! - However - we all know that when at an event we are not going to stand rigidly in one spot for hours on end - we will sit down (thus taking up at least twice the space we're supposedly allowed) and we will move around. This calculation just doesn't work for the modern concert environment - It doesn't take basic crowd dynamics into account and doesn't have the flexibility to take into account how the crowd will behave in different situations or what happens when there are adverse weather conditions or the fact that people will tend to congregate in certain specific areas.
But whatever we might think of it this it is the calculation that is used and you will find yourself in some densely crowded situations at these events - so until those responsible wake up to this accident waiting to happen we - the customer - need to be aware of potential trouble spots.

There are some complex but contradictory calculations around which the professionals work out how the crowd will get into and out of the venue. (They call this ingress and egress) This is important - particularly with regard to getting out of a venue as there may be occasion when emergency evacuation (having said that getting out of most venues in our experience can be a nightmare at the best of times) is necessary and this MUST be properly planned. So - what are the professionals working to when making their plans to get us in and out safely?

According to the 'Yellow Guide' ( which is and HMSO publication - 'The Guide To Fire Precautions In Existing Places of Entertainment And Like Premises') the amount of space necessary for people to pass through in single file is 525mm - it is called a unit width and is said to be capable of allowing through 40 people per minute.

The 'Green Guide' however, (which is the Guide To Safety At Sports Grounds - HMSO publication) states that the flow can be calculated at a rate of 109 persons per 2 units - so the 'Yellow Guide' says 80 per minute per two units and the 'Green Guide' claims 109 per minute per two units - that's actually a huge difference - so who is right?

When you compare like with like what it means is that the 'Yellow Guide' thinks that in the same space of time 2,000 people will be able to exit an area in the same time that the 'Green Guide' tells you 3,000 will get through. It also means that it has been calculated that people will pass through a given exit in 3 seconds - now I don't know about you but last time I was being shuffled along in a dense crowd there was absolutely no way I could have got through an exit in 3 seconds! Imagine planning for an emergency evacuation - what calculation do you use and is either right?

Crowds can be unpredictable and crowd behaviour will be influenced by both internal and external factors - good, clear accessible information is essential for the effective and safe management of crowds - but information needs to be both available and relevant to the crowd themselves - and this just doesn't happen. In general poor information is given out with tickets - it's usually in unreadable small print on the back of the ticket. More often that not there is poor signage and poor information once you get to the event - there are no safety announcements prior to the entertainment - this means that the crowd can therefore find themselves both ill informed and ill prepared.

Show stop procedures are essential in the event of an emergency - yet few organisers have them in place and some don't even know what they are!, they do not form a part of the license agreement. We all know that there have been several instances where bands have continued to perform despite the fact that people have been in serious trouble in the crowd at an event - and we all know that the person the crowd is most likely to respond to is the performer - so what is being done about it?

Deaths that occur in overcrowded situations aren't caused by being trampled on as is usually reported in the media - deaths actually occur as a result of compressive asphyxia - that means intolerable pressure that stops you from breathing. This was first identified by John Fruin (an American expert in crowd/pedestrian movement) in the early 90's.
If you are subjected to 300lbs of pressure in a static crowd for up to 2/3 minutes your brain becomes starved of oxygen - this can cause permanent and serious disability - beyond those 3 minutes it is probable that you will die.

Mind you - all the theory available won't be of much use to you, the average punter, if you are in a really bad crowd situation. A crowd collapse can occur anywhere in the venue where there is a crowded mass of people, those people at the bottom of a pile of bodies will then be subjected to an intolerable pressure - it takes a lot less than you think to get into real trouble.

People at the front of the barrier are at risk from crushing from the people behind them - this is termed as static loading (this means the pressure on you when you're stood still) because the people at the front will push themselves backwards in order to try and get a bit of space and air - as the people at the back press themselves forward - this causes a kind of human sandwich creating very high risk of severe injury or even death - make no mistake about it - this happens at gigs. The constant push to the front is not (and never has) been properly addressed by concert organisers - so in effect you take a big risk every time you do it.

A further high risk of crowd collapse comes from a sudden crowd surge that occurs when the band come on stage - people rush forwards en masse in order to get a better view - this inevitably increases the risk of injury not just for those at the front but also in several areas of the crowd.

There is also a greater risk and potential for crowd surges when performers decide to crowd surf or throw things into the crowd. The crowd has been hyped for hours and is therefore liable to behave in an excited and excitable manner.

The combination of big crowds and uncontrolled spaces can (and has) led to disaster - it doesn't take very much for a minor incident to become a full blown catastrophe. The 1943 tragedy at Bethnal Green tube station began in overcrowded conditions when a woman holding a small child fell near the bottom of the first staircase. A man tripped over her, and a disastrous human domino effect began which resulted in the deaths of 173 people.

The 1989 Hillsborough tragedy wasn't the first at that particular venue; in 1981 there was a crowd surge in which 39 fans received injuries. The 1989 disaster took the lives of 95 people - 96 if you include the person who died at a later date - so badly were the victims and their families treated that there is a website dedicated to their fight for justice, one of the most horrific consequences for survivors and families in the aftermath of this disaster was the attempt to place blame for the tragedy on the fans themselves. The Hillsborough Campaign for Justice website.

If you haven't read it have a look at the police report following the Roskilde tragedy where 11 fans died during a Pearl Jam set - particularly relevant given that Pearl Jam are one of the headliners for the Reading/Leeds festivals - and there was significant rioting on site at both venues last year - on top of all that the organisers are seeking an increase in capacity for this year. Roskilde Report

In particular at Safeconcerts we feel that there should be proper stringent show stop procedures in place at every event - and that this should be part of the license agreement.

We also feel strongly that the front of stage free for all needs urgent attention with measures put in place to control the numbers of people who access this area because people push and shove into an already densely overcrowded situation - at present we feel that it is an accident waiting to happen - sadly - we also think that the accident will happen before this issue is properly and robustly addressed.

There needs to be comprehensive welfare services at all big outdoor events - there will always be problems in crowds in excess of 100,000 - on the whole most of these events attract a younger age group and often younger people don't have sufficient resources to fall back on.

Proper information should be given out with tickets to enable the customer to have a good overview of what to expect prior to attending an event. There should be comprehensive information on websites and at the venue - and there should be some basic safety information given out prior to the commencement of the show.

The role of the crowd manager is different from the role of crowd control or health and safety officer - it is a vital role that really needs to be recognised as a discipline in it's own right with a proper career path and qualification route.

Event organisers need to collect proper information about the type and number of injuries people who attend their events are sustaining - these are often a result of crowd surfing, moshing etc - organisers really do need to decide what they are going to do about this issue as currently they are giving out mixed messages.

Remember that if you or your loved ones do find yourself in the horrific position of taking on the 'big boys' of this industry that there is a notable imbalance - you will be dealing with people who have untold resources at their disposal. It is more than likely that you will not have comparable resources.

Despite all the risks outlined above outdoor concerts and festivals are gaining in popularity and people will continue to go - the UK has a far better safety record than many other countries - we all need to take some responsibility for keeping ourselves safe while we wait for the industry to play catch up. So - whatever you do just be aware - follow a few rules and you'll have a great time.