Originally published by the Health & Safety Executive (HSE), its publication was taken over by the Events Industry Forum in 2012 since when it has been substantially expanded, with revenue from sales funded back to support projects that help the outdoor events industry through grants.

Written by working groups drawn from the industry, including representatives from regional and national Government, the Guide aims to encourage consistently safe standards for the running of outdoor events, from music concerts to country fairs, across the UK.    The fact that it is an online publication means that it can be constantly revised and updated, with subscribers notified each time changes are made.

The current Guide covers more than health and safety and is not designed to be prescriptive but simply to highlight legal responsibilities and non-legislative good practice.

As an employer, the event organiser – whether an individual, collective or local authority – has a general duty to ensure, so far as reasonably practicable, the health, safety and welfare of their employees. They also have a similar responsibility to ensure, so far as is reasonable, that others – including volunteers and spectators – are not exposed to risks arising from the operation of the event.

As events can differ considerably, it is important that organisers undertake risk assessments that recognise the specific requirements of their event.

In some areas, the Guide signposts users to other sources of information that may be helpful. At the time of publication all the links are checked and regularly updated and amended as necessary.

As well as event organisers, the guide is widely used by local authorities, health and safety enforcement officers, licensing officers, emergency services, landowners, contractors or sub-contractors working at events as the basis for a consistent approach to organising outdoor events safely.

Smaller & Volunteer-run Events

Due to the complexity of organising a wide range of events, the Guide contains a large amount of detail, which may not always be relevant for some smaller events. Organisers running modest scale events may wish to refer to the Lite version of the Purple Guide or the HSE’s event safety web page. 

Volunteers running events do not generally have legal duties under the Health & Safety at Work Act. However, there is Government guidance on Organising a Voluntary Event.

Placemaking

The art of designing public spaces as not just functional, but also beautiful and meaningful for the people who live, work, and play there – is increasingly referenced in relation to outdoor events.   However, it is important that such considerations should be made in the context of the Purple Guide and general event safety.

Grants

The Events Industry Forum is committed to supporting the development and professionalism of the UK outdoor events industry by promoting good practice and by providing funding for projects that will benefit the industry.

All income from the sale of subscriptions to the Purple Guide, after administration costs, is funded back into the outdoor events industry via grants for projects that will benefit the industry.

The Board welcomes applications for grants and will generally consider these twice a year, in March and October.   However, under exceptional circumstances it will consider applications outside these times if the Board deems it necessary.

For further information on grants and an application form see here.

Acknowledgements

A full list of acknowledgements for the numerous professionals who have been involved in writing this guidance are listed on the credits page. We would particularly like to acknowledge the initial financial support provided by the Concert Promoters Association and members of the Events Industry Forum which made the original publication of the Purple Guide possible.

Note

As all events have their own unique requirements and legislation frequently changes, this publication should only be read as guidance and the contributors, editors and publishers cannot be held responsible for the accuracy of the information therein. However, every possible care is taken before publication.