Safety officer course: Why Safety is Important at Concerts and Festivals

In far too many cases, it appears that the safety of attendees at music festivals and concerts is of no concern to those in charge of running these events. This could be the result of a number of different factors, whether being intentionally neglected or just simply forgotten about amidst the chaos that usually ensues before and during these types of events. Nevertheless, injuries and the loss of lives can be easily avoided if the general public were able to become a bit more aware of the risks involved as well as how to easily avoid them. By reading through this brief article, you too may begin to understand the importance of Safety officer courses, for the general wellbeing of yourself as well as those around you.

Where was a Safety officer course Needed During Recent Music Festivals

When hosting any sort of event that is expected to be attended by large crowds, it is crucially important to the safety of those in attendance that those in charge have completed an adequate number of Safety officer courses, or to at least hire someone who has. It is not difficult to recall recent examples of music festivals and concerts that have ended in tragedy due to a lack of planning and forethought where safety was concerned. The most recent of such examples would have to be Travis Scott's Astroworld festival, which took place from the 5th to the 6th of November 2021.

During what is now widely considered to be one of the most horrific examples of a music festival gone wrong, the 2021 Astroworld festival has been confirmed to have taken the lives of 10 attendees, with 25 people reported to have been injured in various ways, 13 of which had to remain under medical care. These deaths and injuries were the result of a number of different factors, many of which could have been avoided with just a bit more planning and forethought.

One of the main aspects of the festival that took most people's attention would have to be the overcrowding that took place. While overcrowding was definitely present, it was not at the fault of the venue itself. During the height of this tragedy coming to light, many claims were made that the event organisers, LiveNation, had purposefully sold out the show at 50 000 tickets, despite the venue having a maximum capacity of just 20 000 people. This is not the case as, according to the Houstan TX Fire Chief, the NRG Stadium's maximum capacity is actually 200 000 people, with city officials limiting the crowd to just a quarter of that.

While this was a smart move on the part of city officials, it was up to the event organizers to then follow the lead, something that frankly was not achieved. The main factor that contributed towards the overcrowding was the lack of crowd control at the surroundings of the stage. It has been reported that as Travis started performing, crowds had rushed towards the stage, leaving many fans packed together so tightly that many were left unable to move or even breathe. Commonly referred to by festival goers as "crowd crush", this saw many people suffering from asphyxiation and cardiac arrests, amongst various other injuries to varying levels of severity.

Much of this tragedy falls upon Travis Scott himself, who had the power to stop the shower for long enough to those on the ground level to make a plan. While many fans are quick to bring up examples of him briefly stopping the music to help a fan get medical attention, this has largely been overshadowed by videos of him almost immediately continuing with his set while in direct eye line of a fan's unconscious body being crowd surfed to the front and over the barriers. Scott's lack of empathy was also shared by many of his fans too, as medical staff were often obstructed from attending to the injured when their vehicles were blocked and climbed on top of.

While it was clear to see that many of the medical and security staff had undergone through an adequate amount of Safety officer course with the few people that they were able to save and protect, it remains just as clear to see that they were horribly understaffed and underequipped for the sheer amount of people in attendance that weekend.

How a Lack of Safety officer course Affected Music Festivals in the Past

Disasters such as the 2021 Astroworld music festival are not a new phenomenon by any means, as many of the most well-respected festivals have had to be permanently cancelled with their legacies left in ruin as a result of the events that took place during their final hours. One of the most widely recounted festivals of this ilk would have to be Woodstock 99, which has been recognised to have gone against the grain of the ethos that had been established during the event's conception in 1969, and had also earned the title of "the day the Nineties died".

What many people do not know is that festival site was temporarily considered to be the 3rd most populated city in the state of New York, with roughly 220 000 people in attendees and an additional 10 000 people being there for work purposes. By looking at the sheer scale of this event, as well as the specific incidents that had taken place during Woodstock 99, you may be left wondering if Safety officer course was even considered by those who ran the show.

Much like Astroworld, Woodstock 99 experienced severe overcrowding. As a result of the festival charging each attendee with $157 per ticket, many felt the need to avoid paying such high fees by arriving with fake passes, something that was far trickier to detect as opposed to using the microchipped wristbands that are seen in the modern day. Due to this, many security guards said roughly 50 fake tickets were spotted per hour at only a single gate. It is because of the event managers not knowing exactly how many people were able to sneak in, that the event was maxed out at 250 000 tickets, despite not having sold out.

It is because of this extra mass of people that had made their way onto festival grounds, any Safety officer course that was undertaken by the available medical staff would have been overwhelmed. This, alongside many of the security volunteers that had walked off the job into the crowds, leaving the police and medics understaffed, only exacerbated the problems and issues that were faced throughout Woodstock 99.

If overcrowding was not one of the biggest issues to plague this music festival, it would have definitely been the heat. Having reached a peak of 38 degrees Celsius, many festival goers would end up getting affected by a variety of different health conditions. This heat was not made easier to endure in any way, as the two main stages were placed roughly 4km apart, forcing everyone to walk across heated asphalt for a majority of the way.

To make matters worse, it has become widely known just how egregiously priced much of the food and drinks were during the event. With prices such as $4 for a bottle of water and $12 for a pizza, the only other option would be to catch one of the tightly packed looping busses. These buses would only serve to lead you out of the festival grounds to the small shopping centres nearby, many of which were also dealing with lengthy queues and a lack of stock.

Along the way through the campsites, it would be possible to see another instance of overcrowding and under planning. As there was not enough grass to fit all of the tents, many were forced to set themselves up on top of the asphalt. The unbearable heat within these areas saw people overcrowding the scarcely placed water fountains, with the growing frustration leading people to break the connected waterpipes for the sake of easy access.

This almost immediately caused additional problems that would persist throughout the rest of the festival, such as flooding and large mud pits being formed throughout most of the campsite. While this would see many people have a bit more fun playing in the mud, many were not aware that the festival's shower and toilet facilities had also become damaged and clogged. It was not until much later that many would begin to realise that they had been frolicking in mud that was mixed with their own human waste.

This is only a minute fraction of the vast array of issues that would be faced by event organizers and festival goers throughout the course of the event, many of which would include a number of cases of sexual assault against many of the younger female attendees. other people were also afflicted with injuries of varying severities caused by crowds becoming excessively raucous at the main stages, which would also lead to people vandalizing nearby facilities and constructions during the height of the excitement. The event was said to have reached the peak of its chaos once a tribute to Jimi Hendrix's "Fire" was performed by Red Hot Chilli Peppers, which would see bonfires erupt, cars being flipped, and food and merch stalls being demolished throughout the festival site.

How You Can Use Safety officer course to Protect Yourself and Others

What many people do not realise is that even if only a single person is aware of Safety officer course, it can provide a large amount of much needed security and wellbeing to not only themselves, but to a large amount of those around them too. By knowing how to stay calm and collected during even the most intense of situations while knowing exactly how to proceed with care, whether you find yourself at a bar or even at a larger music festival, it becomes increasingly easier to turn a tragedy into a minor miracle.

To start with a safety training course as soon as is possible, you simply need to reach out to EMCARE, currently considered to be South Africa's leading teaching facility in regards to First Aid, Emergency Response, Firefighting as well as Occupational Health and Safety officer courses too. With training venues available in 6 different locations throughout the country, such as Cape Town, Durban, Johannesburg, etc. as well as our ability to come fully equipped to your premises of choice, it is safe to say that our services are never too far away for you to benefit.

If you find yourself interested in starting your own training course, then you need to look no further than the "Contact Us" button found at the top right side of our website's homepage. This is where you will find our different business numbers, our email address, the address for our head office, as well as a fill in form that you can use to contact us through our website directly too!