Five Safety Tips for Event Planning in Schools
School events should be a time of fun, camaraderie and community. Unfortunately, when your school is hosting any type of event, the risk of safety issues becomes a great concern that can put your school in danger and take away from the experience. By taking a few steps to ensure that you’ve implemented safety precautions, your school’s event can be one that is memorable and fun for everyone.
Think basic
As you plan, you’ll need to consider everything that could go wrong during your event, how you can prepare for that possibility and how to respond if a situation arises
Manage the risks
Use clear, written contracts to outline duties and define responsibility. If your school is working with outside vendors, obtain certificates of insurance from these parties. If you serve alcohol during the event, be sure to transfer liability to an outside party, and limit the consumption of all alcoholic beverages through the use of tickets or a cash bar
Be wary of potential danger
Assess the property for areas that might pose slip and fall dangers, clear all walkways and clearly identify all exit routes. Children and the elderly are at the greatest risk, so keep them in mind as you inspect school grounds. You’ll also want to check all event equipment:
- Chairs and tables: Inspect temporary or folding chairs or tables to ensure that they are sturdy and free of dangerous defects
- Electrical: Keep electrical cords away from walkways or adequately mark with brightly colored warning tape. Protect any electrical equipment that is located outdoors from the weather
- Outdoor tents: Once you install tents, have a professional inspect the stability of the structures before you use them. In addition, clearly mark and protect stakes and ropes
- Secure your building: If your school is open or partially open to the public, secure appropriate supervision to ensure the public uses only designated parts of the building. Consider signage, locked doors or other means to restrict access to areas of the building that you do not wish to open
Plan for emergencies
Special events bring an increased flow of people, which can escalate the severity of an issue quickly. It’s important, therefore, to have a response plan that can be followed in case of severe weather, extreme situations and medical or fire emergencies. All volunteers and employees should be trained on response plans and be provided with emergency contact information. If your school’s event will likely impact local traffic or require an additional emergency response, work with the local authorities well in advance
Follow Up
Discuss and assess the things that went well during your event and identify things that may need improvement so that the necessary steps can be taken for the next event
At Beacon Insurance of Pace, Inc. we have specialized in church insurance for nearly two decades and have a strong partnership with GuideOne Insurance. This partnership is extremely beneficial in that it affords us the ability to offer access to invaluable safety resources that our clients need to keep their schools running safely. We believe that our greatest mission is to illuminate our clients’ path and provide them with peace of mind. Offering access to GuideOne helps them stay safer…in any event. Call Beacon Insurance Agency of Pace, Inc. to learn more about GuideOne and how we can help ensure safety in your school today!
