The events industry ought to place greater focus on reporting minor incidents to avoid major disasters, says Emma Parkinson, Course Leader for BA (Hons) Crowd Safety Management at Buckinghamshire New University.
She was addressing the Event Safety Alliance Event Safety Summit in Pennsylvania about the part played by near-miss and accident reporting in the development of effective safety cultures.
She said: “Disastrous incidents can often be traced back to small failings happening at the same time and mixing with unexpected incidents to lead to catastrophic outcomes. The more failings we can help to eradicate, through education, training and consulting with industry, the less likely we are to see disasters. This is just as true in the events and crowd safety industry as any other.”
Parkinson, who has worked at Oxfam, which besides being a charity is one of the UK’s largest stewarding providers, said the entertainment, crowd safety and events industries had a way to go to understand the value of reporting near-miss events.
She added: “Parts of the entertainment industry have excellent accident reporting systems, but among such a disparate profession this is by no means widespread, and I am looking at how we might first begin to share a common understanding of what constitutes an accident, before looking at how we move the industry towards a position of understanding the value of reporting near-miss events and the part such seemingly insignificant factors have played in historical disasters.
“I am exploring the benefits to the industry that can accrue through the introduction of the conditions that encourage near-miss and accident reporting, as well as looking at the barriers to such reporting that exist, be they cultural, psychological or economic.”
Parkinson said she believed her research could be adapted into organisational structures in a range of sectors.
Jim Digby, President & Chair of the Board of Directors of the Event Safety Alliance. Said: “The ESA is grateful for the participation of Emma Parkinson, whose research and associated science relating to the necessity of near miss reporting and crowd dynamics were an invaluable addition to the Event Safety Alliance’s second Event Safety Summit. Emma’s extraordinary knowledge of the subject matter and her ability to connect with like-minded individuals in the live event space were a perfect fit.”
