Pub landlords offered risk assessment advice for Euro Football Championships

Precautions: Licensees offered health & safety advice ahead of Euros

Health & safety consultancy Perry Scott Nash has issued risk assessment advice for pubs ahead of the European Football Championships, which kick off tomorrow.

The firm is urging licensees to look beyond the prospect of trouble in their pubs, and to other aspects which would generally form part of a risk assessment.

These include underage sales; general health and safety during screenings of matches; fire safety; over occupancy; and public nuisance.

Nevertheless, with the number of England fans travelling to Euro 2012 likely to be the smallest for many tournaments, the risk of trouble during England matches may be even higher than first expected as stay-at-home fans cram into pubs, according to Perry Scott Nash.

It is therefore urging licensees to look after the safety of their staff and the safety of your customers and have offered the following considerations:

Review your premises occupancy figure and ensure this is known and adhered to by managers and door supervisors on all days including Euro 2012 match days.

Fire measures should continue to be in place with routine checks and tests logged (e.g. fire alarm testing, emergency lighting tests etc).
All fire exit routes should be kept clear with no accumulations of combustible materials in public areas.

Consider measures to speed up service to prevent frustration/bottle-necks at the bar. Ideas may include: pre-ordering, table service, pitchers, multiple sales of bottles, pre-pouring half pints, rounding up pricing to whole £’s
Consider likely cash amounts. You may wish to arrange cash collections if you believe that the site will be handling large sums of cash.
Determine whether tables and chairs will need to be moved prior to football games. If tables are to be moved just prior to games then ensure that this message is effectively communicated to customers
Review whether children should be permitted during match times – this will be determined by the nature of the premises, how busy it is expected to become, designated areas away from ‘football’
Ensure all security measures are present on the premises e.g. CCTV is working
Review any existing restrictions on the premises license.

Perry Scott Nash’s full risk assessment can be accessed free of charge by emailing Andy Cox at n.pbk@creelfpbgganfu.pb.hx