HEALTH & SAFETY

It is the policy of Montgomery Group to endeavour to seek the co-operation of all concerned in order to achieve the highest standards, in all aspects, of health and safety.

The Health and Safety at Work Act 1974 [HASAWA] and its subsidiary legislation is criminal law, a breach of which is a criminal offence. In general terms HASAWA places a responsibility on companies and individuals to exercise a duty of care for employees and non-employees who may be affected by their acts and omissions. These duties can be discharged by doing what is “reasonable” to prevent loss or harm where risk is foreseeable. It applies to all premises used as a place of work, including temporary locations such as Olympia London, and includes build-up, open days, and breakdown.

Montgomery Group and Olympia London, within the scope of their own laid down policies, have a responsibility to ensure that safe working practices are maintained at all times, which includes ensuring that provision is made whereby persons, other than Montgomery Group or Olympia London employees, are reminded of their responsibilities whilst working at the exhibition centre.

Exhibitors and stand holders have a legal duty of care for the safety of anyone who may be affected by their activities. This includes responsibility for all aspects of safety on the stand during the build-up, the open period of the show and during breakdown. Where an exhibitor has booked a Space Only stand and the building and finishing of the stand is contracted out, exhibitors and stand holders are still vicariously responsible for the activities of their contractors. It is therefore essential that exhibitors appoint a contractor who is fully aware of their Health and Safety responsibilities including CDM 2015. The Organisers Official Shell Scheme Contractor is responsible for Health and Safety regarding the build of all shell scheme stands and the Organisers will consult directly with them to ensure all appropriate information and documentation is provided.

Exhibitor/stand holder duties are to comply with the Organiser’s health and safety requirements as laid out in this manual.

A contractor’s legal duty of care is as above, including taking into consideration any sub-contractors that they might employ.

As part of the CDM 2015 Health and Safety Regulations all staff (exhibitors or contractors) who wish to access the hall during build up or break down must read and understand the Site Rules for Speciality & Fine Food Fair 2024.

1. ACCESS - Authorised access to the halls will only be allowed for personnel who have read and understood these site rules. 
2. TRAFFIC RULES - The maximum speed limit for vehicles within the exhibition hall is always 5mph and pedestrians have right of way. However, all contractors and exhibitors must be vigilant and aware that forklifts will be operating during build-up and breakdown.
3. EMERGENCY GANGWAYS - Emergency gangways will be clearly identified and must be kept clear of all building material, waste and exhibits in order to allow forklift movement and emergency access/egress at all times.
4. PERSONAL PROTECTIVE REQUIREMENTS (PPE) - Contractors & exhibitors are required to wear suitable protective clothing relevant to their job. This includes protection for eyes, ears, hands, and feet. Anyone wearing open toed shoes will not be able to access the halls. Protective footwear should be worn at all times. High visibility jackets must be worn in all locations where vehicles are operating (i.e., loading bays/ lorry ways).
5. HOT WORK RULES - A hot working permit must be obtained from the venue, prior to commencement of hot work e.g., ox -acetylene, cutting/welding, arc welding, gas/ oil blowlamps, grinders, tar boilers, soldering or cutting of LEV metal pipes etc.
6. WORKING AT HEIGHT RULES - Appropriate management and safe methods of working at height are required at all times, checks on suitable equipment will be made onsite.
7. LATE WORKING RULES - Exhibitors and contractors should plan to ensure that working outside the published hours is not necessary. All staff must be made aware of and adhere to the current Working Time Regulations.
8. ACCIDENTS AND ‘NEAR MISSES’ – Any incident that occurs onsite must be reported to the Health & Safety Officer, Floor Manager or the Organisers Office.
9. SMOKING - Smoking (including e-cigarettes) is not allowed in the halls, boulevard, lorry way/anywhere in the venue at any time. Smoking is only permitted in designated smoking areas outside the venue.

Below are some of the principal areas that need to be brought to the attention of contractors and exhibitors.

1. An understanding of the Fire and Emergency Procedures of the venue and the protocol for First Aid assistance. All incidents to be reported to the Organisers or the Health and Safety Officer, including near miss accidents.
2. Authorised access to the hall will only be allowed for persons who have read and understood the Site Rules and registered for an Exhibitor or Contractor e-Badge. 
3. The emergency gangways, as indicated on the Site Rules & Locations Plan, must be kept clear of obstructions, at all times, throughout build-up, open days, and breakdown.
4. All work areas must be maintained free from general waste materials that could be a hazard to anyone working on the stand. This also allows for any potential hazards to be clearly visible.
5. Hard hats should be worn when working beneath or near overhead working, or if this is not practical, access to such areas should be restricted.
6. PPE including Hi Visibility Jackets and Steel Toe Capped Footwear must be worn during the Construction phase of Build Up and Breakdown.
7. Other suitable PPE relevant to the job being undertaken must be worn e.g., hard hats, goggles ear defenders. NB PPE is the last line of defence when all other alternatives have been considered. PPE must be suitable and sufficient for the job and employees trained in its uses and limitations.
8. The Health and Safety Representative for either the contractor or the exhibitor (depending on the user) is responsible for ensuring the safe use and storage of flammable liquids and substances, and segregation from waste and other risk areas. Compliance with the COSHH regulations is required.
9. Portable power equipment must only be operated by fully trained and certified personnel for the purpose for which it was designed, safety guards must correctly fit and used.
10. Portable electrical tools must be used with the minimum length of trailing leads and must not be left unattended with a live power supply to it. Trailing leads and electrical cables must not cross over gangways, doorways or fire exits. Any work using power or hand tools must be restricted to the stand space, i.e., no drilling or sawing in the gangways.
11. All materials used for construction or displays must be to Local Authority Standards and not less than British Class 1 standards of flammability (see materials for stand construction in the space only stand regulations section).
12. A hot working permit must be obtained prior to commencement of hot work (ox-acetylene, cutting/welding, arc welding, gas/oil blowlamps, grinders, tar boilers, soldering).
13. Safe working at height is a priority whether using ladders or scaffold towers. Please visit www.stop-the-drop.co.uk for more information on ladder safety or scroll down for the further information on Working at Height.
14. All staff working on site (whether from our own company or those of any company contracted by you) are aware and adhere to the current Working Time Regulations (S.I 1998/1883). Guidance regarding these regulations can be obtained by contacting your local HSE office or visit https://www.hse.gov.uk/contact/faqs/workingtimedirective.htm
15. All construction materials, ladders, trolleys must be removed from the building prior to any public entering the building. Similarly, no contractors will be permitted access for breakdown until all members of the public have vacated the building.

Any queries with regards to the above please contact ops.sfff@montgomerygroup.com

On-site any violations or concerns regarding the above points should be reported to the Hall Floor Manager or to the Organiser’s Office. Internal telephones are located around the hall perimeter to contact Olympia Emergency Services (Fire or Medical) Dial 2666 or dial +44 (0) 20 7598 2666 from an external line.

 

ALL exhibitors must complete a suitable and sufficient Risk Assessment (RA) for their own company’s activities at the exhibition whether during Build-up, the Open Period or Breakdown.  This is called the Exhibitor Risk Assessment. It needs to identify all significant risks to your own staff, other exhibitors, visitors etc that may arise from your activities.  Significant risks are those which are reasonably foreseeable in terms of probability and severe enough in outcome to warrant consideration, i.e., they are more than trivial.

What is it and why do I need to complete one?

A Risk Assessment is the most effective way of documenting, assessing, and controlling risks and under Health & Safety legislation is an absolute legal requirement.

It is an assessment of all stand activity that could potentially cause harm to people.

• Hazard – anything that can cause harm e.g., hot oil, electricity, manual handling, machinery/appliances etc
• Risk – is the chance, great or small, that someone will be harmed by the hazard e.g., low, medium, or high risk.

Completing a Risk Assessment does not mean that you are guaranteeing that there will not be any accidents on your stand. It means you have simply taken the time to think through your actions in advance and on an on-going basis. By filling out a Risk Assessment you will be able to reduce the risks of an accident happening or the severity of the accident if it does.  If you were unfortunate enough to have an accident on the stand, you may need to prove that you took all reasonable steps to prevent it happening; a risk assessment would be part of this proof.  Without it you could be found liable (both personally and corporately).

 

Click here to find the risk assessment template or for further assistance contact your own company’s Health & Safety Officer or visit the HSE website / http://www.hse.gov.uk/risk/.

• ALL EXHIBITORS MUST COMPLETE A RISK ASSESSMENT to cover their activities during the Build-up (e.g., off-loading vehicles, delivering boxes, setting up display or exhibits), the Open Period (e.g., replenishing stock, demonstrations, sampling, cooking) and Breakdown (e.g., removal of boxes, dismantling of display or exhibits, re-loading vehicles).  This is SEPARATE to the RA required from the stand contractor.
• The organisers DO NOT require a copy of the risk assessment prior to the exhibition but a copy must also be available on the stand for presentation to the EHO (Environmental Health Officer) or the HSE (Health & Safety Executive) should they visit your stand; both parties have the power to close your stand if they believe there are any unsafe practices.
• If you have booked a SPACE ONLY SITE, whoever is building the stand – either you or a contractor – will need to submit a separate detailed Risk Assessment, which covers the building of and breaking down the stand, together with a Method Statement, when submitting the stand drawings for approval.

If you need help completing your Risk Assessment, please contact ops.sfff@montgomerygroup.com

 

Exhibitors and contractors should familiarise themselves with and adhere to the Working at Height Regulations 2005 (as Amended 2007).  A simple rule of thumb would be:

• Avoid working at height wherever possible
• Use work equipment or other measures to prevent falls where this cannot be avoided
• If working height cannot be avoided, use work equipment or other measures to minimise the distance and consequences of a fall should one occur

Every employer shall ensure that work at height is:

• Properly planned and organised
• Appropriately supervised
• Carried out in a manner which is so far as it is reasonably practicable safe
• Carried out by competent persons or if being trained, is being supervised by a competent person (including the organisation, planning and supervision of working at height).

The Working at Height Regulation 2005 (as Amended 2007) includes, but is not restricted to:

• Suitable and sufficient steps to be taken to prevent, so far as is reasonably practicable, the fall of any material or object and prevent any person being struck by any falling material or object which is liable to cause personal injury
• Take into account of weather conditions that could endanger health and safety
• Take into account the distance and consequences of a potential fall and the need for easy and timely evacuation and rescue in an emergency
• Carried out in an area that is safe
• Utilise equipment that has been appropriately inspected
• Ensure that fragile surfaces and falling objects are properly controlled
• Must be included in the stand Risk Assessment
• Ensure all working platforms are of suitable strength and rigidity for its intended purpose
• Working platforms are to be erected and used to ensure that its components do not become accidentally displaced so as to endanger any person
• Working platforms and any supporting structure shall not be loaded so as to give rise to a risk of collapse or to any deformation which could affect its safe use

The Association of Exhibition Organisers (AEO) have developed an online information resource for use in relation to safe working at height.  Please visit www.stop-the-drop.co.uk and read the The Do's & Don'ts of Ladder Safety.

For further information, the Working at Height 2005 Regulations can be viewed at: The Work at Height Regulations 2005 

See following link for Working at Height - a HSE Brief Guide http://www.hse.gov.uk/pubns/indg401.pdf

If you require non urgent First Aid assistance, the Olympia Control Room can be contacted on +44 (0)20 7598 2411 alternatively internal telephones are located around the hall perimeter dial 2411. A qualified First Aider will be dispatched directly to any accident area if required.

In cases of a medical emergency call Control +44 (0)20 7598 2666 or internal 2666 via the internal telephones located around the perimeter of the hall, giving exact location of the casualty and details of injuries sustained. Do not under any circumstances call the ambulance services direct. By involving Olympia Control, they can co-ordinate the ambulance staff and due to their knowledge of the hall, can direct them to venue and site of accident correctly and quickly.

Fire extinguishers (and blankets if required) will be located as stipulated by the Authorities. At least two persons on each stand should know how to use these extinguishers and know the position of the nearest fire alarm point in the building. The extinguishers will be supplied free of charge and will be collected at the end of the exhibition. If a fire extinguisher is missing from a stand where they have been located or damaged after the event, exhibitors will be charged for its replacement.

Exhibitors who, because of the nature of their exhibits, require special arrangements should contact the organisers in the first instance.

In the event of a fire emergency on your stand

• Break the glass on the nearest fire alarm point. These are located on the perimeter walls, in the organisers’ offices and in the entrance.
• Telephone the Control Room on +44 (0)20 7598 2666 or 2666 using the internal telephones located on the perimeter of the hall, giving the location and the nature of the incident.
• Calmly notify adjoining exhibitors of the situation and, if safe to do so, tackle the fire with an extinguisher.
• Remember to remain calm. If you have followed these procedures, help will arrive.

Exhibitors should nominate enough staff to ensure the observance of the following Emergency Procedures at all times including the location of the nearest fire alarm points.

Checking the Stand

Stands should be checked regularly to ensure that no unidentifiable packages, cases, or bags have been deposited. If suspicions arise, do not touch the article but call the Control Room on +44 (0)20 7598 2666 or 2666 using the internal telephones located on the perimeter of the hall. When leaving the stand each night (or in the event of an evacuation) lease ensure that appliances are switched off in particular any potentially dangerous items (e.g., naked flames).

Please click here to download a copy of Olympias Emergency Procedures.