Official (Closed), Non-Sensitive

BE2601 Logistics and Site Operations

Singapore Polytechnic
School of Architecture and the Built Environment
Course: Diploma in Integrated Events and Project Management
Year: DEPM 2 FT
Module Code: BE2601
Module Name: Logistics and Site Operations

Topic 4: Crowd Management and Control for Events

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1. Introduction

The size of the attending crowd reflects the popularity of an event.

Crowd control is an important part of event operations. From the

commercial point of view, while large numbers of visitors may be
desirable, overcrowding beyond the venue's capacity can lead to stress
and anxiety if the resources on site cannot cope with the safety and
expectation of the crowds.

Even a small oversight in the layout of the venue, or a misjudgment in

handling the sudden influx of visitors, might lead to an out-of-control
situation.

The consequent adversity, such as loss of revenue, compensation for

damages, insurance claims, ruined publicity, and potential legal
actions, can cast a long-term impact on an event's sustainability.

Disasters should not happen, provided those responsible, at all levels,

pay due attention to crowd management.

2. Responsibilities of the Management Team

“Crowd management” and “crowd control” are not the same.

“Crowd management” refers to the process of planning and its

implementation in order to move event attendees into, through and out
of the event site safely and efficiently.

“Crowd control” refers to a series of actions to be taken when crowds

show signs of disorder or hostility.

In essence, crowd control is the tactical part of a crowd management

plan.

All event venues, fixed and transient, should have a crowd safety
management system, which will anticipate, monitor and control all
potential risks of overcrowding.

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For large and complex event venues, the management of crowds

requires teamwork with good communication and coordination among
all parties from the different hierarchies of the event management
team, from the top management to the front-line staff.

Effective teamwork relies on a positive and proactive safety culture so

that staff at all levels know the importance of crowd safety.

To prevent the unexpected from becoming a disaster, members of the

crowd management team shall:

a. If they are available, research and anticipate likely crowd

behaviours via assessing information on the safety records of
previous events and venues.

b. Conduct a risk assessment on the adequacy of actions taken to

control identified risks as necessary.

c. Inspect the venue and review all safety arrangements regularly to

ensure there is no lapse in the control and monitoring processes;

d. Set policy and monitor threshold limits on crowd controls, e.g. if

queues expand rapidly to a preset level, more service resources
shall be activated to expedite the needed transactions;

e. Liaise with external organisations, such as security agencies,

police, civil defence force, and transportation operators, on the
SOP in the emergency and response plan.

f. Decide the adequacy of arrangements to control crowds.

3. Risk Assessment on Crowd Safety

We need to look into physical and behavioural factors when assessing

the risks of crowd safety. Some of the important ones are:

a. Design and Layout of the Venue

The layout of the activity centre's design of passageways on the event

site can influence crowd behaviours.

For example, small entrances with turnstiles may provide the

necessary control of crowds entering a congested area. However, it
may result in undesirable build-ups of a crowd on the other side of the
turnstiles.

When crowd movements need to be directed, barriers can be used to

control crowd movements with a planned route. With the shrewd

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BE2601 Logistics and Site Operations

locations of popular event facilities, the crowd density could be well

distributed on-site.

There are fire safety regulations on the layout of the event site; a 1 m
clearance to the perimeter of the event hall and a minimum of 3 m clear
passageway are the common requirements.

b. Familiarity with the place affects the crowd in an Emergency

For large event sites, visitors familiar with the venue are likely to use a
known route to go to their favourite viewing spots and may persist in
doing this, even if their preferred route is closed for some reason.

Those who do not know the event venue may be jamming the routes
while deciding which way to move forward.

In an emergency, people often leave the way they know best, even if it
may be more dangerous.

Traffic marshals shall be trained and deployed to direct and control

crowd movements on site.

c. Availability of Information

Clear maps, signposts, simple broadcast messages, direction guides

and escorts are vital tools for crowd control. Non-available of
information can lead to people stopping, moving against the flow of the
crowd, blocking passages or making frequent demands on staff for
directions.

Visitors without information or given contradictory information can

become frustrated and aggressive.

d. Types of Crowds

Different types of crowds behave in different ways.

Shoppers in a trade fair, motivated by their shopping interests, make up

a different crowd from spectators at a sports stadium supporting their
favourite team.

It is important to know, for example, the age groups, motivational

interests and social mix of visitors to anticipate their probable behaviour
and make appropriate arrangements.

e. Crowd Behaviours - Crowd Influences Crowd

Individuals within a crowd usually behave in a rational and goal-

orientated manner.

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For example, someone whose aim is to watch an event or celebrity

may climb onto a roof or to the top of scaffold poles to get a better view
by ignoring their safety; this may trigger other spectators with a similar
aim to follow suit, leading to more people hanging on the structure and
increase the risks of its collapse.

A risk assessment should determine the likelihood of this happening

and enable adequate control measures to be taken before and during
the event.

4. Some Hazards to Watch Out for Events

The common hazards to be identified and managed on event sites

include:

 Fire, smoke, bomb threat, terrorism attacks.

 Flood, earthquake or other natural disasters.
 Heat, failure of air-conditioning or lighting.
 Gas leaks or biological hazards.
 Crowd crush, overcrowding, congestion.
 Riots, protests.
 Vehicle accidents.
 Collapsing of tall structures.
 Physical hazards include steep slopes, dead ends, locked gates,
the convergence of several routes into one, and uneven or
slippery flooring or steps.

5. Crowd Safety and Security Risk Management Checklist

Once the risk assessment has been done, the following shall be
prioritised and managed.

a. Controlling the Entrances to the Event Venue

The locations of entry and exit points to an event site shall include
those of loading bays, lifts, access to back-of-house areas and the out-
of-bound zone. It is important to know the time for use, restrictions and
fees, if any.

The control of access via the entrance and exits would assist in
planning the transportation of resources by trucks to the event site. In
case of emergency, they can be used to evacuate the crowd.

These entry/exit points shall have:

i. Security cameras, motion lights, and audio surveillance systems

help security personnel manage the crowd more effectively. The
security camera monitors the live stream and keeps a record for
incident tracing and follow-up.

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ii. Crowd movement management includes the provision of

barricades and directional signage with the deployment of
marshals and ushers to manage and coordinate the crowd's
movements at the holding area to eliminate congestion inside the
venue.

iii. Communication systems such as walkie-talkies, communication

protocol and admission policy are to be given to crowd control
staff and volunteers. Hands-on equipment training should be
provided.

iv. Crowd control resource kits and personal protective apparel

such as uniforms, PPE, inspection rods, torch lights, safety
gloves, goggles and walkie-talkies shall be given to the crowd
control staff if needed.

v. Managing patron behaviour and controlling numbers of visitors

to the venue/event in responding to the built-up and monitoring
the behaviours of the crowd in the holding areas while they are
waiting to enter the site.

vi. For crowd control crewing levels for entry control, volunteers
are not competent and should never be asked to do more than
monitor an event site at their duty points. They should never
attempt to break up or restrain event attendees as this could lead
to injury and legal disputes. Instead, the engagement of third-
party security firms with their trained personnel shall be deployed
to maintain a safe and secure environment when incidents occur.

vii. The physical environment associated with door control

activity, i.e. proper lighting, allows attendees to see what is
happening; Darkness creates a feeling of anxiety. Barricades can
direct attendees towards a specific activity centre, create a safe
zone, or keep attendees away from potential danger.

viii. Admission procedures or policies associated with entry control

credential validation, any relevant documents, ticket, badges, staff
pass, and authorisation letter will be presented to gain entry into
the event site. It also involves managing the queuing for how
people line up to gain access to an area to avoid overcrowding,
shoving, and stampedes.

ix. Door control supervision triggers an early warning system that

a problem is about to happen. A supervisory team shall comprise
experienced staff on standby in anticipation of handling any
difficult situation on site. A female security guard will make female
attendees feel more comfortable when body searches are to be
conducted.

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b. Monitoring and Communication on Crowd and Individual

Behaviour

Detail the extent of the workplace boundaries where crowd control

activities may operate.

i. Methods for communicating on the crowd and individual

behaviour.

ii. Crowd monitoring stations or locations, i.e. unstable

platforms, poor lighting.

iii. Crewing levels associated with static and mobile crowd

monitoring activities.

iv. Physical environment associated with crowd monitoring

activities, i.e. lighting, noise, weather, black spots.

v. Security camera and audio surveillance.

vi. Crowd control monitoring and communication supervision.

vii. Crowd control resource kits and personal protective

equipment, i.e. first aid, torch, clothing, and footwear.

viii. Crowd control emergency signalling systems.

ix. Procedures or policies associated with crowd monitoring and

communication.

c. Coordinating Emergency Evacuation

i. Emergency exits.

ii. Safe holding areas.

iii. Firefighting and other emergency evacuation equipment.

iv. Procedures or policies associated with administering

emergency evacuation.

v. Crowd control trauma counselling and debriefing services.

vi. Communication methods during an evacuation.

vii. Evacuation drills or training.

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6. Crowd Management Plan

The crowd management plan should cover all readily available

information. Encompass the probable numbers of spectators at times of
the event and address the following;

a. Estimate the level of attendance for specific days and times.

b. Estimate the number of people using public corridors, specific

entrances, specific aisles and seating at particular times.

c. Estimate the number of ushers, service and security personnel

needed for crowd management.

d. Establish the requirements for crowd control measures, such as

barriers.

e. Identify the restricted areas.

f. Develop accreditation plans for staff/crowd movements.

g. Identify hazards, e.g. scaffolding and temporary structure.

h. Identify routes for use by emergency service personnel.

i. Establish the means of communication for all staff working on site.

j. Establish a chain of command for incident reporting.

k. Check safety equipment (e.g. fire extinguishers).

7. Emergency Planning Committee

The main responsibilities of the Emergency Planning Committee (EPC)

are;

a. Establish the emergency response plan.

b. Organise and assign appropriate people to specific roles and

duties in the Emergency Control Organization.

c. Arrange training and certification for the members of the ECO

team.

d. Arrange evacuation drills.

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8. SG Event Industry Resilient Roadmap SG Event IRR

The Singapore Association of Convention and Exhibition Organisers and

Suppliers (SACEOS), with the support of the Singapore Tourism Board (STB)
and Enterprise Singapore (ESG), have come together to formulate the Event
Industry Resilience Roadmap (IRR).

The safe business event framework set forth the best practices on crowd
control for the event to balance the health considerations that remain
paramount in this ever-evolving situation with the need to support livelihoods
and enterprise resilience in Singapore's MICE and Events industry.

The framework involved three main aspects of crowd management

- Hygiene and sanitation

- Safe distancing
- Emergency Management and Contact Tracing

A copy of this IRR is uploaded to Black Board.

Refer to the highlighted details of the Articulate Rise course uploaded on

Bright Space.

Acknowledgement
Some contents of this handout were taken from an article relative to crowd control
published by HSE in 1993. Health and Safety Executive IND(G)142L C1000 293

Reference Text
Lynn Van Der Wagen, Event Management for Tourism, Cultural, Business and
Sporting Events. Pearson 2005

Managing Crowd Safety in Public Venues: A Study to Generate Guidance for Venue
Owners and Enforcing Authority Inspectors

Revised Apr 2023.

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