Safety Update – Safety at Sports Grounds

Posted on May 12, 2014 by Andy

With the football season drawing to a close, the summer will be dominated by the World Cup and, closer to home, the Commenwealth Games in Glasgow.  Have you ever wondered how safety is managed at the venues.  We thought we’d gather together a bit of information for you.

How is public safety regulated at sports grounds?

Public safety at a sports ground is primarily covered by the Safety of Sports Grounds Act 1975 and the Fire Safety and Safety of Places of Sport Act 1987. Local Authorities administer this primary legislation in Scotland. More information can be obtained by contacting the relevant local authority. (source HSE website).

What should I read?

The principal document dealing with safety in sportsgrounds in the UK is the “The Green Guide”. The Sports Grounds Safety Authority’s predecessor, the Football Licensing Authority, was commissioned by the Department for Culture, Media and Sport to produce the fifth edition of the Guide to Safety at Sports Grounds (“The Green Guide”), it provides detailed guidance to ground management, technical specialists such as architects and engineers and all relevant authorities to assist them assess how many spectators can be safely accommodated within a sports ground.

It would appear t seems that attending sports matches is relatively safe in the UK, but looking at the USA there are some od things happening not least the story of a New York Mets fan Ellen Massey who is suing the New York Mets and the Security Guards Union after a 300 pound man fell on her at Shea Stadium in 2007.

For more info from the HSE see here