About Us
Ventnor Carnival Processions
2012
Safety on Parade!
A Checklist for groups taking
part.
In this growing climate of
‘blame and claim’ and increasing government legislation
regarding Health & Safety and Risk Management for public
events, the following guidelines are issued to protect you,
the participant and members of your family or group, whilst
taking part in the carnival. We all want our carnival
to be a safe, happy and accident free one so please read
carefully and if anything is unclear – ask.
General Advice.
1.
You are required to nominate an adult
member of your group to be responsible for the safety and
welfare of your own people at all carnival processions.
Please ensure this safety officer is known to the organisers
on the day. The driver of your group must attend a
briefing 15 minutes before the move off at the front of the
procession by the Police and the Carnival Safety Officer.
2.
Be aware of any special needs of
members of your group – e.g. Do they need medication,
inhalers, suffer from diabetes/epilepsy. Find out if
any of your group are first aiders.
3.
Carry a small emergency rucksack with
you on the day, containing a few essentials supplies, for
instance: water, tissues, wet wipes, scissors, sticky tape,
and basic first aid kit, also sunscreen.
4.
Always keep up with the entry in
front of yours, whilst maintaining a safe distance between
members of your group on the road any large vehicles.
Lagging behind and creating gaps in the procession allows
the public to fill in the space or cut across and be
dangerous.
5.
Ensure no one gets on or off your
vehicle while it is moving.
6.
Always follow the advice given to you
by the events organisers, official stewards and by the
Police and Emergency Services. The Stewards and Police
are there to provide you with assistance should you need it
along the route. It is a requirement of Ventnor
Carnival Association that all entries must provide at least
two responsible adults to walk alongside the side of their
entry, and be seen clearly by any drivers nearby.
Section 1 – for groups
travelling on a lorry/float
Is the vehicle properly serviced
and not likely to break down? Check for common
overheating problems and clutch burnout.
Is it in good working order and
not going to create clouds of petrol/diesel fumes for your
walkers and spectators to inhale?
Check your exhaust outlet are not
blocked or covered.
Make sure your vehicle is
carrying a first aid kit and a fire extinguisher. Is
the fire extinguisher unused and the correct type (dry
powder)?
Check the driver’s vision through
the windscreen and mirrors is maintained at all times.
Ideally the driver should have an assistant to help with
vision and communication.
If your vehicle is decorated in
such a way that it overhangs the body of the vehicle, make
sure that it is clearly marked and will not present a hazard
to other road users or spectators or members of your group
walking alongside.
Organise how you are going to
position everything on your vehicle. Perhaps do a
scale plan or a ‘dress rehearsal’ to make sure everything
will fit?
Ensure that any large or heavy
instruments or props are well secured on the platform of
your entry.
If you are carrying people on the
back of your vehicle please ensure you have adequate ropes
and/or handrails in place to stop people or instruments from
falling off. Nobody should ride on a float with their
limbs hanging over the side or between the towing vehicle
and trailer.
That you do not allow people to
climb onto the roof of the vehicle. That only a
reasonable number of people are carried given due regard to
its size and type. The towing vehicle and trailer must
be in a legal and roadworthy condition, the trailer must not
exceed the maximum towing capacity of the towing vehicle.
Tyres on vehicles and trailers must have the legal
requirement of tread, and be inflated to correct pressure.
The driver of any vehicle in the
carnival, including any vehicle pulling a trailer are
responsible for the general safety of their vehicle and
trailer including towing mechanism SUITABLE BREAK AWAY
CHAIN and general sturdiness of the float including
adequate insurance cover.
Section 2 – for groups using a
generator on their float
Make sure your generator is
compatible with the power output of your music system and
other equipment.
The generator should be
positioned away from combustible material and have adequate
ventilation.
Generators are to be filled
before being started and moving off.
Any further refilling of tanks to
be carried out whilst the generator is turned OFF.
Use extreme care when filling a
hot Generator.
Any personnel should be moved
away from the generator whilst refuelling takes place – and
a fire extinguisher to be on hand.
Fuel cans are to be of an
approved type for carrying petroleum spirit/diesel, and
these should be stored away from any heat source.
Please ensure all electrical
items in use are fitted safety, waterproof and are suitable
for outside use. Remember light bulbs can get very
hot.
In case of fire.
Ensure the fire brigade is
summoned. The emergency fire and rescue services in the
carnival are to be found at the front of the procession.
Move all bystanders away from the
fire.
Attempt to extinguish the fire
without personal risk.
Move any combustible materials
and any adjacent floats, costumes canopies etc. without
personal risk.
The use of a diesel generator is
advisable.
Section 3 – for groups and
individuals walking in costume including bands.
Costume (mass) bands should be
particularly aware of the following risks.
Large costumes can be very
difficult to handle in high winds.
They can cause injury to the
public or other performers if proper control of the space
between costumes and vehicles is not exercised.
They can be awkward to lift and
manoeuvre if the balance of the costume structure is not
right. Give your performers a dress rehearsal so they
know what movements they can safety make.
Be aware that there are low trees
and street lighting along the route (Max height 13ft).
Large costumes can be a fire
hazard. Make sure there is no smoking near them.
They can be very hot to wear and
cause dehydration for the performer. Ensure they have
adequate water.
If you have young children in the
band, position them in the centre of the section so that
they are not immediately exposed to potential dangers from
vehicles and crowds.
Make sure you have sufficient
marshals from your entry to look after the performers, give
them water, and release them from their costumes quickly in
case of an emergency.
Section 4 – important crowd
safety notes for all groups
Some parts of the route are very
heavily congested and difficult to manoeuvre. Both
your safety reps and procession marshals have an essential
function in ensuring safe passage of vehicles and members
through these areas.
In particular we would ask you to
……
Make sure your moving vehicle is
positioned well away from the near side kerb, as there is
danger of people falling or being pushed into the road.
Allocate responsible adults to
walk either side of vehicles and/or large costumes through
congested areas.
Keep up the flow of the
procession. Gaps are extremely hazardous as they allow
spectators (and sometimes vehicles too) to dodge across the
road between procession vehicles – causing obvious danger.
Do no encourage spectators into
the road by handing out leaflets or gifts from your float.
If you wish to distribute any items please check first with
the procession organisers.
Do not encourage coin throwing.
This can cause injury – particularly to eyes and to young
children, and can cause serious injury. In return the
spraying of water and throwing objects into the crowd is
strictly prohibited.
THANK YOU FOR YOUR CAREFUL
ATTENTION IN THESE MATTERS
Carnival Committee Members
Chairman
Eddie Goodlet
2 Shaftesbury Cottages
Beaconsfield Road
Ventnor
855019
Email:
Vice-Chairman
Andy Middleton
2, Moor View
Godshill
Email:
Treasurer
Lindsey Thatcher
2, Moor View
Godshill
Email:
Secretary
Jane Goodlet
2 Shaftesbury Cottages
Beaconsfield Road
Ventnor
855019
Email:
Committee members
Claire Critchinson
Email:
Ron Hollis
Email:
Keith French
Email:
zodiacmk4@hotmail.com
Teresa Preston
Email:prestonchrs@aol.com
