Temporary doesn't mean exempt — and you only get one chance to get it right
An event, festival, show or one-off project is still a workplace under the Health and Safety at Work Act 2015, even though it might exist for only a day or a weekend. Two things make these jobs distinctive: lots of different businesses work side by side, so overlapping duties have to be coordinated; and there's no routine to fall back on, so planning is the main control. Your duty also extends to the public — attendees and bystanders — not just your workers.
Short-lived, fast-moving, and crowded with different businesses.
A festival site, a conference, a film shoot or a one-off install compresses a lot of activity into a short time. Crews who have never worked together arrive, build something complex at speed, run it, and pull it down — often around members of the public. There is no settled routine, the site changes by the hour, and the riskiest moments are frequently the build (bump-in) and pack-down (bump-out), when heavy work happens under time pressure. None of that removes your duties; it just means the usual controls have to be designed in advance rather than learned on the job.
When many PCBUs share a site, they must work together.
Events typically involve an organiser, a venue or landowner, contractors (staging, sound, lighting, security, catering), suppliers and sometimes volunteers — each a duty holder. Under HSWA, where two or more PCBUs have overlapping duties for the same work or workplace, they must consult, cooperate and coordinate with each other so far as is reasonably practicable. You can't contract out of your duty, but you can and must align with the others so gaps and clashes don't fall through the cracks. Agreeing who is responsible for what, in writing, before the event is central to getting this right.
For a one-off, the plan does the work the routine usually does.
| Plan for | What to cover |
|---|---|
| Site & layout | Ground conditions, structures and temporary build, vehicle and pedestrian separation, access and egress. |
| Key hazards | Working at height (rigging, staging), temporary electrical, manual handling, plant and vehicles, crowds, weather. |
| People | Inductions for crew and contractors, competencies and licences, supervision, and volunteer management. |
| Public safety | Crowd management, barriers, signage, and protecting attendees from work activities. |
| Emergencies | Evacuation, medical and first aid, severe weather plans, and clear communication and roles. |
Larger events may also have requirements under other rules (eg local council, building, alcohol or crowd-safety requirements). Source: established H&S practice.
Your duty reaches beyond your own employees.
HSWA requires you to ensure, so far as is reasonably practicable, that other people — including members of the public — are not put at risk by your work, which is central to any event open to attendees. Contractors are PCBUs in their own right but you still have duties around how your work overlaps with theirs. Volunteers, common at community events, are generally owed the same primary duty of care as workers, so they need induction, information and supervision too — being unpaid doesn't make them unprotected.
General information, not legal advice. Events can attract requirements under other laws and local bylaws. Check current WorkSafe NZ guidance and your local council requirements, and seek advice for large or higher-risk events.
Capture the lessons while they're fresh.
Because each event is a one-off, the learning is easily lost. A short debrief — what worked, what nearly went wrong, what you'd change — turns a single project into reusable knowledge for the next one. Record any incidents or near misses and meet any notification obligations. Over time, a library of plans, checklists and lessons makes each new event safer and faster to set up.
Get a system that makes event and project safety quick to set up and reuse. Book a demo and we'll show you how it works — free 30-day trial included.
Yes. A temporary or one-off site is still a workplace under HSWA, so the same duties apply even if the event lasts only a day. Your duty also extends to members of the public who could be affected by your work.
Each business is a PCBU with its own duties, and where those duties overlap they must consult, cooperate and coordinate with each other so far as is reasonably practicable. You can't contract out of your duty, so agree clearly — in writing — who is responsible for what before the event.
Often the build (bump-in) and pack-down (bump-out), when heavy and complex work happens at speed and under time pressure. These phases deserve particular attention in your planning, supervision and coordination.
Volunteers are generally owed the same primary duty of care as workers, so they need induction, information, instruction and supervision. Being unpaid doesn't reduce their protection or your responsibility for their safety.
