This text is part of the Weather Preparedness & Resilience Toolbox developed by the YOUROPE Event Safety (YES) Group within YOUROPE’s 3F project (Future-Fit Festivals). It is aimed at everyone involved in planning, building, and operating open-air events. It helps festivals and other outdoor events become truly weather-ready by offering both practical and research-based resources as well as background information on weather and climate. Learn how to design safer and more weather-resilient outdoor events.
Risk Assessment Template – Example: Cold & Snow (Cold Stress, Snow/Ice, Winter Conditions)
Risk assessments must always be individual, site-specific, and phase-specific. Cold and snow risks vary significantly with local microclimate (wind exposure, elevation), ground and surface types, infrastructure (heating, shelter, power resilience), audience profile, and the operational phase (build-up and breakdown often have the highest worker exposure; egress often has the highest slip risk).
A template cannot replace professional judgment, site inspection, and competent technical input, but it is a structured first start:
- to ensure typical cold-weather failure modes are covered,
- to connect weather information to operational triggers,
- and to document decisions and control measures consistently.
Use the template below as a framework and adapt it to your site, infrastructure, and operating model.
Risk Assessment Template
Hazard: Cold & Snow (Low Temperatures, Wind Chill, Snow/Ice)
1. General Information
| Item | Description |
| Event name | |
| Event location | |
| Date(s) | |
| Event phase(s) covered | ☐ Build-up ☐ Ingress ☐ Event operation ☐ Egress ☐ Breakdown |
| Assessor | |
| Date of assessment | |
| Linked documents | Winter operations plan, Medical plan, Site maintenance plan, Emergency plan, Power resilience plan |
2. Hazard Description
Hazard type: Cold-weather conditions impacting safety and operations, including:
- low air temperature (prolonged or sudden drop)
- wind chill (increased heat loss)
- snowfall (accumulation and reduced visibility)
- freezing rain / ice formation
- freeze–thaw cycles causing persistent slip hazards
Typical characteristics:
- cumulative impact (exposure over time)
- high correlation with reduced mobility, reduced dexterity, and slower response
- operational degradation (access, power, structures, logistics)
3. Site-Specific Exposure Analysis
| Aspect | Site-specific considerations, for example |
| Microclimate & exposure | Wind corridors, open terrain, altitude, shading, night-time cooling |
| Surfaces & traction | Asphalt, paving, grass, trackway; known slip hotspots |
| Snow/ice management | Access for gritting/ploughing; storage for snow; drainage paths |
| Shelter & warming | Heated indoor spaces, tents with heaters, warming stations |
| Water systems | Frozen taps/hoses, refill stations, sanitation reliability |
| Power resilience | Generator performance in cold, fuel logistics, cable brittleness |
| Structures & loads | Snow load on tents/roofs, ice loading, guy line icing |
| Audience profile | Vulnerable groups, alcohol/drug impacts, camping population |
| Staff exposure | Long shifts, PPE, static posts, work at height in cold |
4. Affected Event Phases
| Phase | Relevance, for example |
| Build-up | ☐ Cold strain for workers ☐ Reduced dexterity ☐ Work at height on icy surfaces ☐ Lifting/rigging risk |
| Ingress | ☐ Queues in cold ☐ Slip risk at entrances ☐ Reduced throughput due to clothing/bag checks |
| Event operation | ☐ Audience cooling over time ☐ Medical cases rise with exposure ☐ Reduced visibility/traction |
| Egress | ☐ Peak slip/fall risk ☐ Reduced lighting + ice ☐ Transport disruptions |
| Breakdown | ☐ Fatigue + cold ☐ De-rig on slippery surfaces ☐ Vehicle recovery/logistics |
5. Risk Identification
| Risk scenario | Potential consequences, for example |
| Wind chill in exposed queues / static crowd | Hypothermia risk, fainting, crowd distress, early departures |
| Snow/ice on walking surfaces | Slips, trips, falls; fractures; crowd congestion at hazards |
| Reduced visibility (snowfall) | Wayfinding failures, collisions, delayed response |
| Snow load on temporary structures | Structural deformation/failure, collapse risk |
| Frozen water/sanitation systems | Hygiene failure, dehydration (if water points frozen), operational disruption |
| Power or heating failure | Rapid deterioration of conditions; loss of lighting/comms |
| Cold-impaired staff performance | Reduced decision speed, slower response, increased errors |
6. Existing Control Measures
| Category | Measures already in place, for example |
| Winter operations | Snow/ice plan, gritting routes, maintenance staffing |
| Technical | Heated welfare areas, rated heaters, fuel storage and checks |
| Structures | Snow load documentation, clearing procedures, inspection regime |
| Crowd management | Queue design to reduce exposure, sheltered holding areas |
| Medical | Hypothermia protocol, warming and triage capacity, roaming teams |
| Communications | Audience messaging (clothing, arrival times), on-site signage |
| Staff welfare | PPE policy, work/rest cycles, warm-up breaks, hot drinks |
7. Risk Evaluation (Example Matrix)
| Risk | Likelihood | Severity | Risk level |
| Slips/falls during egress | High | Medium–High | High |
| Hypothermia (individual) | Medium | High | Medium–High |
| Structural snow-load incident | Low–Medium | Very high | High |
| Power/heating disruption | Medium | High | Medium–High |
Important: Likelihood/severity scales must match your overarching event risk methodology.)
8. Additional Mitigation Measures Required
| Measure | Responsible | Trigger / Condition |
| Expand gritting and snow-clearing teams | Site maintenance lead | Snow forecast / freezing temps overnight |
| Install additional anti-slip surfaces (mats/trackway) | Production/site manager | Known hotspots; freeze–thaw expected |
| Add windbreaks / sheltered queue zones | Crowd/ops | Wind chill threshold likely |
| Increase heated welfare and warming stations | Safety/medical | Prolonged cold; vulnerable audience present |
| Structural snow clearing plan (who/how/when) | Technical director | Accumulation approaching load threshold |
| Power resilience actions (fuel, redundancy, load shedding) | Technical/energy lead | Forecast severe cold; grid instability risk |
9. Decision Triggers and Thresholds (Define Site-Specific Values)
| Parameter | Threshold (example placeholders) | Action |
| Air temperature | ≤ ___ °C (sustained) | Activate cold weather plan; increase welfare provisions |
| Wind chill (effective temp) | ≤ ___ °C | Reduce exposure time; increase shelter/warming |
| Snowfall rate / accumulation | ≥ ___ cm/h or ≥ ___ cm total | Snow clearing escalation; route changes |
| Freezing rain / ice warning | Any occurrence | Immediate gritting; restrict exposed areas; adjust egress |
| Medical signal | ≥ ___ cold-related cases/hour | Escalate controls; increase warming/medical staffing |
| Structural indicator | Snow depth on roofs ≥ ___ cm or per engineer | Clear snow / close structure / stop use |
| Transport impact | Road/rail disruption likely | Modify schedule; manage arrivals/overnight contingencies |
Note: Couple meteorological triggers with operational indicators (slip reports, queue dwell times, heater performance, structure inspection findings).
10. Residual Risk Evaluation
| Risk after controls | Acceptable? | Notes / Justification |
| Slip hazards | ☐ Yes ☐ No | |
| Cold exposure (audience) | ☐ Yes ☐ No | |
| Worker safety | ☐ Yes ☐ No | |
| Structural snow/ice load | ☐ Yes ☐ No | |
| Power/heating resilience | ☐ Yes ☐ No |
11. Monitoring, Inspections, and Decision Logging
| Item | Description |
| Monitoring frequency | Forecast checks + scheduled operational reviews (e.g., hourly; more at night/morning) |
| On-site inspections | Traction hotspots, bridges/ramps, steps, queuing lanes, roofs/tents, guy lines |
| Maintenance reporting | Gritting logs, clearing routes completed, materials consumption |
| Medical intelligence | Cold-related case tracking, hotspot identification, response times |
| Decision authority | Named roles (event director, safety manager, technical director, maintenance lead) |
| Documentation | Time-stamped log of triggers, inspections, actions, and rationale |
Final Note
Cold and snow risks are often underestimated because the hazard appears “routine.” In practice, the highest risk frequently comes from secondary effects:
- slip hazards during egress,
- degraded staff performance under prolonged exposure,
- and infrastructure vulnerability (power/heating/water systems and snow loading).
This template provides a structured starting point, but effective control depends on:
- disciplined winter maintenance,
- proactive welfare measures,
- and clear thresholds for restricting areas, modifying operations, or stopping activities when conditions escalate.
Every event must adapt this template to its specific site, audience, infrastructure, and operational reality.