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: Fog & Low Visibility (Reduced Visual Range)

Risk assessments must always be individual, site-specific, and phase-specific. Fog and low visibility are highly dependent on local microclimate (topography, proximity to water, vegetation), lighting design, surface contrast, traffic interfaces, and operational phase. The same visibility range can be manageable in a well-lit, compact site and critical in a large, fragmented area with vehicle movements.

A template cannot replace professional judgment or on-site observation, but it offers a structured first start:

• to identify visibility-dependent failure modes,
• to connect measurable visibility thresholds to operational actions,
• and to document decisions consistently.

Use the template below as a framework and adapt it to your site, infrastructure, and operating model.

Risk Assessment Template

Hazard: Fog & Low Visibility (Mist, Haze, Smoke-like Conditions)

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	Lighting plan, Traffic & vehicle management plan, Emergency plan, Crowd management plan

2. Hazard Description

Hazard type: Reduced visibility affecting perception, orientation, and reaction time, including:

• radiation fog, advection fog, mist
• haze combined with low light (dusk/night)
• condensation on lighting and reflective surfaces
• interaction with smoke, dust, or exhaust

Typical characteristics:

• gradual onset, often overnight or early morning
• strong spatial variability across the site
• rapid deterioration around water bodies, low points, or shaded areas

3. Site-Specific Exposure Analysis

Aspect	Site-specific considerations, for example
Topography	Valleys, low-lying areas, proximity to water
Site size & layout	Large distances, segmented zones, visual barriers
Lighting quality	Coverage, redundancy, glare, contrast in fog
Surface contrast	Markings, edges, steps, ramps, kerbs
Vehicle interfaces	Delivery routes, emergency access, shared spaces
Signage & wayfinding	Legibility in fog, illumination, redundancy
Crowd profile	Unfamiliar visitors, alcohol use, reduced caution
Noise environment	Reduced audibility of warnings/vehicles

4. Affected Event Phases

Phase	Relevance, for example
Build-up	☐ Vehicle movements ☐ Work at height ☐ Lifting ops with reduced sightlines
Ingress	☐ Wayfinding errors ☐ Queues extending into traffic routes
Event operation	☐ Reduced supervision range ☐ Delayed detection of incidents
Egress	☐ Peak orientation loss ☐ Slips/trips ☐ Vehicle–pedestrian conflict
Breakdown	☐ Fatigue + low visibility ☐ De-rigging hazards ☐ Reversing vehicles

5. Risk Identification

Risk scenario	Potential consequences, for example
Vehicle–pedestrian interaction in fog	Collision, serious injury
Loss of orientation during egress	Crowd congestion, wrong routing, distress
Reduced visibility of hazards	Slips, trips, falls at steps/ramps
Delayed incident detection	Slower medical/security response
Misinterpretation of signals/signage	Confusion, non-compliance, panic
Impaired work-at-height operations	Falls, dropped objects

6. Existing Control Measures

Category	Measures already in place, for example
Lighting	Redundant lighting, low-glare fixtures, uniform coverage
Wayfinding	Illuminated signage, ground markings, reflective elements
Traffic management	Physical separation, low-speed zones, marshals
Procedures	Fog action plan, restricted vehicle rules
Staffing	Additional stewards at interfaces and bottlenecks
Communications	PA, staff radios, pre-scripted messages

7. Risk Evaluation (Example Matrix)

Risk	Likelihood	Severity	Risk level
Vehicle–pedestrian conflict	Medium	High	High
Slips/trips due to unseen hazards	Medium–High	Medium	Medium–High
Orientation loss during egress	High	Medium	Medium–High
Delayed response to incidents	Medium	High	Medium–High

Important: Likelihood/severity scales must match your overarching event risk methodology.

8. Additional Mitigation Measures Required

Measure	Responsible	Trigger / Condition
Increase lighting levels / activate backup lighting	Technical lead	Visibility drops below threshold
Suspend non-essential vehicle movements	Ops / traffic manager	Fog forecast or observed
Add marshals at crossings and junctions	Crowd/traffic management	Reduced sightlines
Simplify routing (close secondary paths)	Safety manager	Orientation issues observed
Enhance PA messaging and staff guidance	Event control	Crowd confusion detected
Adjust work-at-height / lifting operations	H&S / rigging lead	Visual range insufficient

9. Decision Triggers and Thresholds (Define Site-Specific Values)

Parameter	Threshold (example placeholders)	Action
Horizontal visibility	≤ ___ m	Activate fog action plan
Visibility at vehicle interfaces	≤ ___ m	Suspend vehicle movement; add marshals
Lighting effectiveness	Inadequate contrast	Increase illumination; reroute
Incident detection time	> ___ min	Increase patrol density
Forecast confidence	High + within ___ hours	Pre-emptive controls overnight/morning

Note: Visibility thresholds should be operationally meaningful (what staff can actually see and react to)

10. Residual Risk Evaluation

Risk after controls	Acceptable?	Notes / Justification
Vehicle–pedestrian interaction	☐ Yes ☐ No
Crowd orientation & wayfinding	☐ Yes ☐ No
Slip/trip hazards	☐ Yes ☐ No
Emergency response capability	☐ Yes ☐ No

11. Monitoring, Inspections, and Decision Logging

Item	Description
Monitoring frequency	Continuous observation; formal checks at defined intervals
On-site checks	Visibility at crossings, ramps, steps, signage legibility
Data sources	Forecast updates, on-site observation points
Decision authority	Named roles (event director, safety manager, ops/traffic lead)
Documentation	Time-stamped log of visibility, triggers, actions, rationale

Final Note

Fog and low visibility rarely cause harm directly; risk emerges through loss of perception, delayed reaction, and interface failures—especially where pedestrians and vehicles mix or where wayfinding relies on distant visual cues.

This template provides a structured starting point, but effective management depends on:

• conservative visibility thresholds,
• rapid restriction of vehicle movements,
• enhanced lighting and staffing at interfaces,
• and clear authority to simplify operations when sightlines deteriorate.

Every event must adapt this template to its specific site, audience, infrastructure, and operational reality.