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: Heat (Heat Stress, High Thermal Load)
Risk assessments must always be individual, site-specific, and phase-specific. Heat risk depends on microclimate (sun exposure, shade, wind), ground and surface materials, availability of water and cooling, crowd density and behaviour, audience vulnerability, staffing levels, and the operational phase (build-up work, peak show density, prolonged queues, egress).
A template cannot replace site-specific assessment and professional judgment, but it offers a structured first start:
- to systematically identify heat-related harm pathways,
- to define measurable triggers and operational actions,
- and to document decisions in a defensible manner.
Use the template below as a framework and adapt it to your site, infrastructure, audience profile, and operational reality.
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 | Medical plan, Water provision plan, Crowd management plan, Staff welfare plan, Emergency plan |
2. Hazard Description
Hazard type:High thermal load affecting audiences and staff, including:
- high air temperature (especially prolonged)
- high radiant heat / strong solar exposure
- high humidity reducing evaporative cooling
- low wind / poor ventilation
- compound effect of alcohol, exertion, medication, and crowd density
Typical characteristics:
- gradual onset with escalating health impacts over hours/days
- strong microclimate variability across the site
- predictable peaks (midday/afternoon; queueing; dense pits)
3. Site-Specific Exposure Analysis
| Aspect | Site-specific considerations, for example |
| Microclimate & shade | Shade availability, tree cover, artificial shade, reflective surfaces |
| Surface materials | Asphalt, metal decking, sand/grass; heat storage and radiant load |
| Air movement | Ventilation corridors, wind sheltering by structures |
| Water availability | Number/location of water points, queueing, refill capacity |
| Cooling options | Misting, shaded rest zones, cooling stations, indoor refuges |
| Crowd density hotspots | Front-of-stage, bottlenecks, queues, camping zones |
| Vulnerable groups | Children, elderly, disabled, pregnant, chronic illness |
| Staff exposure | Long shifts, PPE, work at height, physical labour |
4. Affected Event Phases
| Phase | Relevance, for example |
| Build-up | ☐ Physical labour ☐ Long exposure ☐ PPE ☐ Limited breaks |
| Ingress | ☐ Queues in sun ☐ Early dehydration ☐ First medical demand |
| Event operation | ☐ Peak density ☐ Alcohol + exertion ☐ Front-of-stage heat load |
| Egress | ☐ Fatigue + dehydration ☐ Reduced patience ☐ Longer walking distances |
| Breakdown | ☐ Fatigue ☐ Continued exposure ☐ Reduced supervision |
5. Risk Identification (Scenarios)
| Risk scenario | Potential consequences, for example |
| Prolonged exposure in queues | Heat exhaustion, syncope, crowd distress |
| Dense front-of-stage under sun | Heat illness clusters, progressive crowd instability |
| Insufficient water access | Dehydration, medical overload, conflict at water points |
| High humidity / low wind | Reduced cooling, rapid deterioration of vulnerable individuals |
| Staff heat strain | Reduced performance, errors, accidents, delayed response |
| Heat + substance use | Increased collapses, confusion, aggression, medical complications |
6. Existing Control Measures
| Category | Measures already in place, for example |
| Planning & design | Shaded areas, rest zones, routing to reduce queue exposure |
| Water provision | Free water points, refill stations, distribution capacity |
| Medical | Heat illness protocol, triage escalation, additional roaming teams |
| Staff welfare | Break schedule, shaded breaks, hydration policy, shift limits |
| Communications | Pre-event messaging, on-site reminders, signage, PA prompts |
| Crowd management | Density monitoring, barrier management, pit control procedures |
7. Risk Evaluation (Example Matrix)
| Risk | Likelihood | Severity | Risk level |
| Heat exhaustion in queues | High | Medium | Medium–High |
| Heat stroke (individual cases) | Medium | Very high | High |
| Clustered collapses front-of-stage | Medium | High | High |
| Staff performance degradation | High | Medium | Medium–High |
Important: Likelihood/severity scales must match your overarching event risk methodology.
8. Additional Mitigation Measures Required
| Measure | Responsible | Trigger / Condition |
| Add temporary shade to queues | Site / production manager | Forecast heat day; queues expected |
| Increase free water capacity | Ops / vendor coordination | High attendance + high heat |
| Cooling stations / misting | Safety/medical lead | Heat index threshold reached |
| Reduce crowd density targets (pit/front-of-stage) | Crowd manager | Rising medical demand / heat conditions |
| Shorten staff shift cycles | Security contractor lead | Sustained heat / humidity |
| Adjust programming / schedule (if feasible) | Event director | Forecast extreme heat |
9. Decision Triggers and Thresholds (Define Site-Specific Values)
| Parameter | Threshold (example placeholders) | Action |
| Air temperature | ≥ ___ °C (sustained) | Activate heat action plan; increase staffing |
| Heat index / WBGT (if used) | ≥ ___ | Implement work/rest regime; cooling measures |
| Humidity | ≥ ___ % at high temp | Increase medical readiness; messaging |
| Medical signal | ≥ ___ heat-related cases/hour | Escalate controls; reduce density; additional water |
| Queue condition | Waiting time ≥ ___ min in sun | Open additional lanes; add shade/water distribution |
| Forecast confidence | High + within ___ hours | Pre-emptive measures (shade/water/roaming teams) |
Note: Use thresholds that are operationally actionable, not purely meteorological. Couple weather triggers with on-site indicators (case rates, queue times, density).
10. Residual Risk Evaluation
| Risk after controls | Acceptable? | Notes / Justification |
| Audience heat illness | ☐ Yes ☐ No | |
| Vulnerable groups | ☐ Yes ☐ No | |
| Medical capacity | ☐ Yes ☐ No | |
| Staff welfare & performance | ☐ Yes ☐ No |
11. Monitoring, Inspections, and Decision Logging
| Item | Description |
| Monitoring frequency | Forecast checks + scheduled operational reviews (e.g., hourly) |
| On-site observation | Queue conditions, shade utilisation, water point crowding |
| Medical intelligence | Heat case tracking, hotspot mapping, response time |
| Decision authority | Named roles (event director, medical lead, safety manager) |
| Documentation | Time-stamped log of triggers, actions, and rationale |
Final Note
Heat risk management succeeds when it is treated as an operational load problem, not a “medical side topic.” The key is early, visible controls that reduce exposure and physiological stress:
- shade, water, and cooling where people actually accumulate,
- disciplined staff welfare measures,
- and escalation based on both weather indicators and real-time medical/crowd signals.
Every event must adapt this template to its specific site, audience, infrastructure, and operational reality.