Below is the health and safety policy we ask our DJs to agree to. As we do not accept responsibility for the DJs conduct, we can not guarantee their compliance to the policy. The statements below are to offer the DJs health & safety advice to follow in best practice.

Health & safety policy

Statement of Intent

DJ “supplier” (hereinafter referred to as “the company contractor”)

recognizes the importance of providing a safe working environment

for all employees, partygoers, venue staff, other contractors and any

members of the public whilst working on site at venues.

The company undertakes to comply with all relevant legal

requirements.

This Health & Safety Policy is designed to enable all company

employees and others to go about their everyday business in the

certain knowledge that they can do so safely and without risks to their

health. Safety is achieved when all the risks which we face in the

course of our everyday life are properly assessed and managed to an

acceptable level. Whilst the company owners accept their

responsibility to create the safe environment necessary. Everyone

involved must give the most careful attention to both the theory and

practice of safety for us to succeed in achieving our objectives.

This Policy confirms our commitment to establishing a positive safety

culture throughout all of our activities, and it creates the framework on

which the structures for safety can be established on site. The policy

will be constantly reviewed and updated to ensure that it remains

effective.

Responsibility

The company are responsible for design and implementation of safe

working practices and procedures for activities within the designated

working area at the venue for the function they have been hired to

attend. Ultimate responsibility throughout the entire venue, and

specifically practical issues for Health & Safety lies with the venue

management.

The Disc Jockey is expected to take responsibility for implementation

of safety matters within the designated working area at the venue and

is responsible for ensuring that the company health and safety policy

is complied with both on stage and in other areas where the company

staff and equipment are employed. All members of staff and

subcontractors are individually responsible for immediately notifying

either the service engineer or the company owner of any breaches of

the company’s health and safety policy.

Employees, Contractors and Venue Visitors

It is the intention of the company to ensure, as far as is reasonably

practicable, the health and safety of persons using or coming into

contact with company premises or equipment. The company will, so

far as is reasonably practicable, provide a safe environment, and

ensure that premises, equipment and substances provided are safe

and without risk to health.

Employees, contractors, visitors and self employed persons must:

Take reasonable care of themselves or others who may be

affected by their acts or omissions and co-operate fully with other

company employees, other contractors and staff or management of

venues at which they work.

Comply with the company safety policy and associated safety

regulations and codes of practice in respect of health and safety

matters.

Report all accidents and dangerous occurrences to the service

engineer or company owner.

Electrical Safety

The company has adopted the approved practices and techniques for

electrical safety covering the use, testing and repair of electrical

equipment in installations and for portable appliances as laid out by

the Health and Safety Executive in information sheets SS28/M50

’Maintenance of Portable Electrical Equipment’, IND(G)160L

’Maintaining Portable Electrical Equipment’ and HSE492/2 ’Electrical

Safety of Independent Generators and Connected Equipment’. All

company electrical equipment is the subject of a current portable

appliance test (’PAT Test’) carried out to a periodic schedule by the

service engineer, who is trained and qualified in this area.

It is the responsibility of the service engineer to ensure that only items

which have a current test certificate are used when on or off company

premises. If any item of equipment that the DJ or engineer uses

appears to be in any way dubious, is observed to be ’out of test’ or

blows a trip or fuse when connected, then it must not be used and

should be reported immediately to the service engineer. Any items

considered suspect or unsafe should be marked with a black PVC

tape cross over the mains inlet socket and a knot tied in the mains

lead.

Electrical Safety: Safety of Leads (trip hazard)

Electrical Safety: Safety of Leads (trip hazard)

Leads which cross the floor anywhere that either employees, subcontractors

or the public might walk, including behind the DJ or

lighting console, must be either run in rubber anti trip strip or gaffertaped

securely down and marked with white or ’hazard striped’ type

gaffer to highlight a potential trip hazard.

Electrical Safety: Speakers and Stands (trip hazard)

Speakers, lighting and their associated tripod stands are potentially

dangerous in their ability to trip people up. DJs or engineers must

ensure that the tripod stand legs are in the least prominent position

and are not protruding into public areas of fire escape routes. Where

the set-up arrangement makes it necessary to show a leg, they

should bring this to the attention of venue management or if none, to

the client’s attention and Endeavour to protect this by putting a small

table, rope and posts, or other protection in front of it. The leg it self,

and the floor beneath it should be marked with white gaffer tape to

draw attention to the potential hazard. An alternative position should

be agreed before public are given access to the room.

Electrical Safety: Fire Exits

If instructed by the client or venue management to set up in a position

which will interfere in any way with a fire exit or escape route, DJs or

engineers must ask to be repositioned to a safer location.

If the client insists that the equipment is to be set up in front of a fire

exit door or escape route, then the DJ or engineer must assure

himself that there are sufficient suitable alternative escape routes, by

seeking advice from a qualified person (usually the venue manager or

safety officer). If a DJ or engineer is still in any way uncomfortable

about the safety implications of where equipment is to be positioned,

both the client and venue management must be advised of his

concerns and a note taken of the full names of anyone who

authorised equipment to be set up in such a position.

Electrical Safety: Overhead Equipment

Where items of equipment are to be suspended from either T-bars on

tripod stands or from trussing, such items may only be attached using

an accepted proprietary fixing device such as a lighting clamp, or

approved flying harness. There must also be a secondary means of

support (usually a safety chain or wire band) attached to all

suspended items.

Electrical Safety: Leaving Equipment on Site Overnight

When a booking is repeated on consecutive nights, company

equipment is only insured if left in a locked room. DJs working two

nights running in the same place may not leave on the stage set up,

unless a signed letter of authority is obtained from the venue manager

taking responsibility for any loss or damage. This condition may only

be varied on the direct instruction of the company owner.

Electrical Safety: Pyrotechnics

The company is not licensed to use pyrotechnics (fireworks),

Flutterfetti, streamers, exploding balloons etc. whether detonated by

explosive charged or by compressed gas. DJs, sound or lighting

engineers, company employees, or sub-contractors acting on behalf

of the company are instructed not to operate pyrotechnic firing

equipment nor to assist in any way in the installation of such devices.

Electrical Safety: Smoke/Hazer Machines

Smoke and haze machines carry with them the potential to trigger

and in certain cases, to permanently damage fire protection systems

and other sensitive equipment. Such machines may only be used with

the express permission of a named and suitably authorised person

representing the venue management.

Protection against noise

It is the nature of our business that we work in a high noise

environment. In areas where the equivalent noise level is liable to

exceed 85dB(A) ear protection should be used in the form of foam or

individually molded earplugs (RS 562-261 as a minimum). In practical

terms, all DJs and engineers working on stage with monitors should

wear earplugs at all times, and if monitors are not in use, earplugs

should be worn when the loudspeakers are closer than five metres

away.

Control of substances Hazardous to Health Regulations

The control of substances Hazardous to Health (COSHH) Regulations

1988 and 1994 impose duties on employers to undertake a suitable

and sufficient assessment of the risk to health posed to employees

and other persons involved in the processes using or producing

hazardous substances before such processes are undertaken. The

Carcinogens Regulations 1992 take the form of an amendment to the

COSHH Regulations and the company maintains records of all

substances used either at it’s own premises or on site at venues.

Since the company no longer issues pyrotechnics, the main areas

affected are fluid for smoke and haze machines. Records are kept in

duplicate at our business premises adjacent to the COSHH cupboard

and with the accident book/first aid kit, and also a back-up copy on file

at our office.

Risk Assessments

Formal ‘Risk Assessment’ documents are completed and regularly

reviewed for each job role and also for each discrete business

activity. These documents cover the majority of situations, but where

a contract is substantially different from the company’s usual type of

work (such as ‘one-off’ outdoor events, bespoke PA or lighting jobs)

an individual risk assessment will be completed for that specific

occasion.

Lifting of Loads

No load greater than 25kg may be lifted by a single person. With this

in mind, our portable equipment is designed such that no item of

regularly used equipment weighs more than 25kg. The exceptions to

this are our road trunks used for transporting cables etc. to gigs.

When fully loaded these may weigh between 15kg and 200kg.

Appropriate measures must be taken such as the use of a tail-lift

vehicle, or alternatively unloading the contents of the trunk before

lifting it.

Protective Footwear

It is considered that in view of the nature of our work, the Health and

Safety at Work Act does not require the blanket use of protective

footwear by employees or contractors working at venues. The main

requirement for stage areas is that adequate footwear is worn. This

need not necessarily be purpose-designed protective footwear,

merely a good strong pair of shoes or boots as opposed to sandals,

trainers etc.

Drinking at Work

The company will not tolerate the consumption of alcohol during or

immediately prior to working time by any of their DJs. We work

constantly with electrical equipment in situations where many guests

will have been drinking. The use of alcohol or drugs in connection

with our work is wholly inappropriate, and any person who disregards

this policy will have their contract terminated without further notice.

Reporting of Accidents

The accident report book which is kept at the company’s premises,

must be completed by any employee or sub-contractor or his

manager as soon as possible following any accident or incident

however small. This applies equally to incidents at gigs and to

incidents at company premises. Details should normally be completed

in the report book within twenty-four hours of any accident or

dangerous incident occurring.

By accepting contractual work on behalf of Book A Mobile DJ, the DJ agrees to abide by the statements laid out within this document.