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Safety at Sport and Recreation Events Act of 2010


Witkop

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I have just read Act2 of 2010: Safety at Sports and Recreational Events Act.

 

Wow it places a lot of responsibility and admin on event organisers.

Has anyone else read this act or has some opinion/ advice on its implementation?

 

Maybe there is an event organiser or policeman that can explain how it is implemented, as it seems an overkill or many recreational events.

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Hi,

 

 

the act has been in place for some time now. KZN Cycling has been tasked with amending it just for cycling as they have someone that does that.

 

It was put in place after there was problems at one of the football matches.

 

It is quite involved and not one race as far as i know has not complied with the act because of what is involved. The big thing is that the police can come and shut down any race if they want too!!!

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Another way for 'government' to abdicate its responsibility to society. watch sponsors leave in droves.

 

 

How? Have you read the Act?

 

Where the Regulations include responsibility for topics such as safety, security and medical, how can it be a bad thing for the consumer?

 

If I pay to participate, why should the organiser get to not comply with principles that other businesses etc. have to comply with.

 

Anyway go and read it, the main reason for it was past events, like Ellispark, and international standards leading up to the soccer world cup.

Edited by JacoS
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The act has been in place for a while and most KZN MTB races have been complying since April (I am not saying others have not be but I KZN MTB is complying). KZN MTB I must add have been very efficient in making sure they help organisers in any way they can as well.

 

The principles behind the act are fantastic, but they place an extra burden on the race organisers and the police. The biggest increase in "hassle factor" comes in the form of extra admin (writing up everything from management plans, to medical plans to security and evacuation plans to getting engineers certificates) and extra costs to running an event (for example a suitably qualified Safety Officer has to be appointed for all events - even a tiny fun run for 50 riders - and they charge).

 

The safety file has to be lodged with the police on the day of an event.

 

The police can come and shut down an event, but if the race organiser has done his job properly they are unlikely to do that.

 

Once again, the principles behind it are good and should make for safer races, but race costs will go up because of it.

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The act has been in place for a while and most KZN MTB races have been complying since April (I am not saying others have not be but I KZN MTB is complying). KZN MTB I must add have been very efficient in making sure they help organisers in any way they can as well.

 

The principles behind the act are fantastic, but they place an extra burden on the race organisers and the police. The biggest increase in "hassle factor" comes in the form of extra admin (writing up everything from management plans, to medical plans to security and evacuation plans to getting engineers certificates) and extra costs to running an event (for example a suitably qualified Safety Officer has to be appointed for all events - even a tiny fun run for 50 riders - and they charge).

 

The safety file has to be lodged with the police on the day of an event.

 

The police can come and shut down an event, but if the race organiser has done his job properly they are unlikely to do that.

 

Once again, the principles behind it are good and should make for safer races, but race costs will go up because of it.

 

TimW,

 

I am impressed that KZN seems to have its house in order, and this should obvuiously be commended. As a corporate legal advisor I am jsu sceptical when people in a specific industry interpret laws to their own benefit.(obviously not related to you)

 

One example would be where a service provider holds himslef out as a specialist, and further motivates that his services must be used because of some legal competence bestowed on him. The Act does refer to a Safety Officer, but this does not carry a specific legally required competence. In fact, I would argue that many organisers have more specialised knowledge of the health and safety issues in MTB events than some "safety officers" with a Samtrac (2 week course) and 2 years construction site experience.

 

Also, there are some definitions in the Act that are critical. These include venue and stadium, where a stadium is a permanent structure with a podium or playing field and allowance for more than 2000 seated or standing spectators, and where a venue is not stadium but where allowance is made for more than 2000 seated or standing spectators. Most cysling events would thus not fall under either, and consequently many of the obligations under either the Act or its Regulations would not apply.

 

I can go on, but the point I am trying to make is that there should not be any kind of knee jerk reaction where people start complaining of how onerous presenting events are, or where organisers use this as an excuse to motivate massibve costs.

 

Organisers have always had legal obligations, and have always had a duty to as afar as is reasonably practicable take care of participants, the Sport and Recreation Events Act did not change this, and to say that organisers of a regional MTB race have the same obligations as a promoter organising a U2 concert at FNB stadium is simply false.

 

Rant over!

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here is some comment for those(like me0 who don't want to wade through the whole thing:

 

http://www.bclr.com/pdf/legal/Safety_at_Sports_and_Recreational_Events_Act.pdf

 

Conclusion:

 

As indicated above, the scope of the Act is currently far too wide for the Act to

have any meaningful application. This aspect will need to be clarified.

Nevertheless, if the scope of the Act is properly limited, the measures prescribed

by the Act will go a long way to ensure that future local and international sporting

and other events are hosted effectively and safely. It will also help prevent a

reoccurrence of disasters similar to the Oppenheimer Stadium disaster in 1991

(42 people died as a result of a stampede during a soccer match), the Ellis Park

Stadium disaster in 2001 (43 people died as a result of a stampede also during a

soccer match) and the Duisburg disaster in July 2010 (19 people died as a result

of a stampede during a concert in Duisburg, Germany).

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Examples quoted all stadiums, and that is also the focus of the Act, where High and Medium Risk Events are dealt with.

 

Now a larger concern would be civil liability....all those personal injury lawyers who bankrupted the RAF, with their snazzy billboards and radio spots...make sure you are protected, they ahev expensive tastes...

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How? Have you read the Act?

 

Where the Regulations include responsibility for topics such as safety, security and medical, how can it be a bad thing for the consumer?

 

If I pay to participate, why should the organiser get to not comply with principles that other businesses etc. have to comply with.

 

Anyway go and read it, the main reason for it was past events, like Ellispark, and international standards leading up to the soccer world cup.

indeed I have ....as a sponsor of major events why must liability attach to someone giving money to have its name attached to an event? On the issue of organizers being held accountable I hold no issue. like most legislation it's again a case of promulgate then do the thinking afterwards. i.e.spread the net far and wide....... Edited by Delgado
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