Martyn’s Law, the UK’s Protect Duty, is coming into force and it will change how temporary events are planned. It’s named after Martyn Hett, who was killed in the 2017 Manchester Arena attack, and the point of it is to make publicly accessible venues and events better prepared for a terrorist incident. What follows is what the law asks of organisers of temporary events, and where kit like barriers and counterweights fits into the picture.
What the law requires
In short: if you run a temporary event for 100 people or more, expect to have staff trained in counter-terrorism awareness and a simple written plan for responding to an incident. Above 800 capacity, add formal risk assessments, a documented security plan and physical measures such as perimeter blocks. The detail is below.
The law requires organisers to assess terrorism risks and put proportionate security measures in place, scaled to the size and nature of the event. It works in two tiers based on capacity. The standard tier covers venues and events for 100 to 799 people: staff should be trained in terrorism awareness, and there should be a simple but effective plan for responding to an incident. The enhanced tier, 800 people and above, means formal risk assessments, a documented security plan and robust physical measures. For temporary events that covers pop-up sites, festivals, food markets, concerts and exhibitions. On those numbers, a school fair or a one-day charity fun day usually sits in the standard tier.
What it means in practice for a temporary site
Temporary and outdoor events have their own quirks compared with a fixed venue, because the site is built and taken down around the event. Organisers are expected to show how they’ll control access and manage crowds, secure perimeters against unauthorised vehicle access, train staff to spot suspicious activity, and run a clear, coordinated emergency plan. Vehicle mitigation and crowd control sit at the centre of that list, because vehicle access is the part of a perimeter that open sites get wrong most often.
Equipment that supports the physical side
We supply the kit that event organisers use to deliver those measures. The 2.5m concrete jersey barrier is a 1.3-tonne precast block, 2500 x 610 x 830mm, used for vehicle mitigation, securing perimeters and protecting pedestrian areas, and once a block is set down it stays there. 500kg concrete marquee weights anchor marquees, stages and gazebos on car parks and showground hard standing where nothing can be pegged. Temporary fencing closes off access points and funnels people towards the entrances you want them to use, and metal crowd control barriers manage pedestrian flow at gates, crossings and stage fronts. The heavier structures sit under marquee hire alongside them.
What this post cannot do
We hire out equipment and we’re happy to talk through what has worked at comparable sites, but we don’t give legal advice and we can’t tell you which tier your event falls into. What we can say from our side is that we’ve been supplying event equipment since 1999, and the barriers, fencing and weights come out of our 25,000 sq ft warehouse in Rotherham to public events across South Yorkshire, the East Midlands and nationwide for organisers who include local authorities. The thresholds, duties and timelines are set out in the government’s guidance on Martyn’s Law, and that guidance is the document to check, because the detail lives there and has been revised as the law progressed. For larger public events, your local authority’s safety advisory group is also worth a call, and Sheffield, Rotherham and Doncaster all run one.
If you’re planning an event and want to talk through barriers, weights and fencing for the site, 0114 345 0135 will get you the office, or see the delivery page for how far we travel.
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