The Government have developed a five-stage roadmap to bring our performing arts back safely. These five stages of the phased return to performing arts are as follows:

Stage One – Rehearsal and training (no audiences)

Stage Two – Performances for broadcast and recording purposes

Stage Three – Performances outdoors with an audience and pilots for indoor performances with a limited socially distanced audience

Stage Four – Performances allowed indoors and outdoors (but with a limited socially distanced audience indoors)

Stage Five – Performances allowed indoors / outdoors (with a fuller audience indoors)

From 11th July the Government moved to Stage Three. This means that performances outdoors with a socially distanced audience can take place in line with this guidance. Stage One and Two meant that the Government are now supporting musicians, dancers and actors, and the technical and operational teams that support performing arts production, to safely resume training, rehearsals and recorded performances where organisations wish and are able to. Dance studios can also reopen for professional dancers and choreographers and should follow guidance for providers of grassroots sport and gym/leisure facilities.

The Government have stated that they expect to say more on a possible date for Stage Four soon and Stage Five in due course – in the meantime the below points can assist with the current stages but also help plan for the forthcoming stages by considering key points and making important adjustments.

Plan 

Familiarisation – you will need to familiarise yourself with the latest guidance and advice from the Government and other regulatory bodies such as the HSE. This situation is brand new to everyone and you will need to ensure that you are complying with what is expected of you.

Risk assessments – the risk assessment is the foundation of your return to the workplace. This should outline the various hazards that you foresee during your return along with a clear, written display of the control measures that you are going to implement in order to reduce the chance of those hazards occurring.

The risk assessment should be relevant, suitable and sufficient with any pre-existing risk assessment (covering COVID-19) being reviewed to fall in line with the Governments Five-Stage Roadmap for bringing performing arts back, and any accompanying Government guidance at that particular time.

The Government have stated that the guidance will be subject to regular updates with further guidance being included at different stages of their Roadmap.

Current information states that both singing and playing wind or brass instruments carries a potential higher risk of transmission such that participation in these activities requires particular attention to the risk involved. Non-professionals should not be participating in these activities however for professionals recommendations for addressing these risks include but are not limited to: keeping to the smallest number of singers or wind and brass players in one space, enhancing social distancing, and careful use of fixed teams where appropriate.

For the full list of recommendations relating to the performances you should visit section 4 of the Government’s latest guidance https://www.gov.uk/guidance/working-safely-during-coronavirus-covid-19/performing-arts#arts-5-1 – this guidance offers a good, robust list of advice and should be followed as closely as possible when creating and implementing your risk assessments.

Communicate – talk to friends and colleagues in the industry, they may be at a different stage of their planning to you and could provide crucial information on how to go about setting up your premises – or perhaps you could do the same for them!

You may need to communicate with contractors or personnel that you form part of your risk assessment e.g. cleaners, equipment maintenance contractors etc. You will need to familiarise yourself with the way that they are going to be carrying out work and they may also give you some pointers.

Forums and social media all offer great platforms to communicate with likeminded personnel in similar situations to yourself. Asking for advice or for an opinion may be imperative going forward.

People –

Employees – as part of the risk assessment process you should have looked to identify any employees that may not yet be able to safely return to the workplace. This could be for a number of reasons however the most common may simply be that the employee has been asked to shield. This should be reviewed on an ongoing basis in line with any changes to the shielding requirements as well as any information from their GP.

For those that can return to work you should ensure that you are fully communicating your risk assessment findings with them. This will not only ease some anxieties over returning to work, it may also assist you in the risk assessment process as the employees may have some great ideas that you should consider.

Mental wellbeing – It is important to remember that the return to the workplace for a lot of people will be completely different, and that certain employees may adapt to it quicker than others. For example, Stage Three allows for outdoor performances – something that a lot of the employees may have never experienced before, and this may result in increased anxiety throughout the workforce.

Training – it is to be expected that employees may take a while to get back into the swing of things. This is only natural, especially for those that have been furloughed or have been working from home during this lockdown period. Carrying out refresher training is one way to ensure that both the employer and the employees are confident and comfortable when the performances can recommence. This may will of course look different as per each job role, and the refresher training by no means has to be “classroom based”.

Others – this applies to any non-employees coming into the premises. This may include contractors, audience members or performers that are not based at this venue. You will need to ensure that the risk assessment caters for all of these individuals and that control measures are clear and concise as to what is expected of them when they are on the premises. This can, and should, be achieved in different ways such as via inductions, signage, video/phone calls or emails prior to arriving to site.

Test and Trace – you should assist this service by keeping a temporary record of your audience when applicable and other visitors for 21 days, in a way that is manageable for your business or organisation, and assist NHS Test and Trace with requests for that data if needed. This could help contain clusters or outbreaks. Many organisations that take bookings already have systems for recording their customers and visitors, for example through ticket sales. If you do not already do this, you should do so to help fight the virus.

Promotion –

Website – as highlighted in the previous section, all new expectations must be clearly highlighted to anyone attending the premises. One of the easiest ways to achieve this would be to highlight it on your website. It’s also likely to be the first place any potential customers would look, especially if you are taking bookings through your website.

Signage – additional, COVID-19 related signage is going to be commonplace in almost everywhere we visit for the foreseeable future, and it certainly has a place in theatres. The provision of signage should definitely feature as a control measure within your risk assessments and it is an easy but effective way to communicate the new procedures in relation to social distancing, sanitising and also what to do if you are showing symptoms.

Displaying signage at entrance points, corridors (informing of one-way systems etc.), bars and seating areas will all be required if you are to successfully implement such control measures for audience members. It’s also equally important to ensure that employees and performers are continually made aware and reminded of the measures with signage being displayed where required in dressing rooms, welfare facilities etc.

Ticket purchasing – as and when you are carrying out live performances you will of course have to adapt to a new capacity and socially distanced seating arrangements. You should ensure that measures are taken to be able to monitor the number of tickets that are being sold in order to adhere to your capacity. It is also a good time at this point to be able to inform customers of any likely control measures that are going to be in place when they attend the performances.

Staff communication – regularly informing employees of the control measures that are going to be implemented throughout the workplace is key. It helps reduce anxiety and will also increase the likelihood of ongoing compliance. Any changes to your procedures should be communicated to employees as soon as possible.

Procedures –

Creating new procedures for managing different areas and activities throughout the business will be very important during this period. The Government have given advice on steps that should usually be taken throughout different industries, and these should be followed as closely as possible. However, the risk assessments that are created throughout the business should highlight areas of concern and also detail the control measures in place to protect against potential issues. Your procedures should detail how you expect to carry out the activity or manage the area whilst implementing the control measures outlined in your risk assessment.

Below are some areas that should be considered when you are creating and implementing new procedures for your re-opening:

Managing entrances, exits and people flow – the Government have stressed throughout their industry specific guidance that communication with local authorities and neighbouring businesses should be maintained when planning for your reopening. This is to help with the potential impact of many venues re-opening in a small area at the same time. Staggering entrance times to different venues, considering queuing arrangements and the impact on the public access to other areas and the general travel routes between different venues should all be considered.

Space outside the premises should be used for queuing wherever safe and available. This should be managed by having clear and understandable queuing systems and staff in place to direct personnel as well as protecting them from possible traffic routes – however this possibility should be considered thoroughly before deciding whether it is appropriate to use such an area.

In order to manage queues and people flow effectively, especially at entrance and exit times, you may need additional stewards/marshals. This could be provided in house or could also be hired in from an external company who specialise in such events. All management of queues and people flow should form part of your crowd management plan, which should of course be reviewed prior to the re-opening of the premises.

Managing audiences indoors – it is important to ensure that you reinforce the Governments rules that any individual groups should not interact with anyone outside of the group they are attending the venue with – so in a group no larger than two households or six people if outdoors. Those operating venues or running events following COVID-19 Secure guidelines should continue to take additional steps to ensure the safety of the public and prevent large gatherings or mass events from taking place.

Audiences should not be encouraged to sing, chant or dance as part of the performance, queuing process or intervals etc. This is due to the increased risk of transmission – particularly from aerosol and droplet transmission. This advice may be subject to change as the knowledge on the virus increases along with scientific evidence.

Managing audiences outdoors – aspects of the above will also apply to any outdoor performances that you are carrying out in the future, however as this is likely to be new, it may well be easier to create a socially distanced seating plan and manage the audience. As has been well publicised, in certain circumstances there is a limit to 30 people when organising gatherings, however businesses and venues following COVID-19 Secure guidelines can host larger groups. This is also the case for events in public outdoor spaces that are organised by businesses provided they take reasonable steps to mitigate the risk of transmission, in line with COVID-19 Secure guidance and including completion of a risk assessment.

The Government’s latest guidance offers some key bullet points that organisers of outdoor performances should give particular consideration to:

  • The guidance on delivering outdoor events, particularly where such performances are not typical to their operations.
  • In the case of drive-in performances, only allowing cars to park sufficiently far apart to ensure social distancing is maintained, for example by clearly marking available parking spaces.
  • Ingress and egress management, car parking, public transport, hand washing facilities and areas such as arenas, stages or concessions points where crowding could take place. Requirements for permanent structures will differ from green field sites.
  • Consulting with the relevant authorities and seeking specialist advice to best evaluate impact, developing mitigating strategies and coordinating relevant external agencies if required.
  • Managing family groups who may wish to remain closer than the required social distance but who, in doing so, may encourage others to cluster in a similar manner. Communication is key to this.
  • Where items are offered for customer use, so for example a picnic blanket or seating, this should be done only where they can be collected from an appropriate distance and with hygiene measures in place (for example, through the availability of hand sanitiser). Such items should be thoroughly cleaned before being offered for re-use.
  • Planning car parking to allow sufficient spacing for the social distancing of occupants. This will be particularly important at events where attendees may gather around their vehicles during an event or make frequent visits to their vehicles to collect chairs, coats, drinks etc.
  • People with symptoms of COVID-19, or who have been advised to self-isolate following contact with someone with symptoms of COVID-19, should be asked not to attend.
  • The expected interactions among participants occurring during the event and implementing sufficient controls to ensure social distancing is maintained.
  • Discouraging or avoiding activities or features that are likely to encourage audience behaviours increasing transmission risk, such as crowding, clustering, communal dancing and physical contact outside of household groups or support bubbles.

Managing capacities – when Stages Four and Five are introduced we should see further guidance from the Government which should outline any further specific requirements or control measures that must be adhered to with regards to capacities, however, you should consider how this may look and also how you are going to monitor and manage the capacity and seating arrangements when the time comes. Of course, this should all form part of your risk assessment prior to any performances taking place, and there may well be additional, specific measures that need to be adhered to however planning for a reduced capacity based on the knowledge and information that we have currently may save you time and put you ahead of the game when the time comes.

As highlighted in a previous section, limiting and monitoring ticket sales is one way to ensure that capacities are adhered to, however for performances or events where there is no ticketing, consider using other communications approaches, coupled with stewarding, to manage the numbers attending. Free, open, unticketed and unfenced performances or events will need to demonstrate a reasonable approach to control numbers if too many people begin to arrive and to encourage social distancing.

Where you are providing space that is not solely seated you could consider reconfiguring the standing areas as ticketed seating areas. You may need to look into the possibility of hiring or purchasing temporary seats for these areas.

Contact points – managing areas that could be frequently “touched” or activities that would typically involve potential contact will form part of almost all procedures relating to COVID-19. Wherever possible you should look to eliminate face to face contact and the need for frequently touched areas and items, however this isn’t always going to be possible.

When purchasing tickets or taking payments you should look to make this a contactless transaction. Where possible you should encourage customers to purchase tickets online and to use e-tickets, where this is not possible the use of contactless payment should then be considered. Should you be unable to provide this technology then you will need to be able to highlight how you intend on cleaning the ticket and card machines etc.

Consideration should be given to closing cloakrooms given the challenges associated with operating them safely during these times. If they need to remain open you should be able to clearly show how you intend on keeping them hygienic and should also consider using contactless procedures, such as lockers. It is however recommended that you encourage audience members before the event that they are to bring as few items as possible to the venue therefore reducing the need to have cloakrooms in operation.

Cleaning – the detailing of any enhanced cleaning procedures should feature in all risk assessments and procedures and should be tailored to the activity/area that you are looking to keep clean. Any new cleaning regimes and schedules should be clearly identified prior to re-opening the premises and there shouldn’t be any ambiguity as to what is expected.

Frequent cleaning of work areas, equipment, objects and surfaces should form part of each cleaning schedule. The exact frequency should be established as part of your risk assessment process as some areas will of course need to be cleaned more often than others. More thorough, deep cleans should also be completed at regular intervals in shared spaces such as audition spaces, rehearsal and backstage areas.

The cleaning of auditoria needs to be considered as well. You must allow for suitable time in between performances to allow for the necessary cleaning before the next audience arrives. You should clean auditoria very frequently, typically between each performance, with particular attention paid to surfaces that hands of audience and staff are likely to come into contact with such as doors, seat arms and handrails.

Cleaning of course doesn’t just involve cleaning items in the workplace, it also involves increased levels of personal hygiene. You should look to display signage throughout the premises informing all personnel of what is expected throughout their time on site as well as giving information on handwashing techniques and other Government guidance posters. You should provide hand sanitiser in multiple accessible locations in addition to washrooms and considering the needs of wheelchair users in where these are placed. It’s also important to ensure that you are providing suitable hand drying facilities, either paper towels or electrical dryers and also to ensure that you are providing more waste facilities and emptying them on a more frequent basis.

One particularly niche cleaning procedure that will need to be considered is of course that of the musical instruments, props and technical equipment. The Government have detailed several bullet points highlight certain steps that should be considered when creating a cleaning procedure for such items. Those steps are:

  • Encouraging increased handwashing and introducing more handwashing facilities for workers or providing hand sanitiser where this is not practical.
  • Avoiding sharing personal items such as phones, chargers, pens, and owners take responsibility for regularly disinfecting their own personal equipment.
  • Using designated storage for large instrument cases; musicians with smaller instruments keep cases under their seat.
  • Avoiding sharing professional equipment wherever possible and place name labels on equipment to help identify the designated user, for example cameras, percussionists maintaining their own sticks and mallets.
  • Handling of music scores, parts and scripts to be limited to the individual using them.
  • Making available extra radios and headsets or earpieces, dedicating a member of each team to be responsible for them for the duration of the production, and making sure these are appropriately cleaned if not single use.
  • If equipment has to be shared, regularly disinfecting it (including any packing cases, handles, props, chairs, microphones and music stands) and always between users, following UK Government guidance.
  • Consider limiting number of suppliers when hiring equipment. Responsibility of cleaning hired instruments should be discussed with the suppliers.
  • Transporting equipment in accordance with Government guidance for vehicles.
  • Cleaning hire equipment, tools or other equipment on arrival and before first use. If receiving deliveries in advance of when required, store in a clean location and clean before first use.
  • Cleaning of musical instruments by musicians playing them, where possible.
  • Cleaning of audio description headsets between use and after handling by staff.
  • Creating picking-up and dropping-off collection points where possible, rather than passing equipment such as props, scripts, scores and mics hand-to-hand.
  • Not permitting audience onto the stage or to touch equipment, props, instruments, set or other objects used by performers.
  • Taking precautions when handling heavy equipment, including:
    • Re-evaluating spaces to avoid people working in close proximity (e.g. using more trucks for transport of goods)
    • Increasing the use of mechanical handling equipment (such as forklifts) to reduce large numbers of workers working in close proximity (e.g. lifting heavy cases and scenery)
    • Using a consistent pairing system if people have to work in close proximity, for example, during two-person working, lifting or maintenance activities that cannot be redesigned
    • Reducing job and equipment rotation
    • Cleaning procedures for the parts of shared equipment you touch after each use, thinking about equipment, tools and vehicles

Food and drink – offering refreshments throughout performances is an important part of the customer experience, and one that venues will still be wanting to offer going forward. There are several considerations however when looking at how best to manage this during the re-opening of the premises.

Firstly, a risk assessment should be undertaken based on the preparation, handling, purchase and consumption of all food and drink (as well as other retail type purchasing e.g. merchandise and programmes). There is specific guidance for restaurants and bars as well as shops and branches. This guidance should be considered throughout all risk assessments of this nature, however some steps that will usually be needed are detailed below:

  • Consider allowing guests to pre-order and collect refreshments and other retail merchandise at designated points throughout the site, premises or venue to maximise social distancing and reduce pinch points. For example, avoid selling programmes or ice-cream inside or outside the auditoria, or at points of site of ingress or egress where crowds and queues may form and make social distancing harder to observe.
  • Remove “pick and mix” or self-service food and drink facilities to reduce the risk of transmission.
  • Use screens to create a physical barrier between staff and customers at concessions points.
  • Consider adopting seat service at intervals in order to reduce pinch points at bars.
  • Consider providing programmes and other performance materials in digital format.
  • All venues should ensure that steps are taken to avoid customers needing to unduly raise their voices to each other. This includes – but is not limited to – refraining from playing music or broadcasts that may encourage shouting, including if played at a volume that makes normal conversation difficult. This is because of the potential for increased risk of transmission – particularly from aerosol and droplet transmission.

Premises –

Due to the length of the lockdown there may be situations where buildings have not been in use for a number of months. With this in mind there are several things to consider relating to the premises prior to the re-opening.

General building checks – checks should be carried out and should include external areas. This should help identify any areas that may have been tampered with, any signs of vandalism or anti-social behaviour and to ensure that the building appears to be secure and structurally sound. Any concerns of this nature should immediately be investigated and assessed by a competent person.

When checking inside the building you should again ensure that there doesn’t appear to be any security or vandalism issues and that the building appears to be structurally sound. You should check for any signs of pests or other infestations that may have occurred during the lockdown.

You should also look to ensure that your services are in working order and free from defect. This would include electrical and gas supplies, water supply and additional services such as broadband etc.

Fire safety – as required by law you should already have a fire risk assessment in place. This must be reviewed to ensure that the changes you are making to the premises to cater for things such as one-way systems etc. are all taken into consideration. It is important to know that you are not introducing one hazard by trying to solve another e.g. propping a fire door open to reduce touch points. A competent person should be asked to review the fire risk assessment to ensure that it is suitable and sufficient. You should also take into consideration a review of your fire procedures as they will likely need to be adapted to your changes.

As well as the review of the fire risk assessment you should ensure that your alarms and emergency lighting are checked and are operational. Should their service date have expired you should look to address this as a matter of urgency. The same would apply to fire extinguishers throughout the premises.

Work equipment – a variety of equipment will be used throughout the premises and you should check to ensure that any inspection/servicing dates are in date. Lifting equipment (both equipment and personnel lifts) will need to be given particular attention to ensure that they are thoroughly examined as required under LOLER.

Non-lifting equipment should also be checked and inspected in line with PUWER. This may include checking with you need to service or adjust ventilation systems, for example, so that they do not automatically reduce ventilation levels due to lower than normal occupancy levels. Most air conditioning systems do not need adjustment, however where systems serve multiple buildings, or you are unsure, advice should be sought from your heating ventilation and air conditioning (HVAC) engineers or advisers.

Practice –

Training – you may be expecting employees to carry out certain roles and responsibilities that they may not have undertaken in the past. It is a legal requirement to ensure that you are giving all employees suitable information, instruction and training relating to the tasks that they are being asked to do. This may not always come in the form of formal training, for example if you are introducing a new procedure you may simply just need to have a meeting with relevant personnel and communicate this procedure to them and outline what is expected and how they are to achieve it. Whereas if you are introducing a new piece of equipment you may need a competent person to visit site and deliver a proportionate level of training to the employees.

Refresh – don’t forget the importance of refreshing staff training on your standard procedures. The highest risk of a claim still remains from your normal activities, not from COVID-19, so make sure you get back to good habits to minimise injuries and keep users safe.

First aid – staff may also need a refresh on first aid procedures. You should also discuss and clarify with them what to do at the moment. If you decide that social distancing has to be set aside to deal with emergencies, this is fine, as long as staff know and are clear on this point.

Soft launch – where possible, consideration should be given to carrying out a soft launch to test the procedures that you are looking to implement. Rehearsals will be carried out throughout the industry for performances, why not try it for your new COVID-19 procedures?

Paper trail –

As always, documentation will be key in order to evidence all reasonable measures have been taken. This is important both for any personal injury claim but also any Environmental Health or HSE investigation or prosecution. Some of the key documents that should be available are:

  • Revised risk assessment/COVID-19 risk assessment
  • Updated fire risk assessment
  • Updated standard operating procedures
  • Messages on your website
  • Updated booking confirmation – highlighting new rules
  • Staff training records
  • Equipment inspection records
  • Cleaning logs
  • Records of safety briefing

 

While this is not an exhaustive list of all measures you need to consider, it is designed to help you start planning to reopen.

We would love to speak with you about your plans and how we can support you to manage your risks and insurance at this very important time.