For concertgoers, one of the worst things that can happen is yourself or someone else getting injured. People go to concerts to have fun and listen to good music. Unfortunately, not everything is smooth sailing when thousands of people are packed into a limited space. The potential for injury worsens when there is less space among each concertgoer. Emergency exits become blocked, and the possibility of people getting trampled worsens.
Astroworld
The clearest example of a night gone wrong is the Astroworld music festival on November 5, 2021, when 50,000 people were packed into a tight space. What ensued is what is known as crowd surge. A crowd surge occurs when a lot of people converge onto a space at once, in this case, at the front of the concert. Once people fall, it is difficult to get back up, and some people did not. There were 10 deaths at Astroworld, due in part because people were collapsed on in a high-pressure area. The chance of suffocation is unusually high in these circumstances.
In this type of scenario what comes to mind is how workers must respond. These emergencies compel quick thinking to lessen the impact of a crowd crush. At the concert, two security guards were injured. Samuel, who was trampled, broke his hand, and hurt his back. Jackson hurt his shoulder in addition to suffering emotional trauma. They are now both suing entities such as the Astroworld promoters and security companies involved in the tragedy.
Additional Examples
Crowd surges are not rare. On December 3, 1979, 11 people died at a The Who music concert through a human stampede. Too few doors were opened to mitigate the dangers of a sellout crowd. At the Hillsborough soccer stadium in England, in 1989, a human crush led to nearly 100 deaths. In addition, during a hajj pilgrimage, a Mecca stampede in Saudi Arabia crushed nearly 2,400 pilgrims. In instances of crowd surges for financed events, fault is inextricably linked to management, who may have concerns about canceling an event or limiting ticket sales.
Security Guards
Not all workers are trained to handle situations such as these. When they do occur, security guards may be left with doubt as to how exactly to respond and how to coordinate with coworkers in such a chaotic event. They must react to those facing life-threatening injuries such as cardiac arrest, and to retrieve people safely. The panic caused by the mayhem leads people and workers to make mistakes, however, in their effort to save lives. One woman, for instance, was dropped on her head onto a metal bar while workers attempted to position her onto a stretcher to be carried out.
It is imperative that security guards receive additional training on emergency responses to crowd surges so that they may be better equipped to handle them. Not only may it save lives and prevent further injuries for concertgoers, but it may also prevent injuries for on-site workers. Management must also have strict guidelines for how many people should be allowed to enter a concert. Maximum capacity limits should be followed, and any indication that a concert is getting raucous should preempt a pause, or at worst case, a cancellation.
There are several recommendations that should be followed regarding assembly occupancies in large crowds, listed in NFPA 101, Life Safety Code, including:
Assembly Occupancy Recommendations to Reduce Concert Injury
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In areas of assembly exceeding more than 10,000 ft², the occupant load cannot exceed a density of one person in every 7 ft².
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Life safety evaluations are recommended to take into consideration various conditions to manage expected crowd behavior and behavioral problems:
- Nature of the events and the participants and attendees
- Access and egress (departure) movement, including crowd density problems.
- Medical emergencies
- Fire hazards
- Permanent and temporary structural systems
- Severe weather conditions
- Earthquakes
- Civil or other disturbances
- Hazardous materials incidents within and near the facility
- Relationships among facility management, event participants, emergency response agencies, and others having a role in the events accommodated in the facility.
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Main entrances and exits are recommended in every assembly occupancy to accommodate for occupants that are likely to exit the facility via the same door(s)/opening they used to enter. In some types of new assembly occupancies, the main entrance/exit should accommodate for up to two-thirds of the total exit capacity, while in others it can account for 50 percent. In assembly occupancies, where there is no well-defined entrance/exit, exits are permitted to be distributed around the perimeter of the building.
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Fifty percent or more of the occupant load should have means of exit that does not require passing through adjacent fixed seating areas.
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Emergency action plans (EAPs) should be provided in assembly occupancies and are a critical component of assuring life safety in buildings. Plans must include a minimum of 18 different considerations including:
- Building details
- Designated building staff responsible for emergency duties
- Identification of events that are considered life safety hazards and the specific procedures for each type of emergency.
- Staff training
- Documentations
- Inspection, testing, and maintenance of building facilities that provide for the safety of occupants
- Conducting drills
- Evaluation procedures
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Crowd managers are recommended for assembly occupancies. Where the occupant load exceeds 250, additional trained crowd managers or crowd manager supervisors should be provided at a ratio of one per 250 occupants in most facilities.[1]
Contact Us Today if You’ve Experienced a Concert Injury
At Livingston DiMarzio, our concert injury lawyers know the ins and outs of workplace safety. Our attorneys have successfully represented security guards and other first responders during our fifty-year firm history. How we approach your case is why we have been a top destination for workers’ compensation in New Jersey. In addition to obtaining compensation for our clients, we have also continually supported the passage of New Jersey workers’ compensation legislation to change the law for the benefit of injured workers. One example is the Hand and Foot Bill, which increased workers’ compensation payments for the loss of function of a hand or foot. For a free case evaluation, contact us today at (973)-718-3769.
[1] Longley, C. (2021, November 8). Houston Concert Tragedy Casts Crowd Management into the Spotlight. National Fire Prevention Association. Retrieved February 8, 2022, from https://www.nfpa.org/News-and-Research/Publications-and-media/Blogs-Landing-Page/NFPA-Today/Blog-Posts/2021/11/08/Houston-Concert-Tragedy-Casts-Crowd-Management-into-the-Spotlight
