When considering a risk assessment it can often feel a daunting task when you have a blank piece of paper in front of you. Don’t worry about trying to capture everything on your first attempt – even those of us experienced with risk assessments will overlook things when we first approach the task. But having something written down is better than nothing.

I always try to think through chronologically what will take place and then identify all the hazards. You can always go back and re-order your list of risks afterwards if it makes more sense to group them together into categories. Once you’ve identified the risks, you can then consider which control measures are already in place and which you need to put in place to minimise (or better still remove) the risk.

But just remember the ‘so far as reasonably practicable’ rule before you go overboard on preventative measures.

Before the gig

For us DJs, the likely first activity will be loading up. So straight away we’ve got hazards associated with lifting and carrying. And if you’re anything like me, you might want to consider banging your head against the van roof or car boot. There are lots of control measures that can be put into place for these. For me, the biggest one is to provide sufficient time to load, as I tend to make more mistakes when I’m rushing. Of course, a hard hat will help with the bumps to the head – but is that really practical and necessary? Your risk assessment will answer that.

Next, thinking through setting up at the venue, there are plenty of risks here to consider. Slips, trips and falls are an obvious one, more so than loading, as you’re not in an environment you’re used to. Consider whether using a trolley would help, as well as limiting the amount of equipment you carry each trip. Stretching up to attach lights and plug-in cables to an overhead bar can be reduced by using winch stands. If you’re setting up on a stage, it’s best to set back a little bit to allow you space to walk around the front of your stand, lowering the risk of falling off.

Cables are a great source of risk to consider. Having lots of cables all over the place presents a trip hazard to you and anyone walking over to speak to you. Cable mats can be a great way of reducing this hazard and, in my view, make the area look smarter too. Another option to consider is removing cables. I recently bought some Chauvet DJ DiFi dongles, reducing the number of cables running around my booth.

You should also take equipment safety into account. There are many myths about this, so for clarity: the law requires you to ensure your equipment is
maintained in a safe condition. Many will cite their PAT certificate, but just like an MOT this is only valid on the day of the test. Every time you set up you should be checking for potential issues. For example, if the bare cable has become exposed then the cable should not be used.

During the gig

Whilst DJing it’s important to think about hearing protection. As the DJ we’re likely standing in the same spot near the speakers. You could try to reduce the impact by moving the speakers further away from yourself. But the best way to mitigate impact on your hearing is to use ear protection.

Talking about standing in the same spot, consider the ergonomics and your posture. Could you make yourself more comfortable standing on a mat? Are your decks at the right height? This second question...


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