Linkin Park tragedy shows safety risks ahead of more international acts in SA
The terrible news of a fatality and multiple injuries sustained by up to 20 people who attended the Linkin Park concert at Cape Town’s Green Point Stadium last night has highlighted the potential dangers of hosting large scale events as well as the import
Clive Shelver, Managing Director at Film & Entertainment Underwriters - a specialist insurance underwriter, writing on behalf of Compass Insurance Company Ltd – says this is becoming increasingly important with a number of big name acts due to perform in South Africa over the coming months, such as Lady Gaga and the Red Hot Chili Peppers.
He says organisers of large scale events have to consider multiple risks from extreme weather, as was the case last night, through to human error. “Last night’s event was caused when the structure holding a banner advert collapsed due to gale force winds. Critically, the organisers did have a disaster management plan in place and medics and doctors managed to treat most of the injured concert goers on scene but it is a tragedy that there was a fatality as a result of the extreme weather.”
Shelver says there have been a number of tragedies at music festivals over the years. “In August last year, five people were killed and more than 70 injured at the Pukkelpop festival in Hasselt, Eastern Belgium, when a stage collapsed during a heavy storm.”
In reaction to comments that the concert should have been postponed, Shelver says that while this is not always possible, especially with international acts, organisers can insure against the cancellation of an event due to adverse weather conditions. “This may be critical for organisers of large scale events that involve international stars such as Linkin Park, as these can be costly to stage and it may not be possible to postpone it to a later date.”
“Unfortunately, as last night’s concert has shown while it may not seem vital at the time of organising the show, it is vital for any organiser to have some form of liability cover in place should an accident happen during a large scale event, or even in the shooting or staging of a show. “It is almost impossible to host an event nowadays without producing evidence of liability insurance. If someone gets killed or permanently disabled during the hosting of a show then the liability could rest with the organiser, and easily run into millions.”
He notes, however, that while the staging of an event can be insured, the costs will not be covered if the abandonment of it is due to the organiser’s failure to meet normal deadlines such as delivery dates, release dates, air dates or any other deadline that does not allow a reasonable margin for safety.
“Film and entertainment insurance is a specialised form of insurance cover and it is critical for production companies and event organisers to ensure that they have a proper risk management strategy in place to assess all of the potential risks and appropriate insurance so that they can cancel or postpone if the need arises due to safety concerns,” concludes Shelver.
