event organisation

There are several objectives for course protection and safety barriers, including;

1. To keep the carties from coming into contact with the spectators.
2. To protect the carties and drivers from trackside hazards such as sign posts, kerbs, steep drops, etc.
3. Course delineation.

There are several different barrier types, including;

• Small bales

Small bales are the often the instinctive first choice when laying out a cartie couse. They are relatively easy to handle and can be very effective in some cirmcumstances. However, there are some serios drawbacks too.

Firstly, they can be very hard to source, since they are not commonly produced. In early summer they can be especially hrd to find. Also, they are only effective as safety barriers at relatively low speeds. A cartie travelling at speed will knock a single bale out if the way without any noticeable effect on its speed, so a great many will be needed to stack in a wall that is high enough and thick enough to stop a cartie. Single lines of bales are simply not adequate except for very low speed events.

Small bales are also easily dammaged, either by collisions or by heavy rain. 

Finally, spectators find it almost impossible not to treat them as general purpose seating, picnic tables, etc, so if you are using them as safety barriers you will need to spend a lot of time asking people not to sit on them.They are also irresistable to anyone under the age of 12, and two dozen unattended bales will very rapidly become a large pile of loose straw in the presence of even a small group of children.

Chicanes on the course can add a great deal to the event;

• Extra challenge for the drivers
• Extra excitement for the competitors 
• Add interest to an otherwise fairly straight course
• Force drivers to slow down before any course hazards

If penalties are to be imposed for obstructions hit, it is worth considering an objective measure of whether or not to apply the penalty. For example, if you use traffic cones to make a slalom, a tennis ball on the top of it will indicate if it has been hit.

The rules you adopt will go a long way to setting the tone of your event and the type of carties that enter, so before you consider he rules you want to use it's worth spending time thinking about what you are trying to achieve with your event. If you want a fun event that has maximum community involvement, you will probably prefer to have minimal restrictions on the design of the carties and should focus on basic minimal safety requirements as appropriate for the speeds you expect on the day and the nature of the course rahter than getting bogged down with the technicalities of dimensions, roll bars, etc. However, if your race is aimed at serious gravity racers then more stringent standards would be required. 

There are two distinct areas to consider - competition rules and construction rules. Fortunately, there are a lot of rules about already, so you can pick and choose the best ideas to get a set that is right for you. Although there are several sets of rules available that purport to be a "national standard" for cartie construction, there are in fact no accepted standard rules. The variety of different event types make it very difficult to draft a "one size fits all" set of rules since what is appropriate for a 60mph race down a mountain would be ridiculously over the top for a 25mph trundle through a village.

Like it or not, it is a fact of life nowadays that organisers are required to pay attention to safety issues related to any event that they are running, and one of the tools that can be used for this is the risk assessment. This can be a worry, but it needn't be.

In fact, a thorough risk assessment is an extremely useful tool which can inform your event plan, course construction and competition rules. It helps you focus on the risks that really matter – the ones with the potential to cause harm to spectators, marshall and competitors. 

Useful links:

Example Safety Plan	The safety plan for the 2009 Cairngorm Soapbox Extreme
Example Risk Assessment	The risk assessment prepared for the 2009 Cairngorm Soapbox Extreme
Health and Safety Executive's Risk Management web site	Everything you could possibly want to know about risk assessment, including the "Five Steps to Risk Assessment" guide.

 

Most event organisers will be required, as a condition of being given permission to run their event, to take out public liability insurance. This provides cover against claims made by members of the public as a result of injury or damage to them or their property caused by the event. Employers liability cover may also be required if you are employing anyone - even as a volunteer - to help out, as they will not be covered by the public liability insurance.

Competitors are normally specifically excluded from these policies and should therefore be required to sign a disclaimer to waive their right to make any claim against the organisers as a condition of being allowed to take part. Any competitor wishing to insure themselves against claims and also provide some accident cover should make their own arrangements. Sportscover Direct specialise in insurance for active people and will cover competitors taking part in properly organised soap box racing events.

In order to get cover for your event, you will normally have to be able to demonstrate that you have the appropriate permissions in place (local authority, police, roads authority, etc). You will also need to ensure that the spectators are properly protected by keeping them behind safety barriers or keeping them well clear of any danger areas, and providing clear warning signs to alert them to potential hazards.

There are several providers of event insurance, including;