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A new report has exposed the “unsafe” working conditions experienced by festival staff in the UK.

In the survey by entertainment union Bectu, which collated the experiences of 100 music festival workers, around half of the respondents said they felt unsafe at work, while a third had experienced a risk to their physical safety.

Crew members, including sound engineers, production staff and stage management, reported being forced to work “extremely long hours”, often exceeding 18 hours, and nearly half said that “their mental health was impacted as a result of health, safety and welfare issues.”

Reports of “unhygienic” conditions are also prevalent throughout the survey, with 70% of workers having experienced issues such as lack of access to wash facilities, unemptied, overflowing toilets and waste flooding their work site.

The survey also includes testimonials from staff disclosing experiences of lack of access to water, working in noisy areas without PPE provisions, and being forced to work for “less than minimum wage.”

One worker said that they had collapsed due to heat stroke while rigging in 42-degree heat, and another reported sleeping on the floor in a crowded tour bus being used as crew accommodation.

“The UK is known for its world-class festivals but the reality for those working behind the scenes can be very different,” shared Philippa Childs, Head of Bectu, in response to the findings.

“Our members are highly skilled professionals without whom the live events industry would not survive. Yet they often face precarious work, low wages and, as our survey has highlighted, significant health and safety issues on site.”

In an interview with the The Guardian, Childs went on to compare modern festivals to the “wild west” in terms of safety and working conditions, suggesting that some organisations use the seasonal work’s reputation as being “fun and fast” to avoid meeting basic standards.

“I’m used to hearing about difficult working conditions from across the creative industries, but some of this is extremely concerning,” she continued.

Childs has highlighted the importance of joining a trade union, like Bectu, in improving working conditions at UK festivals. “Many of the stories we heard are unfortunately commonplace and almost normalised – but no one should have to put up with these conditions. 

“The more members we have, the stronger our influence and the more we can lobby for change. If you work in the UK’s live events sector, joining a trade union is one of the best things you can do to help improve working conditions,” she shared.

 

 Staff can also report health and safety concerns to Bectu via a live events reporting form.

 

Speaking to DJ Mag last year, in our long-read examining the state of the UK festival industry, Sarah Spurgeon, a freelance operations and event manager said: "Mental health among festival workers is an issue, especially when a lot are transient, so they’re quite isolated. Loads of people that work festivals don't have a home, they live in caravans, they live in vans.

“There are guidelines for pay in the industry, but I think more are not getting those rates than are. You can say £250 a day for a mid-level position is reasonable, but if that’s 14 - 16 hour shifts, taking on risk, it’s not enough,” she added. “If people aren’t paid properly, is it a viable model? Should you be running the event in the first place? I’m super passionate about independent festivals, but it’s really difficult. If you’re having a really bad year, potentially making no money – some don’t – are you asking people to work for less? Can you justify that? At what cost?”

Article Originally Found At: www.djmag.com