Guide · updated November 2026

Fun run and charity walk risk assessment

Endurance events concentrate medical risk, especially in heat, and usually involve roads or shared paths.

Hazard	What could happen	Before	Key controls	After
Participant collapse, heat illness or cardiac event	Serious illness or death	Extreme	First aid at the start and finish and roving on the course, with an AED · Drink stations at regular intervals · Marshals with radios or phones along the course · Sweeper at the back of the field · Shorten or cancel the event at a set heat trigger · Registration collects emergency contacts and medical conditions	High
Participants and vehicles sharing the course	Participant struck by a vehicle	High	Road closure or off-road course · Marshals at crossings · Course briefed at the start	Medium
Participants going off course	Getting lost, injury in unsafe areas	Medium	Course clearly signed and marked · Marshals at every turn · Course map at registration	Low
Vehicle entering the closed road or event area	Pedestrians struck, possible mass casualty	High	Road closure approved, with a Traffic Management Plan prepared by an accredited practitioner · Accredited traffic controllers at closure points · Vehicles or hard barriers blocking closure points, not just cones · Detour signage installed as approved	Medium
Emergency vehicles unable to get through	Delayed response to an emergency	High	Emergency lane kept clear through the closure · Police, ambulance and fire told about the closure and access points	Medium

Approvals (VIC example)

Typical lead time	Approval / document	Detail
16 weeks	Road closure approval and Traffic Management Plan	From council for local roads or the Department of Transport and Planning for arterial roads. Notify Victoria Police.
12 weeks	Venue / landowner permission and council event application	Book the venue and lodge the council's event application (or venue hire agreement) with this plan attached.
12 weeks	Council event permit	Victorian councils issue event permits for activities on council land and usually ask for event, risk and emergency plans.
12 weeks	Course approval and sport insurance	Course map approved by the landowner or council. Sporting body sanction or insurance if affiliated.
8 weeks	Public liability insurance	Certificate of currency for the event date. Many councils ask for A$20 million cover with council noted as an interested party.
8 weeks	Event, risk and emergency plans submitted	This pack: Event Management Plan, Risk Register and Emergency Management Plan, plus a site plan.
8 weeks	Site plan / map	Show stalls, stage, first aid, toilets, water, bins, entries and exits, emergency vehicle access and the assembly area.
8 weeks	Siting approval and POPE occupancy permit (if required)	Prescribed temporary structures (larger tents, stages, seating stands) need siting approval. Larger enclosed or ticketed sites may need a Place of Public Entertainment occupancy permit.
6 weeks	Toilets booked	Portable toilets (including accessible) sized to peak attendance and event length.
6 weeks	First aid provider booked	Matched to crowd size and risk (see First Aid & Medical Plan).
4 weeks	Waste plan	Bins, recycling, bin runs and final clean-up.
4 weeks	Police notified	Let the local station know the date, times, numbers and contact person. Required for larger or road events.
3 weeks	Before You Dig Australia (BYDA) enquiry	Lodge before pegging or staking anything into the ground.
3 weeks	Food handling rules for the BBQ	Check with your council whether your club's sausage sizzle needs a notification or licence. Many community fundraisers do, at least once a year.
2 weeks	Contractor and stallholder documents collected	Certificates of currency, registrations, licences and signed conditions.
2 weeks	Neighbour and business notification	Letter drop to affected residents and businesses (template included).

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