Employment law and regulations

The rules are complex. You must check on the status of your ‘staff’, because if they are classified as employees, a whole new raft of legislation applies. If you employ people for work, then you must abide by complicated tax, National Insurance and pensions legislation. Employees then come under the Europan working hours directive, and with ‘employees’ you must also abide by the workplace fire precautions regulations. The workplace regulations require the ‘employer’ to carry out a risk assessment and act on any findings.

To illustrate the complexities, I am told that the following is true:

If an indoor event is designated public entertainment by the local authority, they will require you to apply for a Public Entertainment Licence (PEL). In such a case the relevant and specific fire safety requirements imposed will depend on the venue, event type, size etc. But if a PEL is not required and people are employed to work at the event, the Fire Precautions (Workplace) Regulations 1997 (amended in 1999) – which are enforced and managed by the local fire authority – will apply. However, this set of regulations would technically also apply if a PEL was in force even though the PEL regulations would probably be classed as ‘the most appropriate’ to apply.

Is that clear? No! Join the club!