Safety In Crowds

There are a number of situations where we end up surrounded by literally hundreds or even thousands of other people. Whether it be a football match, a festival or simply a busy shopping street, safety in crowds is always important and there are a few things in particular that you should always be looking out for.

Firstly, if you are with other people then always arrange a meeting point.

Then, if you get separated or lost you can all have an agreed area where you will meet up again and therefore you shouldn’t remain lost for long. Without a meeting point you may well struggle to join up with your party again at all!

If you are in a building, know the buildings capacity. If it looks like the capacity is being exceeded then don’t enter in the first place as this can be incredibly dangerous in fire and can also result in injury or even death from crushing and accidents.

In a stampede, always keep to the wall. Try to move sideways to the crowd until you get to the wall and allow the traffic to go past you to avoid the possibility of being trampled on. If you have memorized where the emergency exits are then you may actually find you get to them quicker and safer using this method despite it seeming to go against your natural instinct of heading directly to the door.

Another tip is to try and avoid busy periods by leaving just before the end of an event. Leaving that little bit earlier can help you avoid crushing and long queues.

Another thing to look out for in large crowds is of course your possessions. These present a perfect opportunity for thieves to pick pocket your belongings and steal things from you. Keep your hands in your pocket and any bags close and in sight.