The Trading Standards Service is responsible for enforcing the legislation on safety of sports grounds. The purpose of this legislation is to ensure safety of spectators at sporting venues.
Within the County of Cambridgeshire there is one designated sports ground and a number of other sporting venues which have regulated stands. A regulated stand is defined as one which provides covered viewing accommodation for more than 500 spectators.
Trading Standards issue safety compliant sports grounds with a safety certificate for the designated ground and safety certificates for the regulated stands.
Areas covered in a safety certificate include
- fire safety
- first aid provisions
- structural integrity
- inspection and testing regimes
- record keeping and the broader 'safety management' provisions e.g. appointment of safety officers, stewarding levels and competence.
Each venue with a certificate, meets regularly with the Trading Standards at a forum known as safety advisory group (SAG). The SAG also includes representatives the police, fire, building control and environmental health. The responsibility of the SAG is to advise Trading Standards on matters relating to the drawing up and review of safety certificates.
The group also provides an excellent forum for exchanging views on emerging issues and creating a co-ordinated approach to safety. Meetings are structured in such a way as to ensure that all areas of specialist knowledge are drawn upon. Officers will ensure the certificate is being adhered to by in-performance inspections and an annual inspection of the venue and safety records.