Temporary Doesn’t Mean Exempt

Temporary does not mean outside the Equality Act

When people think about physical accessibility, they tend to think about buildings. Steps, doors, lifts, toilets, corridors, counters. For the events industry, that can create a dangerous assumption: that the accessibility of the permanent venue is the principal issue and everything temporarily installed for an event sits somewhere outside that analysis.

The new Equality and Human Rights Commission Code of Practice for Services, Public Functions and Associations addresses this directly. A physical feature can include something brought onto premises by or on behalf of a service provider, even though it doesn’t normally occupy those premises. The Code gives a particularly relevant example: an outdoor theatre company bringing its own terraced seating to venues where it performs. That seating can itself constitute a physical feature for the purposes of the reasonable-adjustments duty.

Think about what gets built after the accessibility audit

Consider a festival site a week before opening. The permanent venue may have been audited. The accessible routes may have been identified. The plans may show accessible toilets, viewing areas and entrances.

Then the event build starts. Temporary grandstands arrive. Crowd-control barriers go in. Queueing pens appear. Cables cross pedestrian routes. Temporary bars and merchandise concessions are installed. Security fencing divides the site. Pop-up food, drink and merchandise stands occupy previously clear pathways. Hospitality platforms are erected.

The accessibility problem hasn’t been created by the landowner. It’s been created by the event infrastructure. And the fact that the structure is temporary doesn’t make the disadvantage temporary in any meaningful sense for the disabled customer who has bought a ticket for Saturday evening. For that customer, the barrier exists precisely when the service is being provided.

Crowd barriers can create accessibility barriers

One of the most overlooked parts of event accessibility is crowd management. Barriers are installed for good reasons: they manage queues, protect restricted areas, create emergency routes and help security teams manage large numbers of people safely. But their placement can dramatically alter an accessible route. A wheelchair user who could ordinarily travel directly across a concourse may suddenly face a lengthy diversion. Someone who can’t stand for long periods may find themselves channelled into a queueing system designed on the assumption that everyone can.

The full article covers cable management and trip hazards, pop-up concessions and temporary bars, queueing system design, portable toilet accessibility, and a pre-build accessibility review framework.