Bhv in the cultural sector

As an organizer or initiator, you are also the one responsible for the safety of your employees and your visitors. Therefore, in many cases it is important to have a Bhv-er, or a medical service or first aid, present at your location. On this page we therefore pay attention to it.

What is Bhv?

This abbreviation stands for Company Emergency Response. Basically, you as the organizer or initiator are the one responsible. You ensure that all risks of your project are mapped out and appropriate measures are devised to contain and combat these risks as much as possible (RI&E: Risk Inventory and Evaluation). In carrying out this RI&E, the FAFS officers take on an important task. They provide first aid, but can also be deployed to evacuate the (event) location and as the first point of contact for emergency services. However, the laws and regulations regarding FAFS officers are not at all clear and depend entirely on the circumstances. Therefore, it is important to seek advice from experts -for example, the fire department- when you are setting up a location. They will gladly think with you to make your location as safe as possible.

What are the duties of a Bhv worker?

Because a Bhv person (who is on duty) is always present at the location, this person will often be the first to arrive when something occurs. His or her first task is to prevent worse and to provide first aid in case of accidents. In addition, a Bhv-er has other tasks that can come in handy:

• They have the knowledge to contain and fight an incipient fire.
• When an emergency occurs, it is the Bhv worker's job to sound the alarm and arrange for the evacuation of visitors and employees in the building or on a site.
• The Bhv worker is often the one who approaches emergency services such as fire and ambulance in the event of an incipient fire or accident.
• They are able to prevent or mitigate various types of accidents.
• The Bhv worker is able to support these emergency response organizations as needed.

A Bhv person is knowledgeable about many things but he or she can almost never perform all medical procedures. Therefore, it is advisable to also look at first aid organizations. Do so especially when you expect a large audience or your target group means that a first aid organization is indispensable. You can also do this in consultation with the municipality, for example when applying for a permit.

Bhv course

It is definitely of added value if you as an organizer are also a trained Bhv-er. This means you have the basic knowledge yourself and that can never hurt. There are many (commercial) parties that offer a Bhv course. There is a basic course that everyone has to do. After that you can go on annual repetition. During the Bhv course, in most cases the topics 'fire and evacuation' and 'life-saving actions including AED' are covered. It often consists of a theoretical part and practice. Most basic courses last one and a half to two days and the refresher course is usually one day.

Source

In coming up with this text, we were partly inspired by an article on the website of the Vereniging Nederlandse Poppodia en -Festivals (VNPF). This organization represents the collective interests of pop venues and festivals in the Netherlands. They have a lot more interesting information on their website, so feel free to take a look there as well.

If, from your expertise, you yourself have knowledge that would fit this topic, or if you see opportunities to improve this text, we look forward to receiving your message at info@cultuuracademy.nl.