Duty of care — a meeting planner’s legal and ethical obligation to ensure the safety and well-being of attendees, speakers and staff at their events —has become even more critical in an increasingly dangerous world.

Today’s environment seems more fraught than ever for meeting and events organizers. In addition to wildfires, floods, blizzards, ice storms and other natural disasters, we also have recently experienced a healthcare executive being shot and killed in Midtown Manhattan on his way to an investor conference at a hotel just across the street, as well as rising protests in public spaces.

Now may be a good time to dust off your duty-of-care protocols to ensure that you have all your bases covered, even as those bases are shifting on what seems like a daily basis.

Here’s a rundown of some duty-of-care basics:

What duty of care is: A meeting planner’s legal and ethical obligation to ensure  they take all reasonable precautions to ensure the safety and well-being of attendees, speakers and staff at their events.

What duty of care encompasses: Duty of care extends to all aspects of event planning, from venue selection to transportation arrangements to food and beverage safety. It also includes having policies and procedures for providing health and medical support.

Another key component to duty of care is to have in place emergency procedures and evacuation plans, including a communication plan to inform attendees of evacuation routes — which now often can include using event apps for real-time communications and alerts — exit strategies, medical assistance contacts and security and law enforcement contacts. The plan also should include establishing those clear communications channels, coordinating with local authorities, and a plan for providing support and assistance to individuals in need of help. Some event organizers now are implementing digital check-in systems to help with attendee tracking in case of an emergency. Others are using data analytics to assess and manage risks.

In terms of preparing for natural disasters such as the recent Los Angeles-area wildfires, the duty-of-care plan also should have in place alternative venues or other backup plans should the venue be affected; real-time monitoring of local environmental conditions, and flexible cancellation and postponement policies.

Specific components to include in a duty-of-care document:

• Risk assessment, including an evalution of all potential environmental, health and security hazards and threats.

• Emergency protocols, including detailed plans of evacuation routes, exist strategies and emergency response actions.

• Health and safety plans, including signage, first aid services and fire-prevention strategies.

• Communication plan for how the event organizer can inform attendees about potential risks and important safety information before the event and while on site.

• Venue and destination due diligence, which should document that the venue and locale were properly vetted as meeting safety and permitting requirements.

• Crisis management procedures that detail what to do in case of emergencies, including channels to communicate with attendees and with local authorities.

• Staff safety responsibilities, including the safety training event personnel should have, as well as what their specific roles are in maintaining a safe environment while on site.

• Crowd management plans that include how to prevent the risks related to potential overcrowding situations.

• Weather contingencies, including monitoring and responding to severe weather conditions that may affect the event.

• Medical support, such as what medical assistance will be available and where the first aid stations are located.

• Security measures, including security personnel, law enforcement contacts, and specific security protocols.

• Food and beverage safety procedures in place to ensure food is handled, prepared and served safely.

• Transportation safety for any event that plans to transport attendees to and from the event itself, or between the event venue and off-site events.

• Accessibility considerations, such as how the organizer and the venue plan to accommodate attendees with disabilities.

For much more on risk management and business recovery, see the Spring issue of MeetingMentor.