What are the main hazards to assess for buggy use

Chiefly a vehicle and pedestrians sharing space, with drink, distraction, children and crowds in the mix, plus the ground, the weather, visibility after dark, and loading. Name the specific ones at your event rather than listing generic hazards.

What controls should a buggy risk assessment include

Fixed routes away from dense crowds, low speed limits, marshalling where paths cross, a trained nominated driver rather than self-drive, and clear pick-up points. Match the controls to the hazards you actually named.

Do we also need a method statement

For a larger or more complex event, or where a venue requires it, usually yes: the risk assessment identifies the risks and the method statement describes how the operation is run. For a simple event the assessment alone may suffice. Ask the venue.

Risk assessments for buggy use at events

By James Brown · Updated 21 July 2026 · 7 minute read

White electric golf buggy on a paved path outside a modern glass office building, people in business dress walking behind

A risk assessment for buggy use at an event identifies the real hazards, pedestrians and vehicles sharing space, ground conditions, crowds, children, weather, and sets out sensible controls: routes, speeds, marshalling, trained drivers and limits. It should be specific to your event and site, not a generic template, and where the setting needs it a method statement sits alongside.

Key takeaways

The hazards are mostly about buggies and people sharing space.
A specific assessment beats a generic one every time.
The main controls are routes, speeds, marshalling and who drives.
Ground and weather are real hazards, not footnotes.
A method statement describes how the plan is actually run.

The real hazards, honestly

The dominant hazard with a buggy at an event is simple: a vehicle and pedestrians sharing space, often with drink, distraction, children and crowds in the mix. Most of what can go wrong flows from that, someone stepping into a buggy's path, a driver going too fast near a crowd, a child running out. A useful assessment names these plainly rather than hiding behind generalities.

Alongside the people, name the physical hazards: the ground, especially wet grass and slopes; the weather; visibility after dark; and loading, if the buggy carries kit. An honest list of what can actually go wrong at your event is the foundation. A copied template that does not mention your car park, your slope or your evening reception is close to useless.

Controls that actually work

For each hazard, set a control that genuinely addresses it. The core controls for buggy use are consistent across events. Fixed routes that keep the buggy away from the densest crowds where possible. Speed limits, low, and lower near crowds and children. Marshalling where vehicle and pedestrian paths cross. A trained, nominated, sober driver rather than self-drive at an event with drinks. Clear pick-up points so people are not chasing the buggy.

Match the controls to your hazards rather than listing every possible one. If your route crosses a busy thoroughfare, marshalling that crossing is the control that matters. If the ground is wet grass on a slope, the control is the right vehicle and possibly a changed route. The assessment is only as good as the fit between the hazards you named and the controls you set.

Ground and weather deserve their own thought

It is easy to treat ground and weather as afterthoughts, and they are where events come unstuck. Wet grass on a gradient can turn a fine route into a poor one in the week before, so the assessment should say what happens if the ground deteriorates, a changed route, a different vehicle, or holding the buggy. Building that flexibility into the assessment beforehand is far better than a decision made in a panic on the day.

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How a method statement fits

A risk assessment says what the risks are and how you will control them. A method statement says how the operation will actually be run: the sequence, the routes, the speeds, who does what and when. For a larger or more complex event, or where a venue requires it, the two work together, the assessment identifying the risks and the method statement describing the operation that manages them. For a simple event the assessment alone may be enough, and it is worth asking the venue which they expect.

Common questions

What are the main hazards to assess for buggy use: Chiefly a vehicle and pedestrians sharing space, with drink, distraction, children and crowds in the mix, plus the ground, the weather, visibility after dark, and loading. Name the specific ones at your event rather than listing generic hazards.
What controls should a buggy risk assessment include: Fixed routes away from dense crowds, low speed limits, marshalling where paths cross, a trained nominated driver rather than self-drive, and clear pick-up points. Match the controls to the hazards you actually named.
Should the assessment be specific to our event: Yes. A generic template that does not mention your car park, your slope or your evening reception is close to useless. The value is in it being specific to your event and site.
Do we also need a method statement: For a larger or more complex event, or where a venue requires it, usually yes: the risk assessment identifies the risks and the method statement describes how the operation is run. For a simple event the assessment alone may suffice. Ask the venue.