Everything we do entails risks, even not doing anything. Assessing and managing risks is just part of life. When you’re a performer, you must consider the risks for everybody participating in your show: from your fellow musicians and assistants, to the audience, to the venue and its owners.

Let’s take as an example my gig at Shangri-La The Shard, London, for the reception that Barbados Tourism Marketing Inc. put together for their business partners a few months ago. This is a prestigious venue with luxury amenities and airport-tight security. The Minister of Tourism and International Transport, Hon. G. P. Ian Gooding-Edgehill, M.P. was in attendance, too, which required a special level of care in terms of security and safety.

The sound engineer I worked with was quite good at his job and made sure that everybody was safe. The leads were already taped out of the way when I arrived. After we decided to move the equipment so I could play on the stage where videos about Barbados were being projected, he relocated and taped everything again to avoid tripping hazards.

We considered the possible eye strain of the potent projector on my face, but decided that it wasn’t a concern. Besides, I had my trusty hat with me!

I also walked through the audience while playing at some point. This was possible because I tested beforehand whether I could go up and down the stage safely. To prevent accidental collisions that could result in injury, for example if my saxophone was pushed into my mouth, I moved slowly and kept an eye on people around me. It went very smoothly.

Even for a short performance, like on ITV’s game show ‘You Bet!’, the production team went to great lengths to ensure everything was in order. We had two days of shooting. On the first day, we made a trial run with people from the fire department present. The candles I blew were small, but in case the flames got out of control due to the flow of air on set, for example, they were there to extinguish them. By taking those precautions, we made sure that the experience in the actual show was nothing but positive.

At the end of the day, risk assessment and management don’t have to be anything complicated. Just observe the situation, consider what could go wrong and/or be dangerous, and take action to eliminate or mitigate the risk. Accidents can always happen, but if you’re prepared, they’ll have fewer chances to become tragedies. As they say, better safe than sorry!