Sending a risk assessment isn't the same as proving people read it. How H&S document sign-off works for a crew — distribute, acknowledge, and keep an auditable record of who signed and when.
Live productions carry a duty of care to the people working on them, and the standard you're held to isn't "did you send the risk assessment" — it's "can you show that the crew received it and acknowledged it." Emailing a PDF round and hoping leaves you with no record. Proper health & safety sign-off turns distribution into an auditable trail: each crew member acknowledges the relevant documents, and you can prove who did, and when. This guide covers how that workflow should work. It's part of managing crew, tasks and safety.
Why sign-off, not just distribution
Sending a document proves you sent it. It doesn't prove anyone opened it, read it, or agreed to work to it. If something goes wrong, "we emailed it to the group" is a weak position. A sign-off record — a named acknowledgement, timestamped — is a much stronger one, and it's simply good practice for looking after your crew.
The documents this covers
The paperwork varies by production, but commonly includes:
- Risk assessments for the venue and the activity.
- Method statements (how a task will be done safely).
- Site or safety briefings and induction notes.
- Specific permits or notices relevant to the day.
The point isn't the format — it's that the people doing the work have seen the document that applies to them and said so.
The workflow
A clean H&S sign-off process has four steps:
- Upload the document and attach it to the show.
- Distribute it to the crew — ideally each person gets their own link, not a shared file.
- They acknowledge it — a simple, recorded "I've read and understood this".
- You track completion — see at a glance who has signed off and who's outstanding, and chase the gaps before the day.
Per-person acknowledgement links matter: a single shared link tells you a document was opened, not who opened it. Individual acknowledgements give you a named, timestamped record per crew member.
Keep the record
The value is the audit trail. Keep the signed-off status with the show, so months later you can show, for a given production, which documents existed and who acknowledged each one. Bundling it into the show's paperwork means it doesn't live in one person's inbox.
Sign-off checklist
- Each H&S document uploaded and attached to the show
- Sent to crew as individual, per-person acknowledgement links
- A recorded, timestamped acknowledgement per person
- A clear view of who's signed and who's outstanding
- The record kept with the show for later reference
How Show Runner handles it
Show Runner builds H&S sign-off into the show. You upload your safety documents (PDFs) against the show, then send each crew member a unique link to review and acknowledge them. Each acknowledgement is recorded with the person and the time, so you get a live view of who has signed off and who still needs a nudge — and the record travels in the production pack. It reuses your crew list, so there's nothing to re-enter.
FAQ
Why isn't emailing the risk assessment enough?
Because it only proves you sent it — not that anyone read or accepted it. If there's an incident, a named, timestamped acknowledgement from each crew member is a far stronger record than "it was in the group email". Sign-off is also simply better duty of care.
How do crew members sign off a document?
In Show Runner each crew member receives a unique link to the document; they review it and acknowledge it, and the acknowledgement is recorded against them with a timestamp. You see who's done it and who's outstanding.
Can I see who hasn't signed off yet?
Yes — Show Runner shows the acknowledgement status per document, so you can see at a glance who has signed off and who still needs chasing before the show.
What documents can I use this for?
Any safety paperwork for the production — risk assessments, method statements, site or safety briefings, permits. You upload the PDF against the show and send it out for acknowledgement.
Make sure the right people get it: manage your crew and call times first. Or start for free.