Investigating Barriers to Policy-Making and Action in Managing Safety at Religious Mass Gatherings: A Qualitative Study

Abstract

Background: Religious, cultural, and social mass gatherings are inherently associated with significant safety and health challenges due to high population density, dynamic crowd behavior, and spatial limitations. Inadequate planning, policy-making, and implementation of safety measures can lead to large-scale incidents, human casualties, and diminished public trust. Objectives: This study aimed to identify and explain the challenges of safety management in the organization of mass gatherings. Methods: This qualitative study was conducted using a conventional content analysis approach from July 2023 to December 2024. Data were collected through 18 semi-structured interviews with crisis managers, Red Crescent managers, occupational health specialists, fire department managers, and academic faculty members with relevant scientific knowledge or operational experience in mass gathering safety. Participants were selected through purposive sampling, and interviews continued until data saturation was achieved. Data analysis was performed using the Graneheim and Lundman method with the assistance of MAXQDA 16 software. Results: A total of 719 initial codes were extracted, which were reduced to 446 codes after removing duplicates. The analysis resulted in three main categories and 11 subcategories. The main categories included: (1) Policy-related barriers (legal barriers and insurance coverage), (2) managerial barriers (planning and forecasting, safety commitment, education and awareness, crowd management, and information management), and (3) operational executive barriers (individual safety attitudes, budgeting and financial support, event safety culture and climate, and monitoring and evaluation). Conclusions: Safety management in mass gatherings faces multidimensional challenges at the policy, managerial, and operational levels. Developing clear laws and guidelines, strengthening managerial commitment to safety, expanding specialized training programs, improving information management systems, allocating adequate financial resources, and institutionalizing a safety-oriented culture can substantially enhance the safety of mass gathering events. The findings of this study provide valuable evidence to support policymakers and event organizers in designing more effective and context-sensitive safety management frameworks.