Martyn’s Law: What It Means for Hospitality Venues

In the wake of increasing global threats and public safety concerns, Martyn’s Law – also known as the Protect Duty – has become a landmark legislation in the UK aimed at improving public security in publicly accessible spaces. For hospitality and food service operators, this law brings new responsibilities - but also a powerful opportunity to show leadership in keeping guests and staff safe.

Here’s what you need to know, and how Aquaint can help ensure you stay ahead of compliance.

🔍 What Is Martyn’s Law?

Martyn’s Law is named after Martyn Hett, one of the 22 victims of the 2017 Manchester Arena bombing. The law received Royal Assent on Thursday 3^rd April 2025 following a six-year campaign led by Martyn's mother, Figen Murray. The law is designed to ensure that businesses and venues do more to prepare for, respond to, and reduce the risks of terrorist attacks.

The law puts forward a tiered system for implementation based on the capacity of venues:

🟢 Standard Tier (100–799 capacity)

• Applies to smaller venues like cafés, restaurants, pubs, and small hotels

• Requires basic but robust security measures like staff training and creating simple emergency plans

🔵 Enhanced Tier (800+ capacity)

• Applies to large venues such as stadiums, arenas, large event venues, and big hotels.

• Requires comprehensive risk assessments, security policies, and formal incident response strategies.

🏨 How Will Martyn’s Law Affect Hospitality & Food Service?

Whether you run a single-site coffee shop or a large multi-site restaurant group, Martyn’s Law is likely to affect your operations. Here are a few examples:

Small Restaurant

Likely Impact: Staff awareness training, risk checklists, evacuation plan

Hotel

Likely Impact: Training for front desk, risk assessments for lobbies and common areas

Event Venue‍

Likely Impact: Full-scale counter-terror protocols and emergency response planning

Restaurant/Pub Chain

Likely Impact: Centralised training program, multi-site compliance tracking

Warehouse Depot (non-public)

Likely Impact: Lower impact unless public access exists

🛠️ How Aquaint Helps Hospitality Operators Comply with Martyn’s Law

Aquaint is built to streamline compliance and operational checks across hospitality sites, making it a perfect companion for Martyn’s Law requirements. Here’s how:

1. 🔐 Risk Assessments Made Simple

Use Aquaint to create a recurring task titled “Martyn’s Law Risk Review” for each site.

• Include checklists for vulnerabilities (entrances, exits, crowd flow)

• Upload supporting photos or comments

• Store full risk assessments in the Documents section and make it available to all staff to view

2. 👥 Staff Training Logs

Aquaint makes it easy to log and monitor who has completed terror threat awareness training.

• Upload training materials as e-sign documents and assign to all departments

• Create a training task for in person subject training to ensure that all the relevant points are covered

• Use the Announcements or to share updates and reminders to each site

‍3. 🚨 Emergency Readiness Checks

Add a weekly task like “Check Evacuation Readiness” to ensure:

• Exits are clear

• Emergency contacts are visible

• Response kits (first aid, torches) are in place

Aquaint stores a time-stamped record of every check and who completed it, so you’re always audit-ready.

4. 📂 Documents & Response Plans

Use Aquaint’s document library to upload:

• Evacuation maps

• Lockdown procedures

• Site-specific emergency plans

Group these by site and add a category titled something like: Security & Safety for quick access in a crisis. Ensure that these documents are visible to all staff on site.

5. 📊 Audit Trail & Group Compliance Oversight

Whether you manage 1 site or 100, Aquaint helps you stay in control:

• Track completion of Martyn’s Law specific tasks at both site and organisation level

• Track overdue actions by site

• Filter by category (e.g., “Martyn’s Law”) to see what’s been done and what’s due

✅ Peace of Mind, Digitally Delivered

Martyn’s Law is a powerful reminder that safety iseveryone’s responsibility. But compliance doesn’t need to be complex.

With Aquaint, you can:

• Simplify planning

• Engage your team

• Create an accountable, transparent record

• Protect your guests, staff, and business

Ready to integrate Martyn’s Law into your site compliance routine?
Drop us a message to see how Aquaint can help you stay secure, compliant, and confident.