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Health & Safety

About Health & Safety

Churches have a legal duty to assess the risks which exist on your premises and to reduce them as far as reasonably practicable. This is the responsibility of the Charity Trustees (Church Leadership). Any risk which cannot be entirely removed should be reduced until it can be described as a small risk. We:

• identify the hazards
• decide who might be harmed, and how
• consider the likelihood and severity of hazards
• identify existing precautions and decide whether they are adequate or whether more should be done to overcome the hazard
• record the significant findings of your risk assessment, eg. the main risks and the measures you have taken to deal with them
• review our assessment annually

We carry out health and safety risk assessment. If higher risks remain, we write an ‘action list’ of what else we need to do, giving priority to the highest risks or those which could affect the greatest number of people. We think about everyone who uses our building, however infrequently, paying special attention to vulnerable groups such as children, people with disabilities and lone workers.

Health & Safety Policy ***DRAFT***

1. The church recognises and accepts its responsibilities for providing, so far as is reasonably practicable, a safe and healthy environment with a view to ensuring the health, safety and welfare of all those who use the church premises.
2. The church will, therefore, take all necessary steps within its power to meet its responsibilities so far as is reasonably practicable by, among other arrangements:

a.  maintaining the church premises in a condition that is safe and without risk to health and providing and maintaining means of access to and egress from it that are safe and without such risks;

b.  providing and maintaining furnishings and equipment which are safe and without risks to health;

c.  assessing the risk to the health and safety of those who use the church premises;

d.  ensuring the safety and absence of risks to health in connection with the use, handling, storage and transport of articles, equipment, furniture and substances;

e.  the provision of such information, instruction, training and supervision as is necessary to ensure the health and safety of those who use the church premises;

f.  the provision and maintenance of a proper environment for the church’s employees, leaders, helpers and volunteers that is safe, without risks to health, and adequate as regards facilities and arrangements for their welfare;

g.  arranging for suitable induction programmes and training; consulting, where necessary, with all employees, leaders, helpers and volunteers on the effectiveness and implementation of this policy; and any necessary changes.

h.  ensuring that adequate funds and resources are made available for carrying out this policy.

3. The church’s charity trustees have overall responsibility for health and safety. They have given responsibility for the fulfilment of this policy to (Geof Hillier) as the church’s Health and Safety Officer but subject hereto the charity trustees will be responsible for carrying out the implementation of the church’s policy and for the issue of supplementary policy statements where this may be necessary.
4. The Health and Safety Officer will:

a.  carry out appropriate risk assessments (these to be reviewed annually) of the church’s premises and activities and report to the church’s charity trustees as necessary;

b.  co-ordinate the implementation of the church’s Health and Safety Policy (including Fire Safety);

c.  carry out investigations of any accidents and recommend measures for preventing their recurrence;

d.  ensure that accident and other appropriate records are maintained and returned to the appropriate bodies;

e.  ensure that all appropriate arrangements are made to provide for first aid;

f.   ensure that all food safety legislation is complied with;

g.  arrange safety training courses, as may be necessary or desirable, so that specific legal requirements are adhered to and that any changes in such requirements are complied with and communicated to employees, leaders, helpers and volunteers as necessary;

h.  ensure that, where necessary, all relevant safety regulations are prominently displayed, that all emergency procedure notices are properly exhibited and clearly visible at all times;

i.   ensure that access to and from emergency exits and fire equipment are not impaired and that corridors and stairs are kept free from obstructions other than of a temporary and partial nature.

5. All volunteers, ministers, employees, leaders, and helpers will:

a.  take reasonable care of their health and safety, and of the health and safety of other persons who may be affected by a person’s act or omissions while working or helping.

b.  as regards any duty or requirement imposed on the church or any person by or under any of the relevant statutory provisions, co-operate with the church so far as is necessary to enable that duty or requirement to be performed or complied with;

c.  ensure that they shall not intentionally or recklessly neither interfere with nor misuse anything provided in the interest of health, safety or welfare, in pursuance of any of the relevant statutory provisions;

d.  make themselves familiar with and conform to the Health and Safety Policy of the church at all times;

e.  observe all safety rules, procedures, and codes of practice at all times, and in particular be fully conversant with the procedures to be followed in the event of a fire or any other emergency;

f.  conform to all the food safety regulations that are applicable to themselves;

g.  co-operate with the church to enable it to carry out the duties and requirements under the provisions of all health and safety legislation, including participating in any initial or other training if called upon to do so;

h.  report to the church’s Health and Safety Officer all accidents or hazardous occurrences or dangers whether persons are injured or not as soon as is reasonably practicable;

i.   ensure that all working equipment and materials used by them are in a safe and serviceable condition and that no cables or wires are left in such a position as to be likely to cause anyone to trip;

j.   have regard to the possible consequences of their actions on the health, safety and welfare of all those persons who at any time and for whatever purpose may or will use the church premises.

This policy statement was adopted by a resolution of a Deacons’ Meeting dated TBA

Risk Assesment

A risk assessment of the church is being carried out in the near future (By November) and details will be published here.