Background

Health and Safety (excluding Fire Safety)
What is the officer looking for?
● In the surrounds to the church building(s) ...
● Within the church building(s) ...
● In the tower
● In the Boiler Room ...
Other matters ...

Background
Since October 1st 2006 there has been a legal requirement (under the Regulatory Reform (Fire Safety) Order 2005) for places of worship, church-run halls and outdoor events to abide by certain fire safety requirements for the safety of all who use those acilities – staff, members and visitors. This separates fire safety from other health and safety matters both in law and enforcement.

This section of the Diocesan Handbook has been revised to take account of this change. A number of factors are of common interest (access/egress and emergency lighting, for example) and the fire safety legislation takes precedence if there is any apparent conflict between the two. Please also see Section H4 for detailed advice on the Fire Safety provisions.

Health and Safety (excluding Fire Safety)
Every Parochial Church Council is urged to give consideration to health and safety issues and to draw up and periodically review a health and safety policy for its buildings. You are reminded that the Ecclesiastical Insurance Group and the Health and Safety Executive both recommend that voluntary workers are treated in the same way as paid employees for health and safety matters. Useful guidance, including sample policies for larger and smaller churches, can be obtained from the
Ecclesiastical Insurance Group plc,

Beaufort House, Brunswick Road, Gloucester, GL1 1JZ. Tel: 01452-528533; Fax: 01452-423557;

Website: http://www. ecclesiastical.co.uk;

E-mail: ecclesiastical@eigmail.com

The notes which follow are intended as a basic guide which will be of use to all persons involved in the running of religious worship and associated buildings and were produced by East Herts. District Council, but have been amended to take account of the legislative changes mentioned above. They are not intended to cover all possible circumstances that may be encountered. A small number of references are provided for further reading at the end of this document (these will provide
more detailed advice). However, your local Environmental Health Officer can be contacted for detailed advice on specific matters.

All church buildings are subject to statutory duties imposed by the Health and Safety at Work etc. Act 1974. The responsibility for the enforcement of this Act is with your local Environmental Health Department, who appoint Environmental Health Officers and Technical Officers to discharge the function. A visiting Officer will assess your compliance with statutory duties and may also give guidance. A hazard analysis and risk assessment based approach is generally adopted in order to secure compliance with the duties and to encourage the highest possible standards.

What is the officer looking for?

• In the surrounds to the church building(s) ...

• Access around and about the church building(s) should be easy, well maintained, with handrails and steps where appropriate. You should also consider lighting and measures necessary to control hazardous conditions, such as the build up of ice during the winter season.
• The machinery used to maintain the surrounds of the building(s) should be well maintained and stored in a locked shed or other suitable secured area. Employees and others will need appropriate instructions, training and supervision when using work machinery and/or equipment. Any personal protective equipment provided must be appropriate to the risk and you should select goodquality products made to a recognised standard. Some items of equipment like lawn mowers/gardening tools, may require additional precautions, for example a suitably sensitive residual current device (RCD) which can act as a safety trip when there is a fault with electrical equipment, preventing a fatal electrical shock (please note an RCD is not a substitute for proper installation).
• Where grave digging is undertaken a safe excavation method is necessary, which will be dependent upon the ground conditions. Any excavation of more than 1.2 metres should have supported sides before any further digging. Decisions must be reached regarding the form of temporary support to be employed and the precautions that are to be taken against trench collapse, and people falling into it. You should make enquiries and take suitable and sufficient steps to ensure that third parties are using a "safe system of work". With regard to exhumations, specialist advice should be sought from your Local Environmental Health Officer.

• Within the church building(s) ...

• The church building(s) should be adequately lit and any steps provided with suitable handrails or handhold.
• The church building(s) should be free of tripping hazards eg. trailing cables and broken floor gratings.
• The floor surfaces should not be slippery so as to cause a hazard to people who use the church building(s).
• If ladders or stepladders are used for minor maintenance then they should be in a sound condition and should be adequately secured before use. Stringent conditions relating to the use of ladders or stepladders were imposed by the Work at Height Regulations 2005, which provide that: “Every employer shall ensure that a ladder is used for work at height only if a risk assessment under regulation 3 of the Management Regulations has demonstrated that the use of more suitable work equipment is not justified because of the low risk and -
• the short duration of use; or
• existing features on site which he cannot alter.”

Please see Advisory Leaflet AC31 for full details of the provisions of the Work at Height Regulations.

• A visual check of the electrical system should indicate no defects. The fixed wiring installation should be subject to an inspection by a qualified electrical contractor (e.g. those on the Roll of Approved Electrical Installation Contractors issued by the National Inspection Council for Electrical Installations Contracting (NICEIC) or a member of The Electrical Contractors Association (ECA) every 5 years. All portable electrical appliances will require appropriate checks and maintenance to prevent danger.
• The heating system should be safe and capable of maintaining a reasonable temperature within the church building(s).
• Special care should be taken for candlelit or Christingle services; The Children's Society provides detailed guidance notes on the latter.
• Churchwardens should be encouraged to draw up written instructions for evacuations, assembly points and accident. The provision of a mobile phone at large and night time services is a wise precaution

• In the tower

• Access to this area should be limited to those with a bona fide reason to be in it. At all other times the area should be kept locked.
• Access should be easy and well lit. Heavy trap doors at the top of vertical ladders should be avoided.
• Portable ladders should be tied or securely fitted at their base. If a permanently fixed vertical ladder is used, then it may require a safety cage and should conform with all relevant aspects of British Standard 5395.
• Low beams and archways that are in areas where regular access is needed should be padded. Where possible the restricted headroom should be hazard identified with black and yellow striping.
• Additional precautions should be taken in towers with bells.
• Safety notices warning of the dangers of touching the bell ropes should be prominently displayed in the ringing chamber.
• The state of the bells should always be indicated, especially if they are left up or set. Normally bells should be left in the down position.
• The belfry should be adequately lit for maintenance purposes.
• A very conspicuous notice must always be left on the bell ropes when people
• are in the belfry. It would be advisable to incorporate a permit to work syste which would manage this situation.
• Ideally both the belfry and the ringing chamber should be kept locked.
• Tower clocks should be regularly maintained and clock weight wells must be adequately guarded.
• Access to the roof of the church building(s) should be restricted. If the roof parapet height is low, only contractors should be allowed access to the roof. You must ensure that the contractors use a safe system of work. It is in such circumstances (and in others eg, hot work) when it is worth writing down clear procedures for the job. A method of work known as a "permit to work" system should be adopted which states what work is to be done, when it is to be done and the precautions required. The permit should be signed by those doing the work to demonstrate that they understand the risks and precautions necessary. [The provisions of the Construction (Design and Management) Regulations 1994 will usually also apply in such cases, involving the drawing up of a Safety Plan, appointment of a Planning Supervisor and possible notification to the Health and Safety Executive. See Handbook Section C11 for further details]

• In the Boiler Room ...

• Oil fired boilers must have an automatic fuel shut off system which operates in the event of a fire. The isolating valve for the gas supply to a gas-fired boiler should be easily accessible and clearly labeled for quick location and use in an emergency.
• Gas and oil fired equipment will require maintenance from a competent person, for piped gas appliances this will mean a CORGI registered installer (it is important that you should check this.)
• This area should be kept locked and tidy with no storage of flammable liquids (including petrol-powered tools such as lawnmowers) or materials. The access should be of sound condition and if via a stairway then a suitable handrail or handhold must be provided.
• The area may contain asbestos. If you suspect its presence, then do not attempt to disturb it. So that nobody carries out work on asbestos materials unknowingly, a survey of the building should be undertaken by a competent person and a register produced and maintained, noting the location, form (e.g. lagging, ceiling tiles, partition board, etc.) condition and type of asbestos.

• Other matters ...

There are a small number of other matters which should be given attention:-

• Hygiene and welfare facilities, if provided by reason of law, must be adequately ventilated, illuminated and maintained.
• Chalices should be washed in hot water, with washing up liquid and a fresh cloth, and then stored in a clean environment.
• Chemical substances may be in use on the premises, requiring a risk assessment, for example cleaning detergents, polishes etc. With any chemical you should consider if the use can be eliminated or failing this, substituted, or if neither is possible then adequate control will be required.
• You should have on the premises a First Aid box with suitable contents.
• It is advisable to keep a record of all accidents and near misses which occur on the premises. Certain categories of injuries, diseases and dangerous occurrences have to be reported to your local Environmental Health Departmen by law.
• If people are employed on the premises then you have a duty to provide certain specific health and safety information in a written form by law. You will also require Employers Liability insurance, a copy of which should be on display in a prominent position.
• If food is served on the premises then you need to comply with Food Hygiene Legislation. Further advice is available from your Environmental Health Officer.

Further reading and references for Health and Safety excluding Fire Safety

1. Organising for safety
L1 A Guide to the HSW Act ISBNO 7176 0441 1.
HSC2 HSW Act: The Act outlined*.
HSE 4 (Rev) Employers Liability (Compulsory Insurance) Act 1969: A short guide*.
IND(G)163(L) Five Steps to Risk Assessment*.

2. The Workplace
L24 Workplace (Health, Safety and Welfare) Regulations 1992.
Deadly Maintenance: Roofs: A Study of Fatal Accidents at Work ISBNO 11 883804 0.
Managing Asbestos in Premises, Ref. INDG223
The Management of Asbestos in Non-domestic Premises Regulation 4 of The Control of
Asbestos at Work Regulations 2002 Approved Code of Practice and Guidance, Ref. L127 ISBN 0-7176-2382-3,
INDG401- The Work at Height Regulations 2005
INDG402 Safe use of ladders and stepladders

3. Machinery Safety
L22 Work Equipment. Provision and Use of Work Equipment Regulations
1992. Guidance on Regulations ISBN 07176 0414 4.

4. Noise
IND(G)75(L)(Rev) Introducing the noise at work Regulations*.

5. Electricity
HS(G)107 Maintenance of Portable and Transportable electrical equipment ISBN 0 1776 01715 1.
PM31 (Rev) Safe Use of Portable Electrical Apparatus ISBN 0 11 8855905.
IND(G)160(L) Maintaining Portable Electrical Equipment in Offices and Other Low Risk Environments*.

6. Harmful Substances
IND(G)136(L)COS8H: A brief Guide for Employers*.

7. Accidents and Emergencies
COP 42 First Aid at Work. Health and Safety (First Aid) Regulations 1981.
HS(R)23 Guide to the Reporting of Injuries, Diseases and Dangerous Occurrences Regulations 1995 ISBN 0 1776 0432 2.

8. Personal Protective Equipment
L25 Personal Protective Equipment at Work Regulations 1994. Guidance on regulations ISBN O 17176 0415 2.

How to obtain publications
Health and Safety Executive Publications are available by mail order from HSE Books, PO Box 1999, Sudbury, Suffolk, CO10 6SS, telephone 01787-881165.

Free leaflets and other items which are available from HSE Books are marked with an asterisk*.
Please refer to the Environmental Health Officer of your local authority for further information.
This text is reproduced from guidance produced by East Herts. District Council, with thanks.