All churches need to be safe, for the protection of worshippers, visitors and any employees. Although churches do not generally present significant safety hazards, it is important that hazards are identified, risks assessed, and action taken where necessary.

Your church's insurer will be willing to give advice, both on specific issues and with general advice. The Ecclesiastical Insurance Group produces a helpful set of guidelines, which can be found on the Ecclesiastical website. 

The Health and Safety Executive also issues guidance on assessing risks, which can be found at http://www.hse.gov.uk/. Where a church has employees, various duties arise under the Health and Safety at Work Act 1974, details of which can be found in the HSE's publications.

The safety of gravestones in burial grounds has been a controversial issue in recent years, because of safety concerns following accidents in local authority cemeteries. A sub-group of the Ministry of Justice has prodced guidanae that will help churches in assessing and managing the safety risk.  The guidance can be accessed at http://www.justice.gov.uk/publications/docs/safety-burial-grounds.pdf

Where your church is undertaking significant building works, duties arise under the Construction (Design and Management) Regulations 2007. Your architect or surveyor will be able to guide you on making the necessary appointments under the Regulations. Advice can be obtained from the EIG and HSE websites. You can find a guidance note on the Regulations produced by St Albans DAC here: CDM Regulations 2007 (pdf*).

Cathedral and Church Buildings Division - News and Events