Crich Baptist Church – Health & Safety Policy
2. The church will, therefore, take all necessary steps within its power to meet its responsibilities in so far as is reasonably practicable by, among other arrangements:
2.1 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;
2.2 providing and maintaining furnishings and equipment which are safe and without risks to health;
2.3 assessing the risk to the health and safety of those who use the church premises;
2.4 ensuring the safety and absence of risks to health in connection with the use, handling, storage and transport of articles, equipment, furniture and substances;
2.5 providing such information, instruction, training and supervision as it necessary to ensure, the health and safety of those who use the church premises;
2.6 providing and maintaining 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
2.7 arranging for suitable induction programmes and training; consulting, where necessary, with all employees, leaders, helpers and volunteers on the implementation and effectiveness of this policy and of any necessary changes.
2.8 endeavouring to ensure that adequate funds and resources are made available for carrying out this Policy.
3 Overall responsibility for the fulfillment of this Policy lies with Church Meeting.
3.1 The appointed Health & Safety Officer is Mr. Christopher Clarke.
3.2 The Church Officers together with the appointed Health & Safety Officer. 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 office holder will:
4.1 carry out appropriate risk assessments (these to be reviewed annually) of the church’s premises and activities and report to the Church Officers as necessary;
4.2 co-ordinate the implementation of the church’s Health and Safety Policy (including Fire Safety);
4.3 carry out investigations of any accidents and recommend measures for preventing their recurrence;
4.4 ensure that accident and other appropriate records are regularly inspected, maintained.
4.5 ensure that all appropriate arrangements are made to provide for first aid;
4.6 ensure that all Food Safety legislation is complied with, as far as the church is reasonably able to comply.
4.7 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;
4.8 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;
4.9 ensure that access to and from emergency exits and fire equipment are not impaired and that stairways and passageways are kept free from obstructions other than of a temporary and partial nature.
5 All employees, leaders, helpers and volunteers, and any other groups or persons using the premises will:
5.1 take reasonable care of their health and safety, and of the health and safety and of other persons who may be affected by a person’s act or omissions while working or helping.
5.2 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;
5.3 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;
5.4 make themselves familiar with and conform to the Health and Safety Policy of the church at all times;
5.5 observe all safety rules, procedures, and codes of practice at all times, and in particular, they must be fully conversant with the procedures to be followed in the event of a fire or any other emergency;
5.6 conform to all the Food Safety regulations that are applicable to them;
5.7 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 training if called upon to do so;
5.8 record in an accident book and report to the church’s Health & Safety Officer all accidents or hazardous occurrences or dangers whether persons are injured or not as soon as is reasonably practicable;
5.9 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;
5.10 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.
Specific procedure and safety arrangements.
Risk Assessment
The Health and Safety Officer will identify hazards and perform a Risk Assessment. The outcome of this assessment will be recorded and kept in the Health and Safety Folder. The significant findings of this assessment will be made available to employees, leaders, helpers and volunteers as necessary;
Where actions are needed to reduce or eliminate risk, the Health and Safety Officer and the Church Officers will decide upon a time scale by which the corrective actions are to be completed. This will be based on the principle of “As Low As Reasonably Practicable” (Such decisions upon a time scale and corrective actions to be notified to church members as soon as is practical to do so).
Any person discovering a hazard must inform the Health and Safety Officer as soon as possible. In the case of serious and immediate danger, the correct emergency procedures must be followed.
Electrical equipment and wiring
The electrical wiring within the building(s) will be inspected every five years, or at a duration that has been suggested by the contractor performing the tests. A NICEIC contractor will perform the periodic inspection and test in accordance with BS7671 (formerly the IE Wiring Regulations).
No person is to make any alterations to the electrical installation without prior agreement from the Church Officers.
Portable electrical appliances will be maintained, inspected and tested routinely. This will be done at least every two years, or at a duration that has been suggested by the contractor performing the tests.
Certificates of wiring inspections, alterations and portable appliance test records will be kept in the Health and Safety File.
Please ensure that electrical equipment is used safely, following the manufacturer’s instructions. Do not overload sockets, avoid using extension leads where possible and take care to prevent tripping hazards when laying cables.
Fire Extinguishers
The Fire Extinguishers within the premises will be periodically examined and tested as recommended by the Service Company (presently yearly). The Service Company will also advise on the purchase of replacement or supplemental equipment. The certificate for the inspection and test will be displayed for one year (or until the next inspection and test), after which it will be kept on file.
Fire extinguishers will be examined for damage and use monthly by the Health and Safety Officer.
Extinguishers must not be removed from their locations except in an emergency, or for the purposes of carrying out maintenance.
Fire extinguishers should only be used by persons competent in their safe use, taking care to use the correct type of extinguisher for the hazard in question.
First Aid
First aid kits are available in the Upper Room and downstairs in the Kitchen area of the Schoolroom and are clearly marked. If the contents of any first aid kit is used, the Health and Safety Officer must be informed.
First aid kits will be checked regularly by the Health and Safety Officer to ensure that the contents are complete, that none of the contents have dates which have expired and that no medicines or other preparations are contained within the kit.
This policy was agreed and adopted by a resolution of a Church Member’s Meeting dated : 19th September 2013