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Health and Safety Policy

BUSBY PARISH CHURCH

HEALTH AND SAFETY POLICY DOCUMENT

 

Contents:

  1.  Health and Safety Statement
  2. Role and Responsibilities
  3. Procedures
  1.  Fire Safety
  2. Electrical Safety
  3. Routine inspections of procedures
  4. Risk assessment and risk management
  5. Accident reporting
  6. First Aid
  7. Communication of Health and Safety information

Health and Safety Statement:

  • To provide adequate control of the health and safety risks arising from all of the Congregations activities;
  • To provide and maintain safe premises and equipment;
  • To prevent accidents, so far as reasonably practicable;
  • To maintain safe and healthy working conditions and premises;
  • To ensure safe handling and use of substances;
  • To provide information, instruction and supervision for employees when required;
  • To ensure all employees are competent to do their tasks and to give them adequate training if necessary;
  • To consult with employees and any relevant persons on matters affecting their health and safety.

Responsibilities and Risk Assessment;

Responsibility for health and safety matters rests with the Health and Safety Officer, Property Convenor, Food and Hygiene Officer and those overseeing the use of church premises; they will carry out regular risk assessments (including fire safety, security and theft assessments) for all the Congregation’s properties.

The Health and Safety Officer and the Property Convenor, will be responsible for dealing with the health and safety matters arising on a day to day basis.  It will be their responsibility to ensure, as far as reasonably practicable, that employees, members of the Congregation and members of the public, generally, are not exposed to avoidable risks.

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Employees, volunteers and those using the Church and Halls should take appropriate steps to protect their own health and safety, with any risks or concerns, being reported to the Health and Safety Officer and the Property Convenor, as soon as possible.

Accidents and First Aid

  • A first Aid Box is available;
  • All accidents and cases of work related ill health will be recorded in the Accident Book;
  • The Health and Safety Officer will be responsible for reporting accidents to the Local Authority where there is an obligation to do so.

     

EMERGENCY PROCEDURES:

Fire and Evacuation

The Health and Safety Officer and the Property Convenor will be responsible for ensuring that fire risk assessments are undertaken and implemented and that appropriate fire safety measures and evacuation procedures are in place.

Management of Asbestos

Appropriate measures to deal with any related asbestos risk management will be undertaken promptly.

 

USE OF THE CHURCH HALLS:

All users of the Church Halls, particularly Non-Congregational groups and their leaders are reminded that they are required to take all reasonable steps to ensure that their activities are safe and the persons they are responsible for are not subject to risk.  In particular, all users and leaders should be aware of fire safety procedures.

 

On behalf of Busby Parish Church

 

Signed:                                                                      Date:

 

 

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HEALTH AND SAFETY MANAGEMENT SYSTEM

The Health and Safety Management System for Busby Parish Church will address the issues of legal compliance and follow best practice procedures in addition to using the guidance from HSE publication HSG65 – “Managing Health and Safety”

Health and Safety Roles and Responsibilities

The Health and Safety Officer will:

  • Be responsible for all Health and Safety Matters, including Food Safety;
  • Have regular meetings with the Church’s Property Convenor and Food and Hygiene Officer, to provide safe premises; to discuss safe practices and procedures and to control measures to minimise risk;
  • Together with the Property Convenor, arrange to conduct hazard spotting of fabric, fire fighting, security and other risk factors on a six monthly basis;
  • Oversee that fire extinguishers have been checked annually;
  • On a regular basis, arrange to review emergency plans for safe evacuation of people from all Church premises in the event of a fire;
  • Note all communications from the Law Department of the Church of Scotland regarding Health and Safety matters.

The Property Convenor will:

  • Work with the Health and Safety Officer in attending to provide safe premises, to discuss safe practices and procedures and to control measures to minimise risk, including exposure to harmful substances;
  • Work with the Health and Safety Officer in conducting hazard spotting inspections of fabric, fire fighting and other risk factors on a six monthly basis;
  • Arrange to have all fire extinguishers checked annually.

The Minister

The minister or Moderator of the Kirk Session will:

  • Be responsible for agreeing policy, practices and procedures;
  • Advise the Health and Safety Officer on any main issues in connection with the safety of congregational property and premises.

      Those overseeing the use of Church Premises

      Those overseeing the use of Church Premises will:

  • Note the above detailed roles and responsibilities and refer to the appropriate person on any matter or concerns for a Health and Safety matter.

     

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All Leaders of Organisation, Groups, etc. using Church Premises

All leaders of Organisations, Groups, etc. using Church Premises will be responsible for ensuring:

  • That members of their organisation or group are not exposed to avoidable risk;
  • That members of their organisation or group are informed of practices and procedures in relation to discovering a hazard, discovering a fire, fire and accident reporting.

FORMAL PROCEDURES

  1.  Fire Safety

     

  • We will display notices of fire action signs to indicate what should be done when a fire is discovered;
  • We will display fire action signs to indicate an evacuation procedure;
  • We will display fire action signs to indicate assembly points;
  • We will clearly mark all exits;
  • We will always arrange to have fire exits clear of obstacles;
  • We will arrange to have all fire extinguishers checked annually ;
  • We will ensure that all combustible material is removed from Church premises;
  • We will communicate to all persons the importance of switching off electrical equipment when locking up the Church premises to ensure they are left in a safe condition;
  • It will be the responsibility of the Health and Safety Officer in conjunction with the Property Convenor and all other officer bearers of the Church to see that all the above fire safety procedures are carried out effectively.

     

  1. Electrical Safety (to comply with the Electricity at Work Regulations 1989)

     

  • We will ensure the periodic inspection of fixed wiring (every five years) and arrange for remedial action to be taken when wiring is found to be in a poor condition;
  • We will arrange for a two yearly inspection of all portable electrical appliances i.e. portable appliances which are connected to the mains supply via an electrical plug;
  • We will compile a record (including a test record) of all portable electrical equipment;
  • We will use competent electrical contractors for any work in the Church and Church premises;
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  • We will communicate to all persons, the importance of switching off electrical equipment when locking up Church premises to ensure property is left in a safe condition;
  • It will be the responsibility of the Health and Safety Officer in conjunction with the Property Convenor and other office bearers, to ensure that all the electrical safety procedures above, are carried out effectively.

Routine Inspections

Active monitoring and hazard spotting routine inspections should be carried out to cover:

  • The Church interior;
  • The Church Gallery;
  • The Church Hall and Stage Hall;
  • Dow Room;
  • East Room;
  • Office;
  • Vestry;
  • Kitchen;
  • Toilets;
  • Basement storage area and Boiler Room;
  • Corridors;
  • All steps, pathways and entrances;
  • The exterior of the Church and Premises.

Risk Assessment and Risk Management

In conducting the routine inspections, due regard to assessing and managing risks will be of paramount importance, since the process of risk assessment is a legal responsibility.

Areas such as walkways, flooring, warning signs and highlighting hot surfaces should be considered.

The use of ladders is very important and it will be our policy that ladders are used only for low risk and short duration work.

Accident Reporting (including incident reporting and investigation)

An Accident Reporting Book will be made available, and will contain instructions for the completion of an accident record.

The Health and Safety Officer will be responsible for all reports of accidents and all accidents will be investigated.

 

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First Aid

A First Aid box is available.  The stock items in the first aid box will be checked regularly and items replaced when necessary.

 

Communication of Health and Safety Information

The information contained in this Health and Safety policy will be communicated to all office bearers of Busby Church and to all leaders of organisations using Church premises.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Page last updated: Monday 17th August 2020 1:05 PM
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