guidace otes CHURCH FUNCTIONS Versio 5
Cotets Itroductio 3 Plaig a evet 4 Boucy castles 12 Bofires ad firework displays 14 Hirig agreemets ad sigig idemities 16 Sources of iformatio 17 Attachmets Lettig of church premises Up to date guidace otes o a rage of importat topics are available o our dedicated web site for church customers at www.ecclesiastical.com/churchmatters/churchguidace. For ay additioal advice or help please cotact your local Isurace Cosultat ad Surveyor or call our church customer services team o 0345 777 3322. Whilst Ecclesiastical Isurace Group plc has used reasoable edeavours to esure that the iformatio i this publicatio is correct at the time of publicatio, please ote: (a) the iformatio is ot iteded to costitute a defiitive or complete statemet of the law o ay subject, or is ay part of it iteded to costitute legal advice for ay specific situatio; (b) the iformatio may over the course of time become icorrect or out of date; ad (c) Ecclesiastical Isurace Group plc caot accept ay resposibility for actio take as a result of iformatio provided i this publicatio. You should take specific advice whe dealig with specific situatios. The iformatio provided i this publicatio is geeral ad educatioal i ature ad may ot reflect all recet legal developmets ad may ot apply to the specific facts of idividual circumstaces. You assume sole resposibility for the use of this documet ad should obtai specialist advice i relatio to its use i specific circumstaces. Accordigly, Ecclesiastical Isurace Group plc ad its subsidiaries shall ot be liable for ay losses, damages, charges or expeses, whether direct, idirect, or cosequetial ad howsoever arisig, that you suffer or icur as a result of or i coectio with your use or reliace o the iformatio provided i this documet except for those which caot be excluded by law.
CHURCH FUNCTIONS GUIDANCE NOTES 3 Free guides full of practical advice ad iformatio Keepig a church safe is o easy matter. You have to be sure you have doe everythig you ca to miimise the risks to your church, workers ad visitors, ad that everyoe kows what to do if aythig goes wrog. That s why Ecclesiastical has produced a rage of helpful guides o how to keep thigs ruig safely ad smoothly. Writte by isurace experts, the guides give you step-by-step practical support to help you ad your church. You ca fid further guidace o our dedicated web site for our church customers at www.ecclesiastical.com/churchmatters/ churchguidace. For further iformatio cotact your local Isurace Cosultat ad Surveyor or call us o 0345 777 3322 Moday to Friday. 8am to 6pm (excludig bak holidays). We may moitor or record calls to improve our service. You ca email us at churches@ecclesiastical.com Or Visit www.ecclesiastical.com/churchmatters pg4 Plaig a evet Pla well ahead to esure that your garde party, fair or fête will be successful. pg12 Boucy castles May ijuries could be avoided by effective adult supervisio. pg 14 About Ecclesiastical Ecclesiastical was established i 1887 to protect the Aglica Church ad we re still committed to doig this today. Ecclesiastical doates all available profits to our owers, Allchurches Trust Limited, a registered charity, eablig the Trust to cotiue to support the church ad other charitable istitutios. Bofires ad firework displays It is vital that cotractors have adequate Public ad Employers liability isurace. Note: Ecclesiastical provides these guidace otes without additioal charge to Ecclesiastical Church Isurace policyholders. This advice is provided to you as best practice guidace from Ecclesiastical Isurace. Please check your policy documets for details of ay coditios specific to your policy.
4 GUIDANCE NOTES CHURCH FUNCTIONS Plaig a evet The orgaisatio of evets has log bee a method used by churches for fudraisig ad, i the mai, has proved to be very successful. However, without adequate plaig ad orgaisatio, the ruig of such activities ca lead to accidets ad ijuries. You must check that ay outside cotractors have their ow liability isuraces. The followig is desiged to give some isight ito the areas to be cosidered whe orgaisig such evets, but should ot be cosidered exhaustive. Legislatio All etertaimet evets are classed as work activities ad therefore are subject to the Health ad Safety at Work Act ad the various regulatios passed uder it. I additio licesig legislatio may also apply ad you may require a Temporary Evet Notice from the local licesig authority. A evet orgaiser has a duty to esure that ay premises, icludig churchyards ad other ope spaces, meas of access ad egress ad ay plat, equipmet ad substaces are safe ad without risks to the health of ay employees, voluteers or visitors. A commo duty of care also arises uder the Occupiers Liability Act 1957 to esure that visitors will be reasoably safe i carryig out the activities for which they were ivited, or permitted to be, at the evet. Remember that the Health ad Safety Executive (HSE) ow regards persos who make use of voluteers as employers ad voluteers as employees. The same level of traiig, iformatio ad protectio must be provided to both employees ad voluteers. If you re plaig ay evet which icludes activities of a hazardous ature such as abseilig or bugee jumpig, the you must otify Ecclesiastical ad esure that adequate cover is i place before the evet takes place. If outside cotractors are employed to provide major attractios, the evet orgaiser should check with the attractio provider that they hold adequate Public ad Employers Liability isurace with a idemity limit ot less tha that of the orgaiser s ow isurace, ad that the evet orgaiser is idemified as a pricipal uder the cotractor s policy. A copy of the attractio provider s policy should be obtaied. Persos who are ot members of your orgaisatio, but who are asked to ru sideshows, such as rides, stalls, displays ad the like, should provide their ow Public Liability isurace to cover both property damage ad accidet or ijury to members of the public. Cotractual agreemets You should carefully check ay cotractual agreemets i coectio with attractio providers or the hirig of premises or equipmet. Some cotracts may attempt to make you resposible for ay damage or ijury, regardless of how this was caused, ad should be resisted. Isurace The cover provided by your policy is oly iteded for maistream fudraisig, such as social activities or evets, but ot those where there is a high risk of serious ijury.
CHURCH FUNCTIONS GUIDANCE NOTES 5 Commuicatios There should be clear lies of commuicatio betwee those ivolved i orgaisig a evet ad idividuals who should have clearly defied areas of resposibility. The followig eed to be cosidered: Are buildigs large eough, with sufficiet etraces ad exits for the umbers aticipated? Are the exits clearly marked? If the evet is spread over a large site, or over more tha oe floor of a buildig, establishig a cetral cotrol poit could prove useful, with a specified perso to take overall cotrol ad with resposibility to summo the emergecy services. The locatio of the earest accessible telephoes should be kow, or a fully charged mobile telephoe should be provided. Are sufficiet fire extiguishers provided? Do exhibitors or stallholders eed to brig i equipmet? Are doorways wide eough to accommodate such equipmet? Are there awkward steps or corridors to egotiate? Are there sufficiet umbers of people to help uload? Will vehicles eed to be brought close to the etrace ad what are the traffic implicatios? Thik about how the orgaiser will commuicate with the public attedig the evet, particularly if the evet is i the ope air. Plaig the veue Orgaisers eed to cosider the suitability of the proposed veue. Whilst the owers of ay buildigs ad lad that are used have a resposibility to esure that their property is safe, it is the orgaisers who have a primary resposibility for iitially choosig veues that are suitable i terms of size ad access. A fire risk assessmet will eed to be carried out i accordace with the provisios of The Regulatory Reform (Fire Safety) Order 2005. The owers of the property should cofirm that there is o breach of ay lease, teacy or ay similar agreemet. Maual hadlig A risk assessmet must be carried out of all maual hadlig tasks. Maual hadlig must be avoided if at all possible or mechaical hadlig aids such as trolleys used for movig heavy equipmet. If chairs ad tables eed movig or settig up, there should be sufficiet umbers of able-bodied people to assist. The poor hadlig of loads is oe of the major causes of back ijuries ad permaet disablemet. People with a history of back problems should ot udertake heavy liftig activities. The erectio of temporary stagig ad lightig gatries must oly be udertake by traied professioals.
6 GUIDANCE NOTES CHURCH FUNCTIONS The provisio of food ad drik at a evet may ot be cosidered hazardous by may; however, food poisoig is o the icrease. Electrical istallatios All electrical istallatios must comply with the Electricity at Work Regulatios 1989 ad must be istalled by a recogised authorised ad qualified electrical cotractor i accordace with IET Wirig Regulatios plus ay formal amedmets, uder BS 7671. Oly electrical cotractors with Full Scope registratio or membership to work o commercial istallatios with the Natioal Ispectio Coucil for Electrical Istallatio Cotractig (NICEIC), the Electrical Cotractors Associatio (ECA) or the Natioal Associatio of Professioal Ispectors ad Testers (NAPIT) should be employed. Ayoe brigig portable electrical appliaces o to the site must be able to show that the equipmet is correctly maitaied ad has bee subject to routie ispectio ad testig. Crowd cotrol Crowd cotrol is a importat factor i accidet prevetio ad attetio to detail durig the plaig stage will assist i a smooth, accidet-free evet. Cosideratio should be give to the followig: parkig facilities for both etertaiers ad visitors vehicle ad pedestria etraces ad cogestio oe-way systems, pressure poits, queues, etc adequate meas of escape icludig checkig fire exits are ulocked cordoig off of hazardous areas provisio of adequately traied marshals emergecy evacuatio procedures. First aid A risk assessmet must be udertake as to the extet of first aid provisio required. This will be based o the umbers attedig ad the ature of the activities. Provisio may rage from a simple first aid box to a umber of traied first aiders. All marshals ad others i cotrol must be made clearly aware of the extet ad locatio of first aid facilities. A emergecy pla must also be i place i the evet of someoe havig to be take to hospital or eedig to receive emergecy treatmet. Food ad drik The provisio of food ad drik at a evet may ot be cosidered hazardous by may; however, food poisoig is o the icrease ad food hygiee ad the requiremets of the Food Safety Act 1990 ad other food hygiee regulatios must be cosidered. Where cookig takes place, a check should be made o the method of heatig, e.g. bottled gas, ad its associated hazards. Mobile food vas ad trailers must ot be located where they could be a hazard, or put childre at risk from movig traffic. Particular care eeds to be take with deep fat fryig. Alcohol Alcohol is a major cotributor to may serious accidets. If the evet features potetially hazardous activities, the sale of alcohol should be restricted or baed altogether. Aimals If aimals feature as part of the evet (dokey rides, pet shows, obediece trials, for example), there eeds to be adequate separatio betwee the public ad the aimals, ad provisio must be made for the welfare of the aimals ad their supervisio. Cosideratio should be give to whether visitors (as opposed to competitors or those displayig) should be allowed to brig dogs ad their cotrol.
All etertaimet evets are classed as work activities ad therefore are subject to the Health ad Safety at Work Act.
8 GUIDANCE NOTES CHURCH FUNCTIONS Every stall or attractio should be provided with a cash box of some kid i which to collect etry charges ad paymets. Fairgroud rides These should be provided with a Safety Test Certificate. The evet orgaiser should liaise with the ride operator to esure that the requiremets laid out i the relevat HSE Guidace Note ca be fully met. Cash hadlig Cosideratio must be give before the evet to the hadlig of cash ad the security of those ivolved i collectig ad bakig moey. Every stall or attractio should be provided with a cash box of some kid i which to collect etry charges ad paymets. A float will be required for each cash collectio poit at the start of the evet, ad takigs must be removed regularly durig the course of the evet so that large sums of cash do t build up. If admissio ad other charges are set at a roud amout, this avoids the eed for large amouts of small chage. Sellig tickets i advace will reduce the amout of cash you have to hadle o the day itself. A secure place must be decided upo i advace i which to collect cash ad cout it prior to bakig. A safe could be used to keep cash i overight before bakig the ext day. Check with Ecclesiastical that your safe is suitable for the amout you wish to keep. If it is cosidered safe to do so, you could make use of a bak ight safe facility. Ideally a professioal security compay should be used to collect cash o the same day. Remember the safety of people is always more importat tha the protectio of moey. Dagerous activities The evet orgaisers must take all reasoable steps to esure the safety of participats as far as possible. May of these activities are operated through Codes of Practice, Health ad Safety Executive Guidelies ad Guidace Notes, Trade Associatio guidelies ad Govermet regulatios. A check should be made with the operator to establish if such cotrols exist ad if so that they are followed. Where there is ay doubt, the activity should be abadoed. I the evet that ay dagerous activity is to be orgaised, Ecclesiastical must be advised as Public Liability cover will ot be automatic. Dagerous activities iclude: Abseilig Archery Assault course Ballooig Barfly jumpig BMX cyclig Bofire ad firework displays or similar Bugee jumpig Caoeig Cavig Clay-pigeo shootig Drivig of ay vehicle by persos who would ot be allowed to drive such a vehicle o the public highway Dry slope skiig Flyig Glidig Horse-ridig Jet-skiig Parachute jumpig Pole climbig Poy-trekkig Rock climbig Sub-aqua divig Swimmig Water-skiig This list is ot exhaustive ad ay other activity which you cosider may be dagerous must be otified to Ecclesiastical.
CHURCH FUNCTIONS GUIDANCE NOTES 9 Parades ad charity walks Large umbers of people walkig alog roads obviously creates a hazard, ad uless adequate precautios are take to safeguard walkers, there is a high risk of death ad ijury. I hours of darkess, the dager is eve greater ad therefore The Royal Society for the Prevetio of Accidets (RoSPA) discourages walks at ight. Whereas i the past the Police would take cotrol of walks ad parades, close roads, stop traffic ad provide geeral marshallig, they are ow much less likely to be prepared to do so. This meas that there is a much greater resposibility o the Parochial Church Coucil to provide the ecessary stewardig. RoSPA advice for charity walks A miimum age of at least 16 years is preferable Where youger persos are icluded they should be adequately supervised by resposible adults Suitable walkig footwear should be wor Bright clothig should be wor by walkers to help drivers to see them. Durig the day, wearig somethig fluorescet is best. I the dark walkers should wear retro-reflective materials The Police should be asked for their advice o choice of route, time ad day ad their directios should be obeyed I ay evet, heavily trafficked roads should be avoided, especially at ight Walkers should be started at itervals; mass starts are dagerous The start ad fiish should be off the road Iitial plaig The followig should be doe before the evet: Walkers should be remided of the requiremets of the rules for pedestrias 1-35 ad the illustratios of sigals to other road users i the Highway Code cotact the local Police for guidace ad give them full details of the route, umbers ivolved, times ad ature of the walk or parade ask the Police if they are able to marshal the evet. They may still be prepared to do so i your area assess if ay official road closures are required for the evet. If so, cotact the local authority. Note there is ormally a charge for this applicatio carefully pla the route to avoid dagerous juctios ad miimise the umber of roads which eed to be crossed restrict walkers to a sigle side of the road recruit sufficiet umbers of safety marshals so they ca be positioed at all key poits; at road juctios, at the frot ad rear of the walkers ad alogside o the offside of the road Where there is o footpath, participats should walk o the right-had side of the road, facig ocomig traffic Ay vehicles used i a supervisory capacity should ot travel at a slow speed ad thus cause obstructio to other traffic I rural areas, walkers should be sure to close ay gates they have to pass through, so that aimals caot stray oto the highway There should be a follow-up system so that o participat is left behid eedig help provide marshals with high visibility jackets remember that members of the public do ot have ay legal powers to stop or direct traffic. However, drivers do have a duty of care ad should stop if someoe i a high visibility jacket is helpig childre to cross a road.
10 GUIDANCE NOTES CHURCH FUNCTIONS Visits ad outigs Visits ad outigs play a importat part i the life of may orgaisatios, givig people, both youg ad old, the opportuity to udertake activities away from their ormal surroudigs. Outigs ca rage from a simple trip to the shops or park, to a day out, or holidays lastig for a week or more. Whilst outigs ca be extremely beeficial, they must be carefully plaed to esure that all evetualities have bee cosidered ad thigs go smoothly ad accordig to pla. Risk assessmet Visits ad outigs are o differet to ay other activity ad the udertakig of a risk assessmet is the startig poit to esure that potetial risks are idetified, ad the appropriate cotrol measures put i place. Whilst a desk exercise could be udertake for the simplest of visits, where the assessor is familiar with the trip to be udertake, there is o substitute for a practical exercise. I most cases it will be ecessary for the assessor, accompaied by colleagues where appropriate, to carry out a test ru i order to idetify all the potetial hazards which may be ecoutered. The fidigs of the risk assessmet will eed to be recorded, ad the procedures which are put i place will the eed to be moitored ad adjusted as ecessary, based o the actual experieces of the trip itself. Areas to be cosidered whe udertakig the risk assessmet Whe carryig out the risk assessmet, the followig areas will eed to be cosidered ad the fidigs recorded. Some of these will be geeric i ature ad will apply i all cases, irrespective of the ature of the trip. I other cases, however, the specific ature of the trip will eed to be cosidered ad the cotrol measures modified accordigly. Staff-voluteer ratios It is of the utmost importace that there are sufficiet umbers of employees ad/or voluteers to cope with the umbers of people o the trip bearig i mid that as a geeral rule a higher ratio of staff to people will be required for trips away. They will be ufamiliar with their surroudigs, ad additioal staff will be required to deal with ay emergecy, while remaiig staff look after everyoe else. The jourey Cosideratio must be give to the mode of trasport ad a decisio take as to the most appropriate, depedig o the legth of the jourey. For short trips for a small umber of people, private cars may be suitable, whereas for loger joureys the use of public trasport will probably be required. Checks eed to be made that, where appropriate, vehicles are fitted with seat belts ad that access is possible for wheelchair users. Luggage space o some trais is ow limited ad it is essetial that checks are made that all equipmet eeded for the visit ca be accommodated. If private cars are used it is essetial to check that you have the correct motor isurace cover for the trip you are udertakig ad that drivers are properly qualified. The legth of the jourey, together with the eed for refreshmet ad toilet breaks must be take ito accout. The provisio of adequate ad suitable facilities alog the route is essetial. Medicatio ad first aid facilities The legth ad ature of the trip must be take ito accout whe decidig the level of first aid skills required ad the first aid equipmet which eeds to be carried. Medicatio will also eed to be take where appropriate ad a safety factor should be built i, if for some reaso the retur jourey
CHURCH FUNCTIONS GUIDANCE NOTES 11 is delayed. As a basic rule, the party should be self-sufficiet ad should ot have to rely o obtaiig medical supplies e route. Locatio A thorough ivestigatio must be udertake of the proposed destiatio, particularly bearig i mid those with physical disabilities, icludig wheelchair users. The presece of ueve surfaces, large umbers of steps ad stairs, ad difficult access for wheelchairs eeds to be oted ad avoided if possible. Geeral hazards also eed to be cosidered bearig i mid the particular group. This would iclude such features as busy roads ad uprotected areas of water. Cotigecy plaig The risk assessmet eeds to take accout of thigs ot all goig accordig to pla. This would iclude vehicle breakdows or trais beig delayed. Alterative meas of trasport or meas of lookig after persos whilst delayed eed to be cosidered. It is essetial that members of staff have adequate meas of commuicatio, such as mobile phoes, ad that there are members of staff remaiig o your premises who ca be cotacted ad asked to put emergecy plas ito operatio. Adveture activity cetres Adveture activity cetres providig cavig, climbig, trekkig ad water sports activities have to be ispected ad, where appropriate, licesed. The Adveture Activities Licesig Service is a Govermet-sposored scheme, which was itroduced i 1996 uder the Adveture Activities Licesig Regulatios. The scheme esures that those who provide certai adveture activities to youg people uder the age of 18 years, will have their safety maagemet systems ispected. Where appropriate, a licece is the issued. O 1st April 2007, ad as a result of widespread govermet regulatory reorgaisatio, the resposibility for implemetig the regulatios was trasferred to the Health ad Safety Executive (HSE). The orgaisatio that carries out ispectios ad issues liceces o the HSE's behalf is TQS Ltd uder cotract to the Adveture Activities Licesig Authority. Before orgaisig ay trip to a Adveture Activity Cetre you must esure that it has bee properly ivestigated ad licesed ad that it also holds its ow Public Liability Isurace. Documetatio Followig the risk assessmet, detailed plas ad procedures eed to be produced, otig exactly how the visit or outig is to be udertake. This should iclude a checklist of all the items which will eed to be take, icludig medicatio, emergecy supplies ad cotact ames ad telephoe umbers.
12 GUIDANCE NOTES CHURCH FUNCTIONS Boucy castles Govermet statistics idicate that every year there are a large umber of accidets resultig i ijuries to childre arisig from the use of iflatable boucy castles withi the UK. May of the ijuries were serious, icludig broke boes ad severe laceratios. The scale of the problem has ot goe uoticed by hospital casualty departmets ad guidelies have bee issued by various maufacturers associatios i cojuctio with the Health ad Safety Executive. Most of the ijuries are caused by childre boucig off the iflatable o to the groud, beig hit by other childre or just fallig awkwardly. May of these accidets could be avoided by effective adult supervisio. These otes are iteded to give some guidace to those proposig to hire iflatable boucy castles as part of a fudraisig evet, a fête or a private fuctio, such as a birthday party. The equipmet should be hired from reputable hire compaies, ad wherever possible, set up, operated ad supervised by the hire compay s ow staff. This is particularly importat if substatial umbers of childre are likely to be preset. BS EN 14960 aims to miimise the level of risk ad the possibility of serious ijury, whilst allowig childre to ejoy themselves whe playig i or o a iflatable. The Stadard specifies safety requiremets for iflatable play equipmet. It sets out appropriate measures to address the risks ad miimise accidets to users for those ivolved i the desig, maufacture ad supply of iflatable play equipmet. It specifies iformatio to be supplied with the equipmet, as well as detailig levels of supervisio, ispectio ad maiteace programmes.
CHURCH FUNCTIONS GUIDANCE NOTES 13 BS EN 14960 does t apply to devices classified as toys, devices for use i pools or privately owed devices ot hired out for reward. Before hirig Before hirig a boucy castle, esure that the hire compay: 1 fully complies with the safe use ad operatio of play iflatables, icludig boucy castles guidace issued by the PIPA Iflatable Play Ispector Scheme. This guidace ca be dowloaded from www.pipa.org.uk 2 employees are suitably experieced ad well traied adult persoel, where the compay is resposible for settig up, operatio ad supervisio of the boucy castle 3 provides evidece of a curret Public Liability isurace policy with a limit of idemity of at least 2 millio. This isurace is to cover the liability of the hire compay. It s ulikely to exted to cover the hirer of the equipmet. Self-operatio If you are to operate the boucy castle, i additio to items 1 ad 3 above, esure that you are provided with writte istructios about the safe settig up, operatio ad supervisio of the equipmet, ad that the ame ad address of the maufacturer or supplier is clearly marked upo it. Safety istructios The safety istructios should iclude the followig poits: 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 Childre should ot be allowed to use the boucy castle if there is a high wid or i wet weather (iflatables ca flip over, ad slippery surfaces may cause ijury) The castle must be adequately secured to the groud ad sited away from obstacles, such as feces or overhead power lies Soft mattig coverig hard surfaces must be placed adjacet to the frot or ope sides There should be resposible adult supervisio, payig close attetio to the childre at play at all times durig its use The umber of childre usig the boucy castle must be limited to the umber recommeded i the hire compay s safety istructios. There must be o overcrowdig A rota system for differet age or size groups should be operated, together with havig a age limit for users. (It is suggested that childre over 10 years of age should ot use the equipmet) All childre must be made to remove footwear, hard or sharp objects such as jewellery, buckles, pes ad other similar pocket cotets. Eatig while boucig or performig acrobatics must ot be allowed Resposible adult supervisio esures childre have fu i a safe eviromet.
14 GUIDANCE NOTES CHURCH FUNCTIONS Bofires ad firework displays The presece of icediary devices ad crowds of people ca result i persoal ijury or property damage. These guidace otes, if followed, will help to esure that your evet will be coducted without ayoe beig ijured. Where possible the display should be orgaised ad operated by the maufacturer of the fireworks or a professioal operator. You should esure that they have adequate Public ad Employers Liability isurace. Before settig up your evet, make sure you have iformed your local Fire Brigade ad Police ad secured attedace by a first aid associatio, if deemed ecessary Prepare a drill for callig out the emergecy services. You should also iform your local authority (you may require a licece) Keep spectators at a safe distace preferably 50 metres away; but at least 25 metres away from a fireworks display Remember to take wid directio ito accout A rope or a strog barrier should be used to clearly mark off the display area Keep well clear of buildigs, trees ad other hazards, such as overhead electricity ad telephoe cables The site chose should have as may etraces ad exits as possible ad should be kept clear of obstructios Etraces ad exits should be well lit ad clearly sigposted To esure proper crowd cotrol, you should arrage for stewards to be preset at least oe steward for every 250 spectators. Stewards should be easy to idetify (perhaps by usig fluorescet bibs or jackets). The stewardig team should be aware of what to do i a emergecy ad should have practised these drills thoroughly before the evet. Regulatio ad cotrols The referece stadard for fireworks is BS EN 14035, which has partially replaced BS 7114. The primary cotrol o the supply ad acquisitio of fireworks are the Fireworks (Safety) Regulatios 1997 as ameded by the Fireworks (Safety) (Amedmet) Regulatios 2004 ad the Pyrotechics Articles (Safety) Regulatios 2010. Uder these regulatios oly certai defied fireworks withi BS categories 1, 2 ad 3 may be supplied to the public. Category 4 ad larger category 2 ad 3 fireworks are prohibited to the public ad may oly be supplied to specified types of people, which iclude a professioal orgaiser or operator of firework displays. Detailed guidace is available from the Departmet for Busiess, Iovatio ad Skills website, www.bis.gov.uk Fireworks: be safe ot sorry URN 10/1039. Fireworks display Where possible the display should be orgaised ad operated by the maufacturer of the fireworks or a professioal operator. Whe employig a exteral cotractor, it s vital that you obtai writte cofirmatio that they have adequate Public ad Employers Liability isurace. I a recet case, a club committee was foud to be liable for damages followig a ijury, eve though a cotractor was udertakig the fireworks display. The club believed them to be isured; they were ot, ad it was held that the club failed to select a suitable cotractor for the fireworks display. Where it
CHURCH FUNCTIONS GUIDANCE NOTES 15 is ot possible to employ professioals, a resposible adult from the orgaisig committee should be give sole cotrol of storage ad lightig of fireworks. Oly use fireworks which comply with BS EN 14035. Try to recruit at least oe perso with previous experiece of orgaisig firework displays The display area should be at least 50 metres x 50 metres ad a additioal droppig zoe of 100 metres x 50 metres for spet fireworks Car parkig areas should be sited well away from the display area ad droppig zoe. Sigpost clearly ad keep vehicular etraces away from pedestria access Do ot allow ay spectators to eter the site with their ow fireworks ad clearly display sigs to this effect at each etrace Fireworks should be stored i a metal cotaier ad removed oe at a time with the lid replaced each time Fireworks which fail to igite should ot be retured to the metal cotaier ad o attempt should be made to relight them Fireworks should oly be used i accordace with the maufacturer s istructios Firefightig equipmet, such as extiguishers, buckets of water ad sad, should be available close by Crowds should be cotrolled at a safe distace behid barriers ad the wid directio take ito accout whe settig the display Bofires Keep the bofire well away from ay fireworks display Dagerous rubbish, such as foam-filled furiture, aerosols, tis of pait ad bottles should ot be bured The bofire should be stable ad checked to esure that it will ot fall to oe side Paraffi, petrol or solvets should ot be used to light the fire; use firelighters istead Bofires should be kept to a maageable size ad additioal materials to be burt kept at a safe distace The bofire should be uder the cotrol of a resposible adult, ad oe perso should be i charge of all safety arragemets Firefightig equipmet should be available, such as a hose, fire extiguishers ad buckets of water ad sad Qualified first aiders with suitable equipmet should atted all orgaised bofires ad firework displays Water should be poured o the embers of the fire ad the site should ot be left util the bofire is out ad safe
16 GUIDANCE NOTES CHURCH FUNCTIONS Hirig agreemets ad sigig idemities O occasio, you may be asked to sig a idemity for others (the pricipal ) whe usig their lad or property. For example, some orgaisatios such as local authorities may ask for a idemity if you use their lad for ope-air evets or their buildigs for meetigs. Sometimes the documet you will be asked to sig will make you resposible for ay damage or ijury however caused, whether as a result of your egligece or ot. These are oerous terms ad should be resisted. If, for example, whilst you are usig the premises, a completely fortuitous fire occurs, perhaps because of faulty wirig, there is o reaso why you should be made resposible for the cost of repairig the buildig or for ijuries to others. The orgaisatio s ow property ad liability isuraces should apply. We advise you ot to sig such documets. Whe challeged, may orgaisatios are willig to amed terms. You should seek legal advice if you are i ay way doubtful about your cotractual obligatios. As far as your policy is cocered, we oly provide liability isurace for the pricipal for icidets that are based upo your legal liability, i.e. through your egligece. Cover operates whe the claim happes to be made agaist the pricipal rather tha you, but where we would have accepted the claim agaist you uder the liability sectio of the policy. The policy does ot provide the pricipal with liability cover or property damage cover simply because you have siged a full idemity documet.
CHURCH FUNCTIONS GUIDANCE NOTES 17 Sources of iformatio The Health ad Safety Executive www.hse.gov.uk Royal Society for the Prevetio of Accidets RoSPA House, 28 Calthorpe Road, Edgbasto Birmigham, B15 1RP Tel 0121 248 2000 Fax 0121 248 2001 Email help@rospa.com www.rospa.com The Fire Protectio Associatio Lodo Road, Moreto-i-Marsh Gloucestershire, GL56 0RH Tel 01608 812500 Fax 01608 812501 Email fpa@thefpa.co.uk www.thefpa.co.uk Food Stadards Agecy Aviatio House, 125 Kigsway Lodo, WC2B 6NH Tel 020 7276 8829 Email helplie@foodstadards.gsi.gov.uk www.food.gov.uk Eviromet Agecy Natioal Customer Cotact Cetre PO Box 544, Rotherham, S60 1BY Tel 03708 506 506 Email equiries@evirometagecy.gov.uk www.eviromet-agecy.gov.uk Commuities ad Local Govermet 2 Marsham Street Lodo, SW1P 4DF Tel 0303 444 0000 www.gov.uk/govermet/orgaisatios/ departmet-for-commuities-ad-localgovermet
18 GUIDANCE NOTES CHURCH FUNCTIONS
Health ad safety guidace otes i coectio with the lettig of church premises We would suggest that the Parochial Church Coucil draw up a formal lettig agreemet for the use of the church ad hall ad ay other buildigs by third parties. I additio to the provisio for makig good ay loss or damage to the buildig ad cotets, the agreemet should iclude procedures to follow i the evet of accidets. A accidet book should be located o the premises. Oe of the lettig coditios should be as follows: Hirers are remided that they are resposible for ay accidet or ijury arisig out of the activity for which they have booked the premises. It is the resposibility of the hirer to esure that the premises are safe for the purposes for which they ited to use them. The agreemet should draw the attetio of hirers to the fact that they are primarily liable for ay accidet or ijury which arises out of their activities whilst usig the premises.
Hirers of the (isert church/hall, etc) are required to complete details of ay accidet or icidet occurrig durig their occupatio of the premises which did or could give rise to ijury as soo as possible after the accidet or icidet but i ay case before the premises are vacated by the hirers after the evet. A book is provided for this purpose ad this is located i The followig iformatio should be recorded: 1 Name, address ad telephoe umber of perso(s) ijured 2 Exact time ad place of the occurrece 3 Detailed descriptio of accidet or icidet, icludig a descriptio of ay apparatus or equipmet ivolved 4 Name, address ad telephoe umber of ay witess(es) to the accidet 5 Siged witess statemets should be obtaied if possible The hirer must otify (isert ame, address ad telephoe umber of perso resposible) as soo as possible after the accidet, but i ay evet withi 24 hours. Ay apparatus or equipmet ivolved must be retaied for ispectio. Beaufort House, Bruswick Road, Gloucester GL1 1JZ Ecclesiastical Isurace Office plc (EIO) Reg. No. 24869. Registered i Eglad at Beaufort House, Bruswick Road, Gloucester, GL1 1JZ, UK. EIO is authorised by the Prudetial Regulatio Authority ad regulated by the Fiacial Coduct Authority ad the Prudetial Regulatio Authority.
CHURCH FUNCTIONS GUIDANCE NOTES 21 Notes
22 GUIDANCE NOTES CHURCH FUNCTIONS Notes
Cotact us For further iformatio cotact your local isurace Cosultat ad Surveyor or call us o 0345 777 3322 Moday to Friday 8am to 6pm (excludig Bak Holidays). We may moitor or record calls to improve our service. You ca email us at churches@ecclesiastical.com Or visit www.ecclesiastical.com/churchmatters Other useful cotacts Ecclesiastical Fiacial Advisory Services: 0800 107 0190 www.ecclesiastical.com/getadvice Ecclesiastical home isurace: 0800 917 3345 www.ecclesiastical.com/churchworker Beaufort House, Bruswick Road, Gloucester GL1 1JZ Ecclesiastical Isurace Office plc (EIO) Reg. No. 24869. Registered i Eglad at Beaufort House, Bruswick Road, Gloucester, GL1 1JZ, UK. EIO is authorised by the Prudetial Regulatio Authority ad regulated by the Fiacial Coduct Authority ad the Prudetial Regulatio Authority. Ecclesiastical Isurace Office plc 2015 PD2260 5 08/15