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Safety first, please
Parishes will find it easier to keep people safe, thanks to a new resource that takes the hard work out of establishing and maintaining a health and safety system.
Keeping people safe from physical harm while they are visiting or working on church property may sound easy, but it is estimated that less than half of Presbyterian and Uniting parishes have processes in place to identify and monitor potential hazards.
Former Human Resource Manager, Fiona Stenhouse, who co-ordinated the project before her departure in February, acknowledges St Columba at Botany Downs’ assistance with this project – their in-house manual was used as the basis of the resource that will be made available to all parishes.
An accident can happen at any parish any time, and the risk of not doing anything to identify and eliminate hazards is significant, she says. “Not only can people be seriously hurt, but there can be a financial cost to the parish if a prosecution results from an accident,” explains Mrs Stenhouse. A parishioner or visitor slipping and hurting him or herself on a poorly maintained, slippery path could result in prosecution for the parish under the Health and Safety and Employment Act if an investigation showed that the parish did nothing to eliminate the hazard – in this case the slippery path.
Assembly Executive Secretary the Rev Dr Kerry Enright believes we should be leading the way in providing safe environments because as a Church it is important to demonstrate our care for others. "Love thy neighbour as yourself," he says, "Our calling is to love, and a fundamental part of this is safety."
The resource that has been developed will be posted to all parishes over the next few months. It includes a draft policy document, checklists, forms and everything else that a parish needs to establish and maintain its own health and safety system. One of the things the resource does is help churches identify potential hazards in their buildings and parish grounds. Potential ways for the hazards to be minimised or eliminated are also suggested.
Graeme Owen of Securo, the organisation that the Church commissioned to develop the resource and provide back-up support for parishes, says it is easy to use and has plenty of scope for customisation. In addition to the manual, parishes can purchase additional specialist support to help get the system up and running. Securo, a nationwide health and safety organisation, has been engaged to provide this support, which includes an 0800 support line and regular visits from an experienced safety consultant.
Parishes will also receive information about these services and associated costs in due course. Mrs Stenhouse describes the system as “user-friendly, accurate and easy to use” because it was developed with parishes in mind, which means that the forms and other materials are targeted to parish needs.