Safety, security and crime

Health and safety

Overall responsibility for the health and safety of employees, volunteers and visitors to the church and churchyard lies with the incumbent and PCC (they are the ‘duty holder’). It is advised that the PCC carry out a thorough risk assessment to identify potential hazards/risks and implement measures to eliminate or reduce risk.

The PCC and incumbent must comply with relevant Health and Safety legislation.

Some things to consider:

Do you need a written Health and Safety Policy? This is a requirement for churches who employ five or more people (this includes volunteers).
Risk assessments should be carried out and recorded.
You must ensure that work at height is properly planned supervised and carried out by competent people in line with the Work at Height Regulations 2005.
A suitable and sufficient assessment should be made as to whether asbestos is or is liable to be present in the premises. Further details on making an assessment are available here.
Any electrical installation should be tested at least every five years in accordance with the recommendations of the Church Buildings Council. The inspection and testing should be carried out in accordance with IET Regulations, Guidance Note No. 3, and an inspection certificate obtained in every case. The testing must be carried out by a Full Scope NICEIC, ECA or NAPIT contractor approved to carry out work on commercial installations.
A fire risk assessment should be carried out by a ‘responsible person’, as required by the Regulatory Reform (Fire Safety) Order 2005.
Fire extinguishers must be inspected regularly.
Any lightning conductor should be tested at least every five years in accordance with the current British Standard by a competent engineer.
The PCC should ensure they have understood their responsibilities under the Equality Act 2010.
Are your safeguarding training and policies up to date? The parish safeguarding toolkit is available here.
Are you planning any building projects? If so, you will need to consider the Construction (Design and Management) Regulations 2015. A helpful guidance note is available here.

The Parish Resources and Ecclesiastical Insurance websites have a wealth of additional information on health and safety.

Fire risk

The procedures arising from your fire risk assessment should be recorded in an emergency strategy or plan. This should include fire precautions, means of escape, fire alarm/detection systems, emergency lighting, extinguishers, and evaluation procedures. Your emergency plan should be proportionate to the building use and significance. Please contact the Church Buildings Office for advice if you wish to add signs, alarms or emergency lighting to your building.

The guidance booklet ‘Fire Safety for Traditional Church Buildings of Small and Medium Size’ provides helpful information for PCCs in undertaking fire risk assessments and developing emergency plans.

Security and crime

Every church, and its setting, is unique. You should try to have a balanced and proportionate approach to security. Generally, it is best for churches to be kept unlocked during the day.

Some things to consider:

Review security at entry points – are locks in working order and adequate? Is the church locked during the hours of darkness (unless open for a service or other event)? Changing and adding locks is likely to need List B permission.
Ask people living nearby to keep an eye out for anything suspicious around the church, and report suspicious activity to the Police.
Keep valuable items locked away.
Ensure keys aren’t kept on the premises.
Consider using SmartWater to mark valuable articles, including external lead.
Maintain an inventory, with photos of valuable items.
If you have a substantial amount of valuable property, you may want to consider an intruder alarm system. This will need List B permission.
CCTV should be seen as a last resort, as it can be expensive, can have a negative impact on the appearance of the building, and there are strict rules around data protection to be complied with. CCTV will need List B permission.

Crime prevention advice is available from Devon and Cornwall Police.

What to do if a crime takes place:

Call the Police and report it as a ‘heritage crime’ (even incidents of anti-social behaviour). If it is an emergency, call 999, otherwise call 101.
Protect the crime scene – don’t move anything or clean up until the Police give permission.
Log the crime on Heritage Watch (see below).
Call your insurer.
Inform your Archdeacon and the Church Buildings Office.

All churches are recommended to join Heritage Watch.

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